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The roman empire Mr. Cline History Marshall High School Marshall High School Mr. Cline Western Civilization I: Ancient Foundations Unit Four EB * Septimius and the Severan Dynasty • Once upon a time, around the year 200 AD, in a land far, far away (the Roman Empire to be exact), there lived the Severan Emperors, a family who ruled Rome and its vast lands. • Although history tells us they were a very violent people, and probably a bit off their rockers, they brought military and social reform to Rome. • Let's start with the first Severan emperor who gave the dynasty its name, Septimius Severus. • To make it easier to remember what he did, we'll call him 'Septimius the Soldier.' • Septimius, our soldier Severan, came to power in the year 193 AD, also known as the Year of Five Emperors, in which five different rich guys fought for the title of Emperor. • Being rather brutal, and more than willing to kill for power, Septimius the Soldier was the last guy standing in this fight. • Upon becoming emperor, he reformed the military. Hence our name, Septimius the Soldier. English Spelling of Greek Word Translation Letter Iota Iesous Jesus Chi Christos Christ Theta Theou God's Ypsilon Uios Son Sigma Soter Savior * Septimius and the Severan Dynasty • To stabilize his lands, Septimius the Soldier disbanded the very large and very corrupt Praetorian Guard, or the emperor's elite bodyguards. • He was also the first emperor to create a standing, or permanent, army within Italy. • Not only did this keep the homeland safe, it also made Septimius very formidable. • Anytime there was a threat to his power, he had an army ready and waiting! • In order to keep the soldiers on his side, he increased their pay and benefits. • Working to keep the citizenry content, he put on games, supplied grain, and even forgave the debts of his powerful friends. • Although all these actions kept him safe from assassination, it added a huge financial burden to the empire. This burden was so large, many historians actually blame his policies for the eventual fall of Rome. English Spelling of Greek Word Translation Letter Iota Iesous Jesus Chi Christos Christ Theta Theou God's Ypsilon Uios Son Sigma Soter Savior * Septimius and the Severan Dynasty • Yes, his fiscal policies may have been a bit reckless, but he did establish and maintain a strong Roman military. • Geta & Caracalla • After the peaceful death of Septimius the Soldier, his sons, Caracalla and Geta, were co-emperors of Rome. • Not really keen on the idea of sharing power, Caracalla arranged for the murder of his brother and took outright control of the Empire. • Since Caracalla is most remembered for his Antonine Constitution, in which he granted citizenship to every free person in the Roman Empire, we'll call him 'Caracalla the Citizen'. • Although granting citizenship like this improved the lives of many, he was also cruel and punishing. • As we already learned, he had no problem killing family members. However, he was also known for burying his victims alive and massacring at will. English Spelling of Greek Word Translation Letter Iota Iesous Jesus Chi Christos Christ Theta Theou God's Ypsilon Uios Son Sigma Soter Savior * Septimius and the Severan Dynasty • Geta & Caracalla • For example, during a visit to Egypt he was mocked while in Alexandria. • He retaliated by ordering a massacre of the city's youth. • All in all Caracalla the Citizen wasn't really a guy you'd like to see in control of things, but in his defense, he did grant citizenship to every free person within the empire. • Macrinus & Elagabalus • Having had enough of Caracalla the Citizen, one of his relatives, Macrinus, murdered him and claimed the title of emperor. • For this deed, we'll call him 'Macrinus the Murderer'. • History really doesn't record a lot about Macrinus the Murderer. For the most part, he stayed out of Rome and was assassinated within a year by another power hungry Severan known to history as Elagabalus. English Spelling of Greek Word Translation Letter Iota Iesous Jesus Chi Christos Christ Theta Theou God's Ypsilon Uios Son Sigma Soter Savior * Septimius and the Severan Dynasty • Macrinus & Elagabalus • Unfortunately for Rome, Elagabalus was a young teenager when he became emperor. • Like lots of teenagers, he had more interest in partying than ruling. • For this reason, history says very little about his accomplishments. Instead, he's remembered, for lack of a better term, as being quite the pervert. • He enjoyed pretending to be a female prostitute, marrying both men and women, forcing those around him to participate in sexual acts, and generally doing things not suitable to print. • To remember Elagabalus, we'll simply call him 'Elagabalus the Icky.' • Being fed up with his antics, Elagabalus the Icky's bodyguards murdered him, and his very young cousin, Severus Alexander, was put on the throne. • Upon taking the throne, Severus's rule was dominated by his mom. For this, we give him the name, 'Severus the Sissy'. English Spelling of Greek Word Translation Letter Iota Iesous Jesus Chi Christos Christ Theta Theou God's Ypsilon Uios Son Sigma Soter Savior * Septimius and the Severan Dynasty • Severus & His Mom • Fortunately for Rome, Alexander Severus' mom, Julia Avita Mamaea, wasn't all bad, and his rule was marked by peace. • Although she was a rather jealous woman who got rid of anyone who challenged her control, she did make sure Severus the Sissy was surrounded by wise council. • She was also very fiscally strict and imposed cuts to the military and its spending. • This, along with the fact that Severus and his mom tried to bribe enemies rather than fight them, made the military mutiny. • Like most of the other Severans, Alexander Severus and his mom were assassinated in the year 235 