The fact that a Roman Emperor would feel sympathy and even arguably identify with Hannibal Barca is fascinating to me. Hannibal was indeed a worthy adversary (much more than worthy!) and the fact that the Empire had evolved to a point where some genuinely Roman figures could identify with him and still fundamentally support the Empire says a lot about how well the Roman Empire integrated its conquered Peoples. That is one of the greatest strengths of the Roman Empire.
he was punic and married into an old carthaginian priesthood which proceeded to infiltrate and try to take over the empire's religion. there's a very suspicious conspiracy here not being told.
Septimius Severus is one of those great men whose reputation unfortunately gets tarnished by their successors. The worse thing is that he knew how things are going to play out, that his sons will constantly try to kill each other and that most likely they will destroy much of his legacy. He was a great man, no doubt in that. A conqueror, he realized that for an Empire to not start declining it must expand. A visionary, he knew that legions and Praetorians can be kept in check only by constant campaigning or else they'll either become too idle or revolt, something that'll become a norm in the 3rd century. A reformer, who tried to and largely succeeded in connecting provinces more closely to the capital. However, a good economist he was not. In trying to finance his numerous campaigns and to raise salaries for the legions, he dangerously debased currency, something that will also become a huge problem in the century to come. Interestingly he is the only Emperor, besides Augustus, who made successful conquests on all three continents of the empire: in Mesopotamia in Asia, in Caledonia in Europe and in Libya in Africa. His cruelty was apparent, although hardly ever unjustifiable. During his time Empire would pretty much reach it's military and economic peak and also perhaps even territorial peak (since we don't know the extent of his conquests in Africa the territory of the Empire might've even grew larger than it was during the time of Trajan). Had it not be for the disastrous reign of his sons and other members of the dynasty (looking at you Elagabalus), he probably would've been remembered more righteously, because after his death we won't see an emperor as competent as he was for the next 73 years. Edit: Or for the next 59 years, as my friend down in the responses pointed out to my dumbass head that I somehow forgot about Aurelian.
@@markp44288 Oh yeah.......I forgot about Aurelian. Although Septimius did manage to achieve one huge thing that even Aurelian didn't managed to do: he wasn't assassinated. Alright, we settle for 59 years then, until Aurelian?
@@justinian-the-great It wasn't Aurelian's fault he was killed! But that is a good point... I can give you 59 years, can't really think of anyone amazing in that interim. Macrinus was cool, but didn't last long enough to do anything. Gallienus seemed like a great ruler to me, but just wasn't capable of amounting to a lot. I also wonder what might have happened if Claudius Gothicus hadn't died... But Severus definitely ran a better ship than all those fellas did.
Severus was superstitious and once his balls itched…he saw this as an omen …so he quickly ordered his slaves (cat piss and tiny meats ) to fetch him the claw of a fallen buzzard in which he went to town scratching his itchy sack. When the smoke cleared, he felt so relieved , he ordered free handouts of grain and roasted hog asshole for all the peasants
Septimius Severus is the fulcrum of Roman history. He and his dynasty are the Bridge between Classical Rome and the nascent rumblings of the Medieval world. Ruler of the last great pagan dynasty and yet not a pure Italian but a mixed Phoenician. He embodies the cosmopolitan strength of the Empire that made it an aspiration for all future nations claiming Rome's mantle yet became its ultimate undoing. Fascinating and excellent work on one of Rome's most fascinating characters.
@information worlds He was of Punic origin (that is why he built the monument to Hannibal). The Punic peoples had a Phoenician nobility ruling over a Berber general population.
Yes before septimius severus all the Roman emperors were Italian. After septimius Severus all the Roman emperors were anything but Italian. Arcadius from Spain. Diocletian Balkan constantine Greek Phillip the arab an Arab.
@@DrBob-gr5ru Yeah, that's not the story that ancient DNA is telling us though. The Punics were linguistically and culturally Phoenicians but they were of North African descend.
Septimius clearly tried to be like the 5 Great Emperors but he was also savvy enough to know he had to be harsh or even cruel in order to secure and repair the disjointed empire similar to Vespesian.
Serverus was so much like Marcus Aurelius though a little more bloodthursty, Too bad both intelligent men were blinded by fatherly love and left the empire to psychopaths
Marcus Aurelius was as bloodthirsty as any emperor. He waged the same kind of genocidal campaigns in "Marcomannia" that Severus and Caracalla waged in Britain and Mesopotamia.
I'm impressed with your animations and maps. The way you portray what you explain is perfect for me, because it's easy to watch and understand. Thank you.
It seems you have changed your graphics format for this presentation. I like it, it is effective though it seems you used actual sights and hard images before. In this show you display an ancient map of York. I toured York in 1991 and I can see elements of the ancient layout exist to the present time.
