Severan Dynasty
The Severan dynasty is a succession of Roman emperors who reigned from the 2nd
century until the 3rd century. Many historians have referred to this period
as being the "last age of the Principate" (translates to First Citizen,
from the Latin word princeps). The closing stages of this period led to a Crisis
in the 3rd century. The emperors who ruled during the Severan dynasty were Septimius
Severus, Caracalla, Publius Septimius Geta, Macrinus, and Diadumenian. The women
of this dynasty played an important role in securing power for the male members
of their families. Ophelius Macrinus was born in 164 and continued his rise
through his household until he was allowed to become prefect for the Praetorian
Guard. This was under the leadership of Emperor Caracalla.
Caracalla was known to be a very cruel man, and Macrinus eventually found himself
involved in a conspiracy to murder him. As prefect, Macrinus ordered the Praetorian
Guard to assassinate him. They were successful and Caracall was killed while
on a journey to Carrhae. A few days after this, Macrinus was given the title
of Augustus. One of the first things Macrinus did as emperor was to make peace
with the Persians. While this could bring stability to the region, some felt
that the terms of the agreement were a disgrace to Romans. The soldiers in Syria
rebelled against him, and when he sent an army to put an end to the rebellion,
his own soldiers were defeated.
Even though Macrinus escaped the battlefield, his reputation was finished.
He was soon betrayed by his own men, and they then executed him. This all happened
in the span of about two years. His son Opelius Diadumenianus was given the
title Caesar in the year 217. Once he heard news of the defeat of his father
near Antioch, he tried to flee Rome, but was intercepted and killed before he
could escape. The next individual to become emperor of Rome was Elagabalus.
His grandmother played an important role in his ascension to the thrown.
Elagabalus was known by some to be insane, though the sources of these statements
could be from his enemies. There are tales about him smothering guests at a
banquet with roses, and there are other sources that claim he was even a transgender.
While he was the emperor by title, it was his grandmother and mother who actually
ran the empire from behind the scenes. Because of the behaviour of Elagabalus,
his relatives decided that Alexander Severus should be Caesar instead. Both
Elagabalus and his mother were eventually dragged into the streets and executed.
Original Authors: Stephen Palmer
Edit Update Authors: Ryan Norfolk
Updated On: 01/12/2006
