Ridley Scott’s epic historical sequel, Gladiator II promises to be a dramatic and spectacular, if not particularly historically accurate roller-coaster ride through the Roman Empire. And while there are already some excellent videos out there discussing the authenticity of the battle scenes, dramatic deaths and exactly which era saw the flooding of the Colosseum, I want to take a look at something different – the cast of characters and their real historic counterparts. Today let’s explore the family trees which connect the key players, sort out who was real and who was fictional, meet a few fascinating women who did more than wait around to be rescued, and discover everyone’s true fates, which are even more dramatic than Hollywood could come up with. Caution, there will be some spoilers, but I won’t give away the ending of the new film, only what really happened in history.

Gladiator I :

Marcus Aurelius

Commodus

The Year of Five Emperors - 193

Pertinax

Didius Julianus

Pescennius Niger

Clodius Albinus

Septimius Severus

Gladiator II:

Caracalla and Geta

Macrinus

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Intro Music: Baroque Coffee House by Doug Maxwell

Music: Dragon Rojo by The Mini Vandals

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