You realllly don’t want to admit he was black huh 😂 north Africa had a very different racial makeup back then. Lots of black people there. Black people in Africa. Who would’ve thought 😘 hold this L sir racist
Septimius Severus was a very stern Emperor. He commissioned a lot of grandiose building projects all over the empire, enlarged the army and the praetorian guard but debased the currency in the prosses. He was the only emperor totally committed to conquering Caledonia. He brought the largest foreign army on British soil, turned Eboracum into effectively the capital of the empire for that short period. When the Caledonians resorted to guerrilla warfare. He launched a brutal genocidal campaign against them that depopulated whole areas. He would have most likely succeeded but he died from gout. Largely a successful emperor but the same can not be said about his descendants.
Septimius Severus was the only member of the Severan dynasty to die a natural death, which shows he was the only one of the dynasty who was more-or-less capable/competent.
Septimius was aware of Marcus Aurelius short coming of 'not putting Commodus quietly out of the way' yet he committed the same fault himself. The writing was on tha wall... there was no way Geta and Caracalla could co-rule the empire
Great job. Loved the graphic portion of it. Your diction and voice are a rare pleasure.Thanks for making this "stormy" phase of ancient history ,described so clearly and eloquently.
@@camouflageartist8897 According to Edward Gibbon ( Decline & Fall of Rom- Empire) " Septimius Severus ... ...was a native of Africa" . Gibbon also mentions an Alexander Severus (?).
@@camouflageartist8897 Edward Gibbon writes in Decline & fall Roman empire -Vol II ,Severus "... was a native of Africa." He also mentions an Alexander Severus (?).
Man I wish I found this channel sooner. I was wondering what happened with that guy from the Hannibal series. So glad to see you're doing more awesome videos here (be it alone or with another people, I haven't figured that out yet 😅). This channel has great potential, just keep up the great work 👍
Very nice, I admire your thoroughness and your presentation. Severus, whatever people think of him, was certainly continually active and tireless in the service of a stable Rome. I wonder what peculiar mental affliction such dedicated and competent men such as he, and Marcus Arelius, suffer from which causes them to stay their hand from effectively dealing with clearly unsuitable offspring. It seems it would be wholly in their character & strength to do so, and within the mandate they clearly stood for.
I think the issue every emperor had was not having a clear line of succession. like the republic sucked but at least you know who comes after the consul was gone. I bring the republic up cus both Marcus Arelius & Septimius Severus had more respect for the republic compared to most (though Septimius Severus kept having to kill a bunch of corrupt senators he still tried to use it) but decided to put their sh*tty kids in charge (though Marcus Arelius had other kids they just kept dying)
@@wilmerbesitan1200 His being Phoenician/Libyco doesn’t make him a Carthaginian. He had nothing to do with Carthage and everything to do with Tripolitania. Rome never conquered Tripolitania. It joined the republic because they both shared the same interests and objectives; and it was like the Italian cities.
@@paprskomet up until 1453 I said that includes the earlier eastern Roman Empire period, not that UA-cam’s comment section is somewhere to point out semantics just thought I’d be as pedantic as your reply was
It's only since WWII that army transport has become truly mechanized. German soldiers marched behind their tank battalions. Remember a human being can cover distances at a speed that would easily kill a horse. German soldiers marched behind their tank battalions. Napoleon's armies walked in, and out, of Russia -- a distance of ~1500 m/2800 KM
@@CAROLUSPRIMA It's still amazing no mistake -- i have several long distance marathoners in my family I can't help but think yeah now do that carrying ~70 pounds of kit and really shitty clothing, over the Alps (Hannibal) or in -40C with no food, water or shelter (Napoleon) day, after day after day
Excellent episode. I am really enjoying your series on Roman Emperors. Some fascinating stuff. I hadn't realized for instance that Severus' father was Punic.
I’m not sure it was his father that was actually Punic but his fathers side of the family had Punic ancestry. They had already been mixing with the Latins of Rome for generations though so who knows how far back we are actually talking.
@@kayharker712 _When executing the senators who had backed Albinus, I allowed their families to accompany them to the hereafter. I truly am a man of traditional family values._
His father was Roman too. Libya was Rome for centuries. He was ethnic Roman-Libyan. Strength of Rome was taking the best of every part of the empire no matter the ethnicity
in a book carcala talked about how he had to learn berber to speak with his stepsister. I believe the other half might have been libyan berber. even today libyan berbers claim Arab culture, so maybe in the past they did the same. berbers claiming punic culture might have been the case. however septimus loved libya and wanted it to match with Rome, he didnt have the same love for Lebanon or tunisia which if he was a punic id assume he'd have more love for. Regardless berber or punic he was surly Mediterranean looking. throughout all history libyans were never once depicted as black.
