Marcus' Reign Was Marked By War And Disease

Numerous conflicts and a sickness that nearly wiped out the population occurred during Marcus' tenure. He and his brother Lucius fought the Parthians for control of the east in the 160s. They were successful in large part thanks to General Avidius Classics, who will be covered later. Despite their victory over the Parthians, the returning soldiers brought with them the terrible Antonine disease, which killed tens of thousands of Roman civilians over a period of several years. Five to ten million people perished as a result of the Antonine Plague, which struck the Roman Empire in 165 or 166.

The same year, Germanic tribes that had pillaged a Roman city forced Marcus and Verus into yet another conflict. Marcus was unfortunately left on his own when Lucius Verus passed away in the middle of the campaign. Rome had only one emperor: Marcus. He never regarded this obligation lightly. Marcus marched to force the Germans back across the Danube on his own now. The Romans were able to turn the tide of the assault after a difficult beginning. By attacking certain tribes and negotiating with others to pit the Marcomanni against one another, Marcus and his troops crossed the Danube. He mediated a settlement in 175 that permitted the homecoming of thousands of Roman soldiers, as well as the enlistment of numerous Germanic warriors into the Roman legions.