AD. • With the death of Severus the Sissy, the reign of the Severan Dynasty came to an end, and history said goodbye to one of Rome's most infamous dynasties. English Spelling of Greek Word Translation Letter Iota Iesous Jesus Chi Christos Christ Theta Theou God's Ypsilon Uios Son Sigma Soter Savior * Introduction to the Crisis • The 3rd Century Crisis was a period in which the Roman Empire came very close to collapsing. • It was a time when the position of emperor lost its power, and, to put it in modern- day terms, the inmates began running the asylum. • With this collapse of authority, things like civil war, foreign invasion, economic depression and even a plague brought the Roman Empire to its knees. • To help us remember the causes of the crisis, we're going to call them The Five Fs: feuding, factions, funding, foreigners and a freaky disease. • Fortunately for the Empire, a man named Diocletian would step in to save the day. • But, before we get to the hero of the story, let's take a look at how the crisis began. Then, we'll delve into our Five Fs. English Spelling of Greek Word Translation Letter Iota Iesous Jesus Chi Christos Christ Theta Theou God's Ypsilon Uios Son Sigma Soter Savior * Introduction to the Crisis • Feuding & Factions • The 3rd Century Crisis began with the end of the Severan Dynasty of emperors. • The Severan Emperors, while being rather violent and a bit nuts, maintained control of Rome for several generations. • Their strength as rulers kept the military and the people from open rebellion. • However, when Severus Alexander, the last of the Severans, was assassinated, the title of Emperor went up for grabs. • Soon dozens of wealthy military leaders fought for the throne, creating chaos, and throwing the Empire into civil war. • These civil wars give us our first F: feuding • Our second F is factions. English Spelling of Greek Word Translation Letter Iota Iesous Jesus Chi Christos Christ Theta Theou God's Ypsilon Uios Son Sigma Soter Savior * Introduction to the Crisis • Feuding & Factions • Seeing the Empire in chaos, the conquered territories of Rome decided to add to the melee by breaking from the Empire and creating their own factions. • The territories of Gaul, Spain and Britain declared their independence and named themselves the Gallic Empire. • They even went as far as crowning their own emperors. • Witnessing the rebellion of these territories, the eastern provinces, comprised of Syria Palaestina and Egypt, also decided to try their hands at revolution. • Making matters worse, the territories that did remain loyal to Rome were burdened with warring generals trying to assert their power. • These generals, who were mostly killed in battle or assassinated, are known to history as the Barracks Emperors. English Spelling of Greek Word Translation Letter Iota Iesous Jesus Chi Christos Christ Theta Theou God's Ypsilon Uios Son Sigma Soter Savior * Introduction to the Crisis • Funding • As if civil war wasn't enough, the 3rd Century Crisis was a period of economic depression. • From this we get our third F: funding. • In order to try to gain or keep power, Rome's rulers began bribing soldiers to play on their team. • To come up with the extra funds, those in power started decreasing the amount of precious metals in the currency. • In other words, they made the coins worth less and less. • Hmmm...sounds eerily familiar. • In doing this, the buying power of Roman currency plummeted and inflation spread like bad news. • Also, since currency meant so little, people began trading and bartering, rather than paying and purchasing. English Spelling of Greek Word Translation Letter Iota Iesous Jesus Chi Christos Christ Theta Theou God's Ypsilon Uios Son Sigma Soter Savior * Introduction to the Crisis • Funding • Since no money was trading hands, tax revenue was scarce and the economy of the Empire fell further into a pit.
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  • Elagabalus (218–222 AD): East Meets West with the Assassination of Caracalla, Macrinus Became Emperor, but the Powerful Sever

    Elagabalus (218–222 AD): East Meets West with the Assassination of Caracalla, Macrinus Became Emperor, but the Powerful Sever

    Elagabalus (218–222 AD): East Meets West With the assassination of Caracalla, Macrinus became emperor, but the powerful Severan family would not accept the loss of power so easily. They immediately began plotting. In response, Macrinus expelled the family from Antioch and Julia Domna, already seriously ill, starved herself to death. Her sister, Julia Maesa, began to spread the rumor that her grandson, Varius Avitus Bassianus, son of her daughter Julia Soaemias, was the secret child of Caracalla. The child was the high priest of the Syrian god El-Gabal, and thus he was called Elagabalus. Sometimes he is also called Heliogabalus, from the Greek god Helios, who was considered the Greek equivalent of El-Gabal. Julia Maesa convinced the Third Legion and its general, Comazon, to proclaim Elagabalus emperor. More legions followed, discontent that Macrinus had ended the ill- conceived war against Parthia and revoked the high salaries Caracalla had bestowed on the troops. The legions loyal to Elagabalus and Julia met Macrinus’s forces at Antioch and defeated the emperor. Macrinus fled but was captured and executed. Elagabalus was hailed by all as emperor. Before Elagabalus and his family arrived in Italy, his supporters sent a painting of him to the Roman Senate. Elagabalus was portrayed with mascara and priestly robes, characteristics of an Easterner, which was offensive to traditional Roman values. This impression was made worse when the new emperor actually arrived. Elagabalus entered the city on foot while a meteorite, the embodiment of his god, was carried on a triumphal chariot in a bed of priceless gems.