@@WavStudioz u do realize living up even in Africa. Ur genetics changes. No all every African person look the same or even act the same. Especially, having a Roman mother and a punic father. Which I don't even know wat tribe in Africa is even punic. Thru the courses if time ur offspring changes.
Caracalla had tiny meats so he walked around the palace with 2 fresh apples in his undergarments to appear as a bulge he was sick of all the prostittutres picking on him for his tiny meats
27:00 are we just going to ignore how some random school teacher pretended to be a senator, picked up a small military force, attacked the Roman Cavalry-offered Septimius a fortune, retired, and refused to elaborate further. 💁🏻♂️ Numerianus was a mad-lad according to Cassius Dio.
To ppl who think Libyan 🇱🇾 people are black !!The original inhabitants of Libya painted on the walls of the pharaonic temples since 1300 BC, and their name is Libo. They have white skin, red hair and height, and they wear tattoos, after that they mixed with the Phoenicians and the Greeks. So septimus Severus wasn’t black don’t make everything afrowashing
Can the people who make these videos make a video about themselves? It would be cool to see the person behind the narrator voice and the faces of the others who make this. Maybe just a short intro either at the start or the end of the video where you show us who you guys are.
You did not mention that Severus besides dismissing the Praetorian guard that was made exclusively of Italian soldiers and replacing it with men from his Pannonia legions he decree that army officials from centurions upward may be from any province and no longer exclusively from Italy so Italy no longer was the center of military power
@@solomonhill8773 are they? Or are they just trying to claim he wasn't black because he wasn't? He would have looked like someone from Lebanon or Tunisia today
Considering the many difficult hurdles Severus had to overcome to become emperor and the many wars he won, Machiavelli may have been right to give him as ideal prince according to him.Having the strength of the lion and the cunning of the fox.
I wont be able to do videos on all the usurpers, especially in the 3rd century. They were never recognized as emperors by the senate in Rome so I skipped them
Due to his winning of two civil wars, many are under the false impression that Severus was a great general like Julius Caesar or Trajan had been. In fact, although he won the support of dozens of legions right from the beginning, he was not a great military leader himself, but relied strongly on loyal military commanders to do the work for him. He very nearly lost the battle of Lugdunum against Clodius Albinus had not an allied cavalry commander come to his aid in the last minute. Undoubtably a great administrator, Severus was definitely not a great general on the battlegrounds.
Severus was competent but also a big part of the problem in causing the crisis of the third century, along with Commodus, Caracalla, and Maxaminus Thrax
as a schoolgirl many years ago i remember being taken by my stepfather to museum in nicosia cyprus where one of prize exhibits was life size nude statue of this emperor/i knew nothing about him let alone he was one of two emperors who died in britain from where i write this /the other emperor was father of constantine the great and most popular male name in cyprus was costas shortened form of constantine/how lucky youngsters of today are to have internet and these excellent videos
First , He was born in Leptis Magna (present-day Al-Khums, Libya) Lucius Septimius Severus (Latin: [sɛˈweːrʊs]; 11 April 145 - 4 February 211) was Roman emperor from 193 to 211. He was born in Leptis Magna (present-day Al-Khums, Libya) in the Roman province of Africa. As a young man he advanced through the customary succession of offices under the reigns of Marcus Aurelius and Commodus. Severus seized power after the death of the emperor Pertinax in 193 during the Year of the Five Emperors.
@@Endgame707 ِActually , We have an ancient civilization and have affected humanity effectively, yet those who wrote history have deliberately ignored us
@@NorrinRadd1984Absolutely he was not. We still have his statues here in Libya. His mother was Roman, his father was from Leptis Magna east of Tripoli. Most people here back then and now were not black. Why do you care about the color of people.? It means nothing for us here. Greetings from Libya 🇱🇾🇱🇾🇱🇾
@eelmohamed the ethnic make up of people back then in northern Africa is way different than it was 2000 plus years ago. Secondly Africa has more phenotypes than any other continent on the planet. Lastly it would do you some good if you actually studied anthropology.
His mother was originally Italian, but on his father’s side, he was mainly Imazighen (Berbers) and Punic. Punics were mainly Imazighen themselves while only a minority of them were Phoenician.
There is no certainty that Severus' father was of punic origin, it's just very reasonable to assume that he had some punic ancestry. On the other hand is almost certain that he was of at least partly Italian ancestry, since his grand parents were Roman citizens and all their names suggest Italian origin (Septimia was a Roman gens). He may have of course had some more remote punic ancestry.
Ig but the issue with his dynasty is that they were the first emperors to no be born in rome. They were the first non Italians to rule rome. Although septimius severus mother was Italian I can say his father was definitely Punic.
@@trillmoney263 No, the first emperor not born in Rome was Caligula, the III emperor. Also not the first not born in Italy, the first one born outside of Italy was Claudius, the IV emperor. It was not even the first one whose family has been living ouside of Italy for centuries, that was Trajan. Severus father may have had some punic ancestry, it's reasonable but not sure. We know 3 generations of his ancestors, and they were all Roman citisens.
