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Lucius Septimius Severus (145-211 AD) hailed from a privileged and thoroughly Romanized family in the Africa Province. The young Severus headed for Rome to launch his career, and managed to enter the Senatorial ranks. Amidst a plague that ravaged the Empire (creating job vacancies across all classes in the process), Severus advanced in responsibility. By 191 AD, he was governor of Pannonia in charge of three legions.
Busy with his career development, Severus put off finding a bride until his thirties. After his first wife died a decade later, Severus found himself widowed, childless, and now in his forties. Harboring dynastic aspirations, Severus searched now with urgency, even employing divine assistance. After investigating horoscopes of prospective brides, Severus discovered that there was a woman in Syria who had been foretold that she would marry a king. This woman was Julia Domna, daughter of Julius Bassianus, from the lineage of the high priests of the sun god Elagabal. Severus married Julia in 187 AD, and within two years the couple produced two sons, Caracalla and Geta.
The stage was now set for Severus, who realized it was only a matter of time before action would be taken to eliminate Augustus Commodus. The megalomaniac Roman leader announced that starting New Years Day 193 AD, everyone and everything would be officially re-named in his honor, promising the Empire a wild party. Conspirators took matters into their own hands, and on New Years’ Eve 192 AD, Commodus was eliminated. Although Commodus did not live to see it, Rome was indeed in for a wild ride in 193 AD - that particular year became known as the Year of the Five Emperors.
After Commodus’ murder, the urban prefect Pertinax was declared the new Augustus, only to be murdered weeks later by Praetorian guards, who then auctioned off the throne to the highest bidder, Senator Didius Julianus. Outraged Romans clamored for justice. Severus responded, marching to Rome with support of thirteen legions from the Rhine to the Danube, eager to test Julia’s horoscope. However, Severus was not alone in rallying to the call. Clodius Albinus, the governor of Britain, and Pescennius Niger, the governor of Syria, both had similar aspirations, making a grand total of five (official and non-official) claimants to the throne in 193 AD.
Severus was the best positioned and reached Rome first, whereupon he promptly deified Pertinax and punished those responsible for his murder. Didius Julianus’s attempts to murder his newly arrived rival failed, as did his attempts to share power; in short order, he was captured and executed (unfortunately, purchasing the purple did not come with a money-back guarantee). Severus replaced the Praetorians with his own faithful troops, cementing their loyalty further with a substantial pay raise. In reality, the salary adjustment barely kept up the declining value of the denarius. Upon his ascension, Severus reduced its silver purity from 81.5% to 78.5%, and enacted two further reductions, to 64.5% then to 54%, before the end of his reign.
The savvy Severus realized the difficulty of fighting claimants on two different fronts. Therefore, he bestowed the title of Caesar on Clodius Albinus, implying some claim to succession. With his western front at least temporarily secure, Severus headed east to deal with Pescennius Niger. Severus offered his opponent a chance to surrender, and sweetened the deal by promising that the usurper and his family (held hostage back in Rome) could live in exile. Niger declined, and fell after a series of battles that lasted several months. Severus ordered that his opponent’s severed head be flaunted while Rome's armies punished the demoralized eastern Empire; later, the head would be sent to Rome for proof of victory.
With his position now secure to the east, Severus proclaimed his eldest son, Caracalla, as Caesar in 195 AD. This was obviously a disappointment to Albinus, who soon responded with his own self-promotion to Emperor, subsequently mobilizing his troops from Britannia into Gaul. In early 197 AD, Severus and Albinus fought in a bloody battle involving perhaps several hundreds of thousands of troops, one of the larges battles in Roman history. Severus once again emerged victorious, and once again employed his opponent’s severed head to remind Rome of their true Emperor’s identity. In the wake of the battle, Albinus’ stronghold of Lugdunum was plundered and destroyed. Moreover, Severus purged Albinus’ family and supporters. The Augustus now reigned supreme, having eliminated all his imperial rivals, the final realization of the Syrian oracle.
Severus did not fight all of his battles against fellow Romans; indeed, he spent much of his reign on campaign against foreign foes at the far flung corners of the Roman Empire. Following Lugdunum, Severus took his family and his troops back to the eastern front to wage war against the Parthian Empire. That campaign was a huge success for the imperial army, who managed to sack the Parthian capitol of Ctesiphon, claiming enormous riches and enslaving many tens of thousands.
Shortly thereafter, this coin was struck in Rome to commemorate these events. The obverse bust of the laureate Emperor is accompanied by the legend SEVERVS AVG PART MAX, advertising Augustus Severus as the greatest of all the conquerors of the Parthians. The complementary motif on reverse features Virtus, the Roman deity of bravery and military strength, holding Victory, and decked out with a shield and a spear. The epithet, VIRT AVGG, indicates the presence of two Augusti; in 198 AD, Severus leveraged his triumphs to promote the 10-year-old Caracalla.
Severus also added his younger son Geta to the imperial team, as Caesar. Presumably, he was planning for both sons to one day jointly rule the Roman Empire, securing his future dynasty. However, Severus was haunted by the rivalry between his sons, imploring them to get along as best they could. In 203 AD, Severus made both his sons co-consuls, hoping the experience would force them to cooperate. Instead, the strategy backfired - the situation only fueled their acrimony. Several years later, Severus repeated the experiment, only to prove again that power sharing between the quarreling brothers was problematic. Forcing the issue, Severus took both sons on campaign to Britannia, using the opportunity to promote Geta to co-Augustus.
While on the Britannia campaign in early 211 AD, Severus died of natural causes. Although his ruthless reign strengthened the Empire, he worried to the end about his sons’ ability to cooperate and continue his work. His final wish, “
Agree with each other, give money to soldiers, and scorn all other men,” would not be fully respected.
Coin Details: ROMAN EMPIRE, Septimus Severus, 193-211 AD, Rome mint struck circa AD 200-201, NGC Grade: Ch AU*, Strike: 5/5, Surface: 5/5, Obverse: Laureate head right, SEVERVS AVG PART MAX, Reverse: Virtus standing left, holding Victory and both spear and shield with left hand, VIRT AVGG, References: RIC IV 171a; RSC 761; BMC 211.