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Which powers did Marcus Aurelius receive before becoming emperor?
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Marcus Aurelius
Marcus Aurelius, bronze equestrian statue in the Piazza del Campidoglio, Rome.
In 147 CE, Marcus Aurelius was granted the imperium and tribunicia potestas (tribunician power), which were the primary formal powers of the Roman emperorship.1
These grants effectively established him as a junior co-emperor alongside his adoptive father, Antoninus Pius, allowing him to share in intimate counsels and participate in crucial government decisions. Prior to receiving these specific powers, Marcus had already served as consul in 140 and 145 CE, and he spent many years in an apprenticeship under Antoninus, learning the business of government and assuming various public roles.1