@@barrankobama4840 ig. But Caligula Hadrian are all Roman emperors who have Italian ancestry even though they were born outside of Rome. Now I don’t want to hurt your feelings but I’m 100% positive septimius had a Phoenician/Carthaginian father. Because after him and his half arab son Caracalla (septimius married an Arab women) made everyone a Roman citizen. All the roman emperors after septimius weren’t Italians but very diverse.
@@trillmoney263 You can be 100% positive about whatever you want, but what you believe and what is known and documented are different things. We have no document of any kind that proves that Septimius father was Phoenician/Carthaginian, we can reasonably assume he had some Phoenician/Carthaginian ancestry because in Historia Augusta (written hundreds of years later and highly biased against Septimius) is written that he had Phoenician accent and because we know, from other inscription, that many wealthy families from Leptis Magna had mixed Carthaginian and Roman heritage, and since he was from a wealthy family is highly likely his ancestors intermarried with the other wealthy families of the city. We know for sure that Septimius great-grandfather was a Roman citizen who married a roman citizen, that he owned land in Italy, that there are inscription referring to various Septimii in Praeneste centuries before. So it's a reasonable certainty that his mother was Italian and his father was at least partially Italian. At the same time it's equally reasonable to assume that his father had also some Carthaginian ancestry. I don't understand what feelings have to do with this. Please don't move a discussion about facts and opinions into one of attacks and insults. It's also factually incorrect that "all the roman emperors after Septimius weren’t Italians but very diverse". Caracalla and Geta were partially Italians being his sons. Also Heliogabalus and Alexander Severus had partial Italian ancestry, according to their mothers; vice versa, Philippus II was Italian from his mother side. Pupienus, Balbinus, Gordian III, Trebonianus, Volusianus, Valerianus, Gallienus, Saloninus, Tacitus, Florianus, Petronius, Libius Severus and Anicius Olybrius were clearly Italians and I don't find this being contested. Plus we have Decius, Etruscus, Hostilianus, Carus, Carinus, Numerianus, Avitus who were born outside of Italy but from ancient Roman families of Italian origin. Then we have emperors we know little about but because of their name and various inscription believe to refer to some of their relatives are believed to have some Italian ancestry: Macrinus, Gordian I, Gordian II, Aurelianus, Iohannes, Maiorianus, Glycerius, Iulius Nepos, Flavius Romulus. Finally we have some for which we don't have any document attesting any connection to Italy but who claim themselves to have Italian ancestry (possibly for propaganda purposes) like all the Costantinians, the Valentinians and their descendants.
Wow, I'm surprised how much praise Septimius Severus seems to get in this comment section, and no criticism at all. He was obviously on a just cause at first by trying to seek justice for Pertinax and not letting the praetorians do as they please, but the way he tried to assassinate Claudius Albinus, his legitimate successor, was just despicable. Also, it seems that the power rose up to his head later, since he suddenly declared himself as the son of Marcus Aurelius. I mean, how conceited a man must be for declaring another man a public enemy just because he had made a lot of statues of himself? Marcus Aurelius would have certainly not done so. Not to mention that Septimius debased the value of sestertius more than anyone had done before, so that he could have paid all his troops enough coins, and thus he increased the future inflation further. Of course, the overall life everywhere in the realm was stable during Septimius's reign, and Rome also benefitted of the conquests that were made at his behest. He was undoubtedly a capable ruler, but also a ruthless one, and definitely not very honourable man. A far cry from the modest Pertinax.
The image at 10:38 is taken from the publication "The Greatest Man Who Ever Lived" published by Jehovah's Witnesses. It chronicles the life of Christ Jesus.
"African" Emperor is a bit misleading title-especially in the light of term "african" being especially in USA problematically(and incorrectly)seen as basically synonym for "black".Also-why Severus is so often mentioned like this while other Emperors are not commonly mentioned like "Gallic Emperor",Spanish/Iberia(hispanic if you want) Emperor,Syrian Emperor ans so on?
People do refer to them like that, both now and back in the day. Tetricus was a “gallic emperor”, Philip “the Arab”, Aurelian was known to be dalmettian. People knew and even poked fun at the origins of the emperors.
Why do people assume Septimius was black? He was father was Punic, his mother was roman. Because he was born in Africa, he didn't make him of African descent. The evidence points to his father being Arabic descent. This is like assuming Cleopatra was of African descent because she was born in Egypt, when it is clear she was of greek descent.
Lmao the extent people will go through to make all of history about white people or Arab would be hilarious if not a tragic example of racism and the white wash of history.
He was a Roman, Mediterranean, has nothing to do with the “African” idea that people has. The title is a little misleading and invite some racial bias people to claimed stupidities like they already do with Ancient Egypt.
