the death of Septimius Severus
On the death of Septimius Severus on February 4, 211, the empire fell to his two sons: Caracalla and Geta.
Lucius Septimus alias “Caracalla” was born in Lyon in 188 at a time when the city was one of the most important cities of the Three Gauls.
Caracalla is a nickname given by soldiers in reference to “Caracallus” a hooded, long-sleeved coat worn by the Gauls.
The links between Caracalla and Gaul end there, once emperor he will govern this territory as a simple Roman colony, which will earn him the enmity of some of his Gallic contemporaries.
He died six years later, on April 8, 217, Macrinus succeeded him.
The Severus dynasty gave Rome two more emperors before ending in 235 with thirty years of military anarchy.
An anarchy which will result, for our territory, in the proclamation of the Gallic Empire by Postumus in 260.
His interest in his hometown
He cared about his birthplace, Libya, the south of which had not yet declared loyalty to the Empire of Rome, and even posed a threat to the coastal cities and their stability. Despite this, Severus attached great importance to it, so he paid special attention to agriculture, which flourished greatly, and he was interested in trade. At that time, Libya was called the granary of the East and it was an important commercial center that constituted a link between East and West and between Central Africa and the coasts of the Mediterranean Sea. He also developed his hometown of Leptis Magna, establishing many buildings and baths there and expanding markets and theaters. It is also said that during one of his reigns, he changed the capital from Rome to Labadi al-Kubra, and then returned the capital to Rome. He was proud of his Libyan origins.
Libya celebrates him
His statue was placed in the most important square of Tripoli, the Libyan capital, and the statue was later transferred to the Leptis Museum in the city of Al-Khoms.
Despite his old age and his suffering from gout, this did not stop him from achieving victories and recording his name in the pages of history. In this state, he arrived in Chaldonia and defeated the Scots in several incidents, then returned to Britain. There, when he arrived in York in the year 211 AD, he had an appointment with death. As he breathed his last, he said: “I have obtained everything, but what I have obtained is worthless, and his last commandments were (to preserve the imperial family and work to appease the army).
Illustration: Bust of Septimius Severus, Munich Glyptothek. Source: Wikimedia.
To go further: Claude Briand-Ponsart, “Roman Africa: From the Atlantic to Tripolitania, 146 BC. BC - 533 AD ", Armand Collin editions 2005.
1813 year date, February 4, 211.
Source: websites