Who they were
Marcus Aurelius was a Roman emperor who reigned from 161 to 180. He was the last of the Five Good Emperors and a Stoic philosopher.
What they did
He ruled during wars on the Danube frontier and the Antonine Plague, defending the empire and co-ruling for a time with Lucius Verus. In camp he wrote his private Meditations, a classic of Stoic philosophy.
Legacy
His reign is often seen as the close of the Pax Romana’s height, and he was succeeded by his son Commodus, widely regarded as a decline. The Meditations remain widely read, and he is remembered as the model of the philosopher-king.