What a great man, I sure hope his dinasty will continue the golden age...
They were more like silver age.
You should read the Book of Luciferi. The Golden Age is all part of his plan. It is horrible.
He was African tho
@@onlinetoughguy7530 Yes in the same way Elon Musk is African.
@@normanberg9940 he isnt tho
I was looking forward to this episode. I think it was a fairly unbiased take on Severus.
The fact that a Roman Emperor would feel sympathy and even arguably identify with Hannibal Barca is fascinating to me. Hannibal was indeed a worthy adversary (much more than worthy!) and the fact that the Empire had evolved to a point where some genuinely Roman figures could identify with him and still fundamentally support the Empire says a lot about how well the Roman Empire integrated its conquered Peoples. That is one of the greatest strengths of the Roman Empire.
Maybe because it was hundreds 9f years after Hannibals death
he was punic and married into an old carthaginian priesthood which proceeded to infiltrate and try to take over the empire's religion. there's a very suspicious conspiracy here not being told.
Both Emperors were brown skin swarthy color black curly hair. Just look at the statues.
@@Yo-qt2nustill white though
Hannibal was admired by the Romans even in his own lifetime. Wdym?
Septimius Severus is one of those great men whose reputation unfortunately gets tarnished by their successors. The worse thing is that he knew how things are going to play out, that his sons will constantly try to kill each other and that most likely they will destroy much of his legacy. He was a great man, no doubt in that. A conqueror, he realized that for an Empire to not start declining it must expand. A visionary, he knew that legions and Praetorians can be kept in check only by constant campaigning or else they'll either become too idle or revolt, something that'll become a norm in the 3rd century. A reformer, who tried to and largely succeeded in connecting provinces more closely to the capital. However, a good economist he was not. In trying to finance his numerous campaigns and to raise salaries for the legions, he dangerously debased currency, something that will also become a huge problem in the century to come. Interestingly he is the only Emperor, besides Augustus, who made successful conquests on all three continents of the empire: in Mesopotamia in Asia, in Caledonia in Europe and in Libya in Africa. His cruelty was apparent, although hardly ever unjustifiable. During his time Empire would pretty much reach it's military and economic peak and also perhaps even territorial peak (since we don't know the extent of his conquests in Africa the territory of the Empire might've even grew larger than it was during the time of Trajan). Had it not be for the disastrous reign of his sons and other members of the dynasty (looking at you Elagabalus), he probably would've been remembered more righteously, because after his death we won't see an emperor as competent as he was for the next 73 years.
Edit: Or for the next 59 years, as my friend down in the responses pointed out to my dumbass head that I somehow forgot about Aurelian.
Little sooner than 73 years. You're omitting Aurelian.
@@markp44288 Oh yeah.......I forgot about Aurelian. Although Septimius did manage to achieve one huge thing that even Aurelian didn't managed to do: he wasn't assassinated. Alright, we settle for 59 years then, until Aurelian?
@@justinian-the-great It wasn't Aurelian's fault he was killed! But that is a good point... I can give you 59 years, can't really think of anyone amazing in that interim. Macrinus was cool, but didn't last long enough to do anything. Gallienus seemed like a great ruler to me, but just wasn't capable of amounting to a lot. I also wonder what might have happened if Claudius Gothicus hadn't died...
But Severus definitely ran a better ship than all those fellas did.
Severus was superstitious and once his balls itched…he saw this as an omen …so he quickly ordered his slaves (cat piss and tiny meats ) to fetch him the claw of a fallen buzzard in which he went to town scratching his itchy sack. When the smoke cleared, he felt so relieved , he ordered free handouts of grain and roasted hog asshole for all the peasants
Trajan's conquests were still part of the empire, so yes the territory was larger under Severus.
Septimius Severus is the fulcrum of Roman history. He and his dynasty are the Bridge between Classical Rome and the nascent rumblings of the Medieval world. Ruler of the last great pagan dynasty and yet not a pure Italian but a mixed Phoenician. He embodies the cosmopolitan strength of the Empire that made it an aspiration for all future nations claiming Rome's mantle yet became its ultimate undoing. Fascinating and excellent work on one of Rome's most fascinating characters.
@information worlds He was of Punic origin (that is why he built the monument to Hannibal). The Punic peoples had a Phoenician nobility ruling over a Berber general population.
Yes before septimius severus all the Roman emperors were Italian. After septimius Severus all the Roman emperors were anything but Italian. Arcadius from Spain. Diocletian Balkan constantine Greek Phillip the arab an Arab.
@@DrBob-gr5ru Yeah, that's not the story that ancient DNA is telling us though. The Punics were linguistically and culturally Phoenicians but they were of North African descend.
