Lucius Verus

Born 15 December 130 as the eldest son of Hadrian's first chosen heir, Lucius Aelius Caesar. When his father died in 138, both he and the new heir Antoninus Pius were adopted by Hadrian in a dynastic shuffle that positioned two generations at once. Antoninus ruled for twenty-three years; when he died in 161, Marcus Aurelius took the throne and immediately elevated Lucius to co-emperor — the first time Rome had two Augusti from day one. Lucius commanded the eastern front during the Parthian War, which ended in Roman victory and territorial expansion. He fell ill during the early Marcomannic War…