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Marcus was born in Rome on April 26, 121 and raised in a wealthy and politically prominent family. He was noticed by the Emperor Hadrian while he was still a child and was consequently given special educational privileges. Marcus was enrolled in the Equestrians at the age of six and the next year he was given special permission to attend the priestly college of the Salii in Rome. It was here that Marcus was taught by the greatest thinkers of the day, representing a variety of cultures. In 167, the German tribes invaded a Roman city. Marcus and Verus arranged for funds for their own soldiers and finally after assembling a strong army, they drove the Germans away from their lands. However, Verus died during this time and Aurelius was made the sole emperor of Roman empire. He ruled during the era of the "Five Good Emperors" and was considered one of them, but came to power during troubled times, which some historians describe as the beginning of the decline of the empire, therefore his accomplishments, compared to the JulioClaudians, for example, were limited. Most of his time as emperor was spent fending off invading Germanic tribes in the north and the Parthian empire in the east. Several German tribes invaded Italy in 169. This is the first actual invasion of Italy by foreign forces in several centuries. It shocked the Romans into action. However, the plague that was brought back by victorious Roman legions from the Parthian War caused serious problems. There were not enough Roman freedmen to fill out the legions. Faced with this recruitment problem, Marcus Aurelius conscripted gladiators, bandits, slaves, and Germanic tribesmen. This was an unorthodox move by Marcus Aurelius but it probably was a necessity. It certainly was an instance of decisive problem solving. The End