Ancient Rome - AD 193-211 Septimius Severus AV Aureus NGC Choice MS - POSSIBLY UNIQUE!

Septimius Severus (Lucius Septimius Severus Augustus), 1 April 145--4 February 211, was Roman emperor from 193-211. Severus was a small man who was powerfully built. Poorly educated, he rarely spoke in public. His cruelty and ruthlessness was evident throughout his military career and his rule of Rome. The famed Roman historian, Cassius Dio, said of him, "Severus was careful of everything that he desired to accomplish, but careless of what was said about him." Towards the end of Commodus' rule, he was made consul in 190. As a plot developed to assassinate Commodus, a friend of Severus', the praetorian prefect Laetus, placed those whom he could trust in key positions around the empire. They were Severus, Pescennius Niger, and Clodius Albinus. Commodus was indeed killed, which brought Pertinax to power. However shortly thereafter Pertinax was murdered, and the praetorian guard auctioned off the throne to senator Didius Julianus. Laetus was executed for his role in the killing of Commodus. Then Severus was acclaimed emperor by his troops in Upper Pannonia in 193. Likewise, Niger was hailed emperor by his own troops in the east. Albinus was not declared emperor; he was waiting for the right moment to act. Albinus, the commander of legions in Britain and with strong support in the senate, was given the title of Caesar (junior emperor) by Severus. That honor marked Albinus to be Severus' successor, or so he thought.

Before Severus arrived in Rome, Julianus was sentenced to death and executed. Severus arrived and had those who took part in the assassination of Pertinax put to death. Then he had the praetorian guard, which was a constant threat to emperor after emperor, disbanded, and its members banished from Rome. To replace it he created a force double its size with men from his own army, primarily the Danubian legions. To boost morale of the army, Severus raised their salary from 300 to 500 denarii per year. He then moved east to deal with Pescennius Niger. The year 194 saw Severus crush Niger's forces (and kill Niger) on the same plain where Alexander the Great had defeated Darius 500 years earlier. Then Severus dealt with Clodius Albinus. Severus declared his older son, Caracalla, to be Caesar, his heir, in 195. This was an insult to Albinus, who had previously been Caesar. It was in the year 196 that Albinus had himself declared emperor by his troops. He took 40,000 of them with him and headed for Rome. Severus and Albinus met in battle at Lugdunum (Lyons) on 19 Febraury 197. Severus won and Albinus fled. But he was caught and either killed himself or was stabbed. Severus had his corpse stripped naked and laid on the ground so that he could trample it with his horse. Then he had Albinus' head cut off and sent to Rome. His body, along with those of his wife and sons, was tossed in the Rhine River.

Severus fell ill at Eburacum (York) where he died when he was 66. His last words to his sons, Caracalla and Geta, were, "Keep on good terms with each other, and be generous to the soldiers, and take no heed of anyone else!"