Meditations: With Selected Correspondence

Marcus Aurelius: the pious emperor, who was able to achieve justice, and spread security throughout the Roman Empire. Marcus Aurelius Antonius Augustus was born in 121 AD into an aristocratic family; Which allowed him to increment in political work until he was able to be a member of the Senate, and for his intelligence and good manners, the Emperor “Antonius Pius”, then married him to his daughter “Faustina”, then declared him with his brother “Lucius Verus” crown prince. And they continued to rule the Roman Empire together during the period from 161-167 AD; His brother died, and Marcus Aurelius became the sole ruler. The empire was suffering from crises on all levels; Where the Germans violated the borders of the empire in the north, and from the east, the Persians occupied some Roman states, in addition to the spread of the plague, and the deterioration of economic conditions; On a personal level, his wife and the commander of his army conspired against him. However, all this did not fail him, and he continued to fight to bring peace to the empire; He defeated the Persians and Germans, and eliminated the economic crisis after siding with the poor, to the extent that some considered him the last of the five best Roman emperors ever. In ancient history, and perhaps in all of history, there is no philosopher emperor, but Aurelius, in the opinion of some, was able to achieve Plato's theory in which he asserted that human affairs would not be reconciled unless the ruler philosophized or ruled. The emperor, the philosopher, was a lover of philosophy, far from matters of the army and battles, before he took power; He was the one who philosophized at the hands of the philosopher of freedom "Epictetus", who is credited with Aurelius' adherence to the Stoic doctrine. Aurelius left only the Book of Meditations, and this work alone suffices to perpetuate his name among the ranks of the greats. The funny thing is that Aurelius wrote this book to himself and did not expect anyone else to read it. The pious Emperor Aurelius died in 180 AD.