Later Severans
Julia Domna, Septimius Severus, Geta and Caracalla
But from the beginning Caracalla and Geta did not get along. By February 212 AD, Caracalla killed Geta, and then even had his name and picture erased from monuments all over the Empire.
Caracalla
Caracalla fought wars througout his reign. He fought the Germans in the north, successfully. Then he attacked the Parthians. But he was stabbed to death by his own guards in 217 AD in the middle of the Parthian war. The leader of the guards, Macrinus, proclaimed himself emperor.
Julia Domna
Julia Maesa
But her older sister, Julia Maesa, did more. Julia Maesa had two grandsons. She made one of them, who was known as Elagabalus, emperor, and his armies, with her money, beat Macrinus in battle. Elagabalus had the name of emperor, but really his grandma, Julia Maesa, ran the empire. She made Elagabalus adopt his cousin, Alexander Severus (her other grandchild) as his successor, as Hadrian had adopted Antoninus Pius for example.
Elagabalus and Alexander Severus
Julia Mamaea
But a plot by Alexander's mother, Julia Mamaea, got Elagabalus and HIS mother killed in 222 AD. Now Julia Maesa and Julia Mamaea ran the empire together. But they had one big problem: as women, they could not lead the army themselves, and Alexander was just a boy. When the new Sassanid power in Western Asia attacked, they could not defend the Empire well. Soon the Germans, seeing this weakness, attacked in the north. Again Julia Mamaea could not respond strongly enough. The army, also seeing the problem, killed both Alexander and his mother (his grandma had already died).
To find out more about the Severans, check out these books from Amazon.com or from your library:
Why did people want to punch Socrates?
Where did Egyptians bury your liver?
How old are the Rocky Mountains?
What does a half-timbered house look like?
How do you spin wool?
(a project)
The Ancient Roman World, by Ronald Mellor (2004). Straight political history, for middle schoolers.
Classical Rome, by John Clare (1993). For kids, the whole political history from beginning to end.
The Romans: From Village to Empire, by Mary Boatwright, Daniel Gargola, and Richard Talbert (2004). Okay, it's a little dry, but it is up to date and has all the facts you could want.
The Roman Empire, by Colin Wells (1984). More readable. Alternates chapters on political and social history. Unfortunately, he stops at the third century crisis.
The Severans: The Changed Roman Empire, by Michael Grant (1996).
Septimius Severus, by Anthony Birley (1971). Emphasizes the emperor's African origins.
Beginning of the Severans
The Third Century Crisis
Main Roman history page
