From 180 to 192 C.E., Emperor Commodus ruled ancient Rome with an insatiable lust for power that brought an end to the fabled Pax Romana.

In 182 A.D. Commodus survived an assassination attempt by his sister Lucilla. He gradually became even more megalomaniacal, even renaming Rome "Colonia Commodiana" (Colony of Commodus).

Commodus’ sister Lucilla (Connie Nielsen) married a man named Lucius Verus who was like a foster brother to Marcus Aurelius and even reigned with him as co-emperor during his life.

His scheming sister Lucilla. Before Roman Empire: Reign of Blood , Lucilla’s splashiest appearance in pop culture was in Ridley Scott’s 2000 film Gladiator .

Commodus defeats his sister's coup but withdraws from governing, allowing other to amass power while he engages in an affair and banishes his wife. 76. 5. Fight for Glory.

Commodus’ reign got off to a disastrous start when he made a huge rookie mistake. The problem wasn’t that he killed his own father, Marcus Aurelius. He had to.