Multiculturalism is not a strength
Septimius clearly tried to be like the 5 Great Emperors but he was also savvy enough to know he had to be harsh or even cruel in order to secure and repair the disjointed empire similar to Vespesian.
Serverus was so much like Marcus Aurelius though a little more bloodthursty, Too bad both intelligent men were blinded by fatherly love and left the empire to psychopaths
I dont see it. Very different men.
Marcus Aurelius was as bloodthirsty as any emperor. He waged the same kind of genocidal campaigns in "Marcomannia" that Severus and Caracalla waged in Britain and Mesopotamia.
@@histguy101 don't know about mesopotamia but I do agree with britain
@histguy101 who cares they were a bunch of barbarians anyways
Dunno I wouldn´t compare the very noble and faustian Commodus to that sorry as* thug Caracalla. People need to watch less of that Gladiator cr*p...
I'm impressed with your animations and maps. The way you portray what you explain is perfect for me, because it's easy to watch and understand. Thank you.
It seems you have changed your graphics format for this presentation. I like it, it is effective though it seems you used actual sights and hard images before. In this show you display an ancient map of York. I toured York in 1991 and I can see elements of the ancient layout exist to the present time.
Glad you liked the new format, I think I'll use it going forward with some minor changes
This was very well made and detailed! Subbed instantly.
Please keep them coming.
Thanks, will do!
You realllly don’t want to admit he was black huh 😂 north Africa had a very different racial makeup back then. Lots of black people there. Black people in Africa. Who would’ve thought 😘 hold this L sir racist
Not, he was black but made the ppl on here white. Stop lying to us.
Septimius Severus was a very stern Emperor. He commissioned a lot of grandiose building projects all over the empire, enlarged the army and the praetorian guard but debased the currency in the prosses. He was the only emperor totally committed to conquering Caledonia. He brought the largest foreign army on British soil, turned Eboracum into effectively the capital of the empire for that short period. When the Caledonians resorted to guerrilla warfare. He launched a brutal genocidal campaign against them that depopulated whole areas. He would have most likely succeeded but he died from gout. Largely a successful emperor but the same can not be said about his descendants.
Truly the Epitome of Strong men create good times cycle during his dynasty.
Septimius Severus was the only member of the Severan dynasty to die a natural death, which shows he was the only one of the dynasty who was more-or-less capable/competent.
_If you want to get good results, you need to get stuck in and apply severe measures._
Septimius was aware of Marcus Aurelius short coming of 'not putting Commodus quietly out of the way' yet he committed the same fault himself. The writing was on tha wall... there was no way Geta and Caracalla could co-rule the empire
@@TheSPQRHistorian Not to mention Vespasianus & Domitian
Great job. Loved the graphic portion of it. Your diction and voice are a rare pleasure.Thanks for making this "stormy" phase of ancient history ,described so clearly and eloquently.
Was Severus Black? ua-cam.com/video/etL6h9Ts2Xc/v-deo.html
@@camouflageartist8897 According to Edward Gibbon ( Decline & Fall of Rom- Empire) " Septimius Severus ... ...was a native of Africa" . Gibbon also mentions an Alexander Severus (?).
@@camouflageartist8897 Edward Gibbon writes in Decline & fall Roman empire -Vol II ,Severus "... was a native of Africa." He also mentions an Alexander Severus (?).
@@givingisbetterthantaking..829 I call it Anglo-Blackness - the Anglos making North Africa into Black. ua-cam.com/video/etL6h9Ts2Xc/v-deo.html
@@givingisbetterthantaking..829 Was Severus Black? ua-cam.com/video/etL6h9Ts2Xc/v-deo.html
One of the most interesting and underestimated period of the imperial era, love it!
Your channel is pretty underappreciated
Fun fact :- His wife was a descendent of Mark Anthony and Cleopatra through their daughter
The daughter who was married off to the king of Mauritania?
@@mortacheyes
You should have way more subs. Love these Emperor vids.
This channel does an impressive job.
I wached all 21 emperors so far, i can't wait for caracalla....great presentation. Keep up the good work.
A tv show about this guy's life and rule would be amazing
netflix will convert him into a black lesbian lol
presented very well, very well
Man I wish I found this channel sooner. I was wondering what happened with that guy from the Hannibal series. So glad to see you're doing more awesome videos here (be it alone or with another people, I haven't figured that out yet 😅). This channel has great potential, just keep up the great work 👍
I'm becoming a fan of this channel
Very nice, I admire your thoroughness and your presentation. Severus, whatever people think of him, was certainly continually active and tireless in the service of a stable Rome. I wonder what peculiar mental affliction such dedicated and competent men such as he, and Marcus Arelius, suffer from which causes them to stay their hand from effectively dealing with clearly unsuitable offspring. It seems it would be wholly in their character & strength to do so, and within the mandate they clearly stood for.
