Lucius Septimius Severus (b.
Leptis Magna,
April 11,
146 - d.
York,
February 4,
211) was a
Roman general, and
Roman Emperor from
April 9,
193 to 211. He was the first emperor to be born in
Africa (present-day
Tunisia and western
Libya).
Founder of the African dynasty of Roman emperors, b. at Leptis Magna in
Africa, 11 April, 146; d. at
York,
England, 4 February, 211.
Severus came from a
family that had become Roman citizens. In his career as an official at
Rome and in the provinces he had been favored by the
Emperor Marcus Aurelius. In the reign of
Commodus he was appointed
legate of the fourth legion on the Euphrates; this gave him the opportunity to become acquainted with affairs in the East. He married Julia Domna, a member of a
priestly family of
Emesa, who was the mother of
Caracalla and Geta. When the
Emperor Pertinax was killed by the mutinous soldiers at
Rome, Severus, who was then governor of Upper Pannonia, was proclaimed emperor at Carnuntium by the legions on the Danube. The fact that the leaders of the troops in the eastern and western parts of the empire were at once ready to follow him is evidence that Severus himself had shared in the conspiracy against the dead emperor. Severus had clear political vision, still he cared nothing for the interests of
Rome and
Italy. He nourished within himself the Punic
hatred of the Roman spirit and
instinct and furthered the
provincials in every way. He was revengeful and cruel towards his opponents, and was influenced by a blindly
superstitious belief in his destiny as written in the stars. With iron will he labored to reorganize the Roman Empire on the model of an Oriental despotism. The troops in the East had proclaimed as emperor the capable governor of
Syria,
Pescennius Niger; the legions in Britain, the governor Clodius Albinus. On the other hand the soldiers in
Italy and the senators came over to the side of Severus; Julianus, the prefect of the Pretorian Guard, was executed. Severus rested his power mainly upon the legions of barbarian troops; he immortalized them upon the
coinage, granted them, besides large gifts of money and the
right of marriage, a great number of
privileges in the military and civil service, so that g
radually the races living on the borders were able to force
Rome to do their will. The Pretorian Guard was made into a troop of picked men from the provinces; in the first years of the emperor's reign their commander was the shrewd
Caius Fulvius Plautianus, who exerted a great influence over Severus. After making careful preparation for the decisive struggle, and having secured his opponent in Britain by the bestowal of the title of Caesar, Severus entered upon a campaign against his dangerous rival
Niger. He defeated
Niger's subordinate Ascellius Æmilius at
Cyzicus and
Niger himself at
Issus. He then advanced into Mesopotamia, established the new Province of Osrhoene and
(Picture is the
the new legion called the Parthian. He divided several old provinces into smaller administrative districts. After this, while at
Antioch, he declared
war against Albinus and returned to
Europe by
forced marches. In 197 the decisive battle was fought with Albinus near
Lyons in
Gaul. Albinus had under him the legions of Britain,
Gaul,
Germany, and
Spain, yet in spite of
severe losses Severus was the conqueror. Albinus was killed, his adherents were utterly destroyed in a bloody civil
war, and their
property was confiscated for the emperor. The common soldiers received the
right of entering the Senate and the equestrian order. For the greater security of the imperial power the Parthian legion was garrisoned upon Mount Alba near
Rome. Severus went to
Asia a second time, traversed the countries on the Euphrates and Tigris, strengthened the Roman supremacy, and gave the natives equal
rights with the
Italians. He then went to
Egypt where he granted the City of
Alexandria the
privilege of self-government. During the reign of Severus the fifth
persecution of the
Christians broke out. He forbade
conversion to
Judaism and to
Christianity. The
persecution raged especially in
Syria and
Africa. In 203 Saints Perpetua and Felicitas and their companions suffered
martyrdom at Carthage. The emperor returned to
Rome for the celebration of the tenth year of his reign, erected the triumphal
arch that still exists, and strengthened his hold on his hordes of mercenaries by constant gifts of money and the bestowal of favors detrimental to military
discipline. The Senate was replaced by the Consistorium principis, one of the members of which was the celebrated jurist Papinian. Although he had suffered for years from rheumatic gout, Severus went to Britain, where trouble had broken out, in order to give occupation to his sons, who were at deadly enmity with each other. He restored Hadrian's Wall, and strengthened again the Roman power in Britain.
Though his military leanings were costly to the empire, Severus was the strong, able ruler that Rome needed at the time. He began a line of military emperors that would carry on for the following few rulers. However, although necessary from some point of view, his politics of expansion of the army's benefit were criticized by his contemporary
Dio Cassius and
Herodianus: in particular, they pointed out the increasing burden (in the form of taxes and vessations) the civilian population had to bear to maintain the new army.
Severus was also distinguished by his buildings. Apart from the triumphal arch in the Roman Forum carrying his full name, he also built the
Septizodium in Rome and enriched greatly his native city of
Leptis Magna (including another triumphal arch in occasion of his visit of 203).
