Roman Emperor Lucius Septimius Severus came under a deathly illness in the
north of Britannia during his planning to defeat the Picts in Caledonia.
His sons Bassianus, nicknamed "Caracalla" after the Gallic cloak he wore,
and Geta were with him. Severus had
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the
icon to follow us on Facebook.named Caracalla his co-ruler since
198, and the balance of power seemed effective. He planned for it to
continue with Caracalla and Geta becoming co-emperors upon his death. As
Severus lay dying, however, he thought back over his life and determined
that his advice of "Be harmonious" was ultimately foolish. Men needed to
work for themselves, as Severus had done.
Septimius had been born to a provincial family in Africa. While they were
not wealthy or significant themselves, they were connected to cousins in
high position, such as Praetorian Prefect Gaius Fulvius Plautianus and
Gaius Septimius Severus, who recommended him for entry into the Senate to
"In this timeline there wouldnt have been a pile of
human bones of Geta supporters that were found in Britiain recently. How
eould have this affrected Ireland? With no free Pictland the Romans would
have been emboldened to take the Emerald ...Isle. Dublin was already a
Roman outpost as recently discovered. The author implies some fuedal Roman
ministates would emerge followed by am Islamic Europe. I guess thats
chapter 2. " - reader's commentsMarcus Aurelius when Severus was
only 18. Severus raced through the consecutive positions of the cursus
honorum to achieve full senatorial status, having to pause his career as
he was forced to wait until the minimum age of 25 to become quaestor. He
served under his "uncle" Gaius as legate when he was proconsul of Africa
and married a woman of royal heritage from Syria, using every relationship
to its full advantage. With the assassination of Commodus and murder of
Pertinax, Rome came into disorder, and Septimius would rise to the top by
successive victories at Issus and Lugdunum defeating the other would-be
emperors. After that, he had fought and conquered, expanding the empire in
Parthia, Africa, and, now, Caledonia. As he approached death, he decided
the office of emperor should only go to those greatly blessed by the gods
and masters of men: conquerors.
Severus amended his will to give his blessing for the ruler of Rome to
whoever conquered Caledonia. While the wording was specifically vague and
anyone could have done it, he told first his son Caracalla to achieve the
deed. If Geta were able to do it, then he would be emperor, causing
jealousy that spurred Caracalla to act. Upon Severus' death, Caracalla
rallied his father's armies and stormed the Highlands at the cost of many
Roman lives. The campaign was brutal on both sides, but the guerilla
tactics of the Picts were undercut by their limited food resources from
Roman domination in the central lowlands and coast under Severus. In 213,
Caracalla was proclaimed fully King of Britain and returned to a triumph
in Rome where he would be named emperor. Geta attempted to rise in his own
power, but Caracalla "promoted" him to proconsul of the new province.
"He wouldn't have been named "King of Britain." The
Romans had a horror of kingship, which was why Augustus Caesar made a
point of merely being "First Citizen." And if Caracalla was Emperor, Geta
was toast, no matter what. " - reader's commentsWhile there was
little treasure and the triumph was minor, the expansion proved a boon for
Roman morale along with a fresh trade in slaves and space allowing new
colonies for veterans. Caracalla raised an arch bearing his father's dying
words, "Conquer, always conquer". He expanded citizenship to all free men
in Rome, causing a leap in tax revenue that he used to build popularity
with his armies, though he refused to grant them "luxuries" that he
himself had not enjoyed while campaigning in Caledonia. With a force
tempered in discipline and made loyal by pay raises, Caracalla marched on
Parthia, exploiting a civil war that had raised Artabanus IV to king. They
met in battle at Nisibis, and Artabanus was narrowly defeated. Infighting
had weakened the local vassals, and Caracalla gained their allegiance by
promising protection from raiding nomads.
Upon his return to Rome, Caracalla settled to construction projects and
unified his empire while adapting his auxiliaries to include the mounted
archers of the East. Though he had two surviving sons, he continued his
father's tradition of naming the next emperor to be him who conquered new
lands. Investment in campaigns became a central point of the Roman
economy, outfitting Gothic mercenaries and legionaries to march on new
regions. The move proved to be deadly for Rome: hyperinflation led to
starvation and mass thievery while ineffectual invasions weakened the
borders. With civil unrest skyrocketing, the wealthy who had already
organized armies turned to warlords, and the empire broke up shortly after
Caracalla's death.
Emperor of Britain and Gaul Constantine would build a haven of stability
in the fourth century as he established his capital of Constantinker at
Eboracum (York). Other, shorter-lived empires would be forged, but few
would last. Existing as a series of feudal states in a dark age, the
Mediterranean world would be fought over by various waves of Germanic and
Nordic conquerors, eventually being re-forged into an expansive Muslim
Empire.