I think the issue every emperor had was not having a clear line of succession. like the republic sucked but at least you know who comes after the consul was gone.
I bring the republic up cus both Marcus Arelius & Septimius Severus had more respect for the republic compared to most (though Septimius Severus kept having to kill a bunch of corrupt senators he still tried to use it) but decided to put their sh*tty kids in charge (though Marcus Arelius had other kids they just kept dying)
_"I have been all things, to no avail."_
This Byzantium sounds like a nice city wonder if we would hear of it again
Informative Video allot Thanks For Sharing
one of my favorites
So a punic became emperor
Cato the younger: (rolling in his grave)
I think it would be Cato "Carthago Delenda Est" the Elder who would be rolling in his grave. Hannibal would be laughing!!!
@@AngryHistorian87 Oh, cause I thought hannibal hates Rome so much but but ok
Leptis Magna fought against Carthage. He’s from Leptis Magna.
@@A.Severan but still of punic origin
@@wilmerbesitan1200 His being Phoenician/Libyco doesn’t make him a Carthaginian. He had nothing to do with Carthage and everything to do with Tripolitania. Rome never conquered Tripolitania. It joined the republic because they both shared the same interests and objectives; and it was like the Italian cities.
I love how every bust of Caracalla depicts him as a scowling thug.
Fantastic video,love these longer vids..hope you continue onto the Eastern empire up untill 1453
no rerason to call it eastern after there was no longer any Roman west.
@@paprskomet up until 1453 I said that includes the earlier eastern Roman Empire period, not that UA-cam’s comment section is somewhere to point out semantics just thought I’d be as pedantic as your reply was
@@paprskomet indeed
Is anyone besides me consistently floored by the number of miles these armies march?
It's only since WWII that army transport has become truly mechanized. German soldiers marched behind their tank battalions. Remember a human being can cover distances at a speed that would easily kill a horse. German soldiers marched behind their tank battalions.
Napoleon's armies walked in, and out, of Russia -- a distance of ~1500 m/2800 KM
@@johnmiller8975 I guess you’re right. Hadn’t thought about it this way. Thanks.
@@CAROLUSPRIMA It's still amazing no mistake -- i have several long distance marathoners in my family
I can't help but think yeah now do that carrying ~70 pounds of kit and really shitty clothing, over the Alps (Hannibal) or in -40C with no food, water or shelter (Napoleon) day, after day after day
Think about all the pioneers that walked from St. Louis to the west coast
Excellent episode. I am really enjoying your series on Roman Emperors. Some fascinating stuff. I hadn't realized for instance that Severus' father was Punic.
I’m not sure it was his father that was actually Punic but his fathers side of the family had Punic ancestry. They had already been mixing with the Latins of Rome for generations though so who knows how far back we are actually talking.
@@MalleusIudaeorum It is cool to imagine a Man of Punic descent becoming emperor of Rome just for the sheer poetic irony of it all.
@@rorschach1985ifylike Rishi sunak becoming the PM of Britain 😅
Nice work!
Great video, as always! 🙌🏽
Great story Septimius was always one of my favorite emperors, sad how he and Marcus had terrible sons.
He was so kind-hearted.
@@kayharker712
😂😂😂😂
@@kayharker712 LMMFAO 😂
@@kayharker712 _When executing the senators who had backed Albinus, I allowed their families to accompany them to the hereafter. I truly am a man of traditional family values._
Spetmus Severus was born in Libya 🇱🇾 in leptic magna Tripolitania.we are proud of him his dad Libyan and mom Roman
His father was Roman too. Libya was Rome for centuries. He was ethnic Roman-Libyan. Strength of Rome was taking the best of every part of the empire no matter the ethnicity
@@showgo254 His father was punic (semetic). Roman is not an ethnicity.
امه من اصول سوريه
His dad was PHOENICIAN.
in a book carcala talked about how he had to learn berber to speak with his stepsister. I believe the other half might have been libyan berber. even today libyan berbers claim Arab culture, so maybe in the past they did the same. berbers claiming punic culture might have been the case. however septimus loved libya and wanted it to match with Rome, he didnt have the same love for Lebanon or tunisia which if he was a punic id assume he'd have more love for. Regardless berber or punic he was surly Mediterranean looking. throughout all history libyans were never once depicted as black.
"african" has different connotations today..misleading He is African the same way Hadrian is spanish.
Yeah and I do clarify that in the first few minutes of the video: 'born in Africa' but of Roman/Punic origins
Hadrian was just born in Hispania.. But from Roman both parents
Why are you pressed 😂. You guys are so emotional
He was a mixed mf. Deal with that
@@anubis6861 bloke is absolutely fuming at the prospect of a successful man from Africa
This is a good historian. Great job
But the whitewashing of it all is disgusting.
