Romes "Philosopher King" Marcus Aurelius was the last emperor of Rome during the time now known as "The Five Good Emperors" (Emperors Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, Antonius Pius, and Marcus Aurelius). When an emperor died in the Roman Empire, military factions often battled within themselves to try and have their commander named emperor. These 5 emperors did not rely on lineage to choose their successor, however, they chose the person best fit for the massive role. This way of choosing emperors kept the peace for over 100 years. This was until Marcus Aurelius proclaimed his son, the tyrannical ruler Commodus, his heir and co-emporer. It was not until then that he realized that Commodus was easily swayed and very gullible.
(I just realized I should probably set the record straight because of the movie Gladiator. I'll do that in the next chapter.)
"Never let the future disturb you. You will meet it, if you have to, with the same weapons of reason which today arm you against the present."
