1. Rome’s Most Scandalous Emperor
Rome had more than its fair share of bizarre and scandalous emperors, including the likes of Nero, Caligula, and Commodus. None, however, scandalized the Romans as much as did Caesar Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Augustus, better known to history as Elagabalus (203 – 222), emperor from 218 until his death. His Eastern religious practices, which would have been highly unusual in contemporary Rome if performed by a private citizen, were bizarre and shocked Roman sensibilities when carried out by an emperor.
In his youth, he had served as a priest of the Syrian sun god Elagabalus. He ascended the throne as a teenager after his grandmother was intrigued to have him succeed his cousin, the assassinated emperor Caracalla. He took the deity’s name as his own and brought its worship to Rome, where he built a lavish temple. There, before the eyes of astonished senators, high-ranking dignitaries, and the public, Elagabalus danced around the deity’s altar to the sound of cymbals and drums. That was simply not done, and when added to his perceived effeminacy, he became an object of contempt, which led to his murder in 222.
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Where Did We Find This Stuff? Some Sources and Further Reading
Ancient History Encyclopedia – Praetorian Guard
Associated Press – Covering Tyranny, the Associated Press and Nazi Germany: 1933 – 1945
Daily Beast, October 23rd, 2016 – The Rhino Who Won an Election by a Landslide
Edwardian Promenade – The Amorous Life of Edward VII
Encyclopedia Britannica – The Great Leap Forward
Encyclopedia Britannica – Profumo Affair
English History Net – Mary Queen of Scots
History Ireland – Camila Gorman: A Rose Among Thorns
Open Learn – What is the Evidence That King Edward VIII Was a Nazi Sympathizer?
