Marcus Aurelius Research Paper

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Marcus Aurelius the Restorer of Rome
When the Roman Empire collapsed, it opened up new doors to many soon-to-be emperors. Who would be the next Roman Emperor? Will Rome every be the fearless empire like it was before it collapsed? The fall of the Roman Empire reveals one of the most important emperors, Aurelian. His reign as emperor is one of the most productive.
Marcus Aurelius was born on April 26, 121 and died on March 17, 180, and he was said to be the last of the five “Good Emperors” of Rome and a major Stoic philosopher (“Marcus Aurelius”, About.com). The five “good” emperors were: Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, Antonius Pius, and Marcus Aurelius (Timeline of World History, A.D., World History Timeline). According to Editors of Encyclopedia
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In 172, Marcus defeats the invaders, and the Roman offensive begins again. Marcus was based at Carnuntum in 173. By 174 Marcus was at Sirmium, and by 175 there was a rebellion of Cassius in the East, and Marcus makes an agreement with Sarmatians. After the death of his wife in 175, Marcus and his son Commodus return to Rome in 176 where they both hold triumph. In 178, Marcus and Commodus go to northern front, and by 179 there was a Roman victory over the northern tribes (45).
I believe that Aurelian felt that the only way to rebuild an empire was to make sure it was well protected. For the protection against tribal invasions and attacks, Aurelian ordered the start of a new city wall around Rome (Aurelian, The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica). In 271 Aurelian begins to build the walls around Rome, which ran 12 miles and ended up being 11 feet thick, and 26 feet in height (Timeline of World History, A.D., World History Timeline). Aurelian was a very brilliant man, and he had a very strategic plan on how he was going to restore
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Marcus Aurelius was a champion of the poor; he founded schools, orphanages, and hospitals and alleviated the burden of taxes (Marcus Aurelius, 2014). Aurelius was interested in helping everyone, and that is one of the main reasons he helped the Roman Empire get back upon its feet. Without encouraging the poor and helping them he wouldn’t have been able to restore the Roman Empire. Marcus Aurelius was very intelligent. His greatest intellectual interest was Stoicism, a philosophy that emphasizes fate, reason and self-restraint (Marcus Aurelius Bibliography,