@@WavStudioz u do realize living up even in Africa. Ur genetics changes. No all every African person look the same or even act the same. Especially, having a Roman mother and a punic father. Which I don't even know wat tribe in Africa is even punic. Thru the courses if time ur offspring changes.
@@WavStudioz kangz, Severus was of phonecian origin. Caucasian
Pls make video about Caracala
Will do
Caracalla had tiny meats so he walked around the palace with 2 fresh apples in his undergarments to appear as a bulge he was sick of all the prostittutres picking on him
for his tiny meats
@@VanillaGorilla1986-y1q caracalla means the Fortress of GOD
Superb watch thank you!
27:00 are we just going to ignore how some random school teacher pretended to be a senator, picked up a small military force, attacked the Roman Cavalry-offered Septimius a fortune, retired, and refused to elaborate further. 💁🏻♂️ Numerianus was a mad-lad according to Cassius Dio.
I wanna know more about the labyrinth he observed in Egypt.
'...firmness of mind and strength of judgment...' Quoting from Gibbon I see. LOL.
Happy birthday, Septo
To ppl who think Libyan 🇱🇾 people are black !!The original inhabitants of Libya painted on the walls of the pharaonic temples since 1300 BC, and their name is Libo. They have white skin, red hair and height, and they wear tattoos, after that they mixed with the Phoenicians and the Greeks. So septimus Severus wasn’t black don’t make everything afrowashing
Fascinating 🍙
the most worthy member of the dynasty he was the progenitor of
don't know much about him so this will be even better
Can the people who make these videos make a video about themselves? It would be cool to see the person behind the narrator voice and the faces of the others who make this. Maybe just a short intro either at the start or the end of the video where you show us who you guys are.
You did not mention that Severus besides dismissing the Praetorian guard that was made exclusively of Italian soldiers and replacing it with men from his Pannonia legions he decree that army officials from centurions upward may be from any province and no longer exclusively from Italy so Italy no longer was the center of military power
He is an Amazigh Berber of the North African Numidian tribes
Libyan**
Libyan *
HE WAS AFRICAN 🧔🏾 !!! 💪🏾 GET OVER IT !!!
The divine genius of Roma can spark in any province.
The only reason septimus is looked upon in a bit of a negative view is because he started the tradition of debaseing the currency
He also militarized the government.
It was Trajan who started it. Severus merely accelerated the process.
In the future, people will be claiming Elon Musk was black at this point
They already claim that Hannibal had blond hair and blue eyes 😅
@@solomonhill8773 are they? Or are they just trying to claim he wasn't black because he wasn't? He would have looked like someone from Lebanon or Tunisia today
This short video is a bit more informative on the appearance of Septimius Severus
The next one should be about Aurelian restitutor orbis.
I found a roman coin with him on it when out metal detecting
Considering the many difficult hurdles Severus had to overcome to become emperor and the many wars he won, Machiavelli may have been right to give him as ideal prince according to him.Having the strength of the lion and the cunning of the fox.
He devalued the coins way to much to pay soldiers, decreasing the percentage of silver more than once.
@@Endgame707 😂
@@Endgame707 wow 😳
Why did you skip Pescennius Niger and Clodius Albinus?
I wont be able to do videos on all the usurpers, especially in the 3rd century. They were never recognized as emperors by the senate in Rome so I skipped them
@@TheSPQRHistorian That makes a lot of sense. I had no idea those were never recognized by the Senate. Thanks for this amazing channel
Who dat is
You should just call Antoninus Caracalla the whole time. It makes it easier to understand.
Due to his winning of two civil wars, many are under the false impression that Severus was a great general like Julius Caesar or Trajan had been. In fact, although he won the support of dozens of legions right from the beginning, he was not a great military leader himself, but relied strongly on loyal military commanders to do the work for him. He very nearly lost the battle of Lugdunum against Clodius Albinus had not an allied cavalry commander come to his aid in the last minute. Undoubtably a great administrator, Severus was definitely not a great general on the battlegrounds.
Severus was competent but also a big part of the problem in causing the crisis of the third century, along with Commodus, Caracalla, and Maxaminus Thrax
Would be more correct to say the "emperor from Africa" as he had a father with Punic roots and his mother was from an ancient Roman family.
His wife Julia Domna, was a fascinating impressive person in her own right.
An Arab princess she was
The man the turned roman empire into a giant barrack
dude, Numerianus was the GOAT in the year of 5 emperors
as a schoolgirl many years ago i remember being taken by my stepfather to museum in nicosia cyprus where one of prize exhibits was life size nude statue of this emperor/i knew nothing about him let alone he was one of two emperors who died in britain from where i write this /the other emperor was father of constantine the great and most popular male name in cyprus was costas shortened form of constantine/how lucky youngsters of today are to have internet and these excellent videos
Where was Sillious Soddus in all this?
@@Endgame707 Are you sure? Finland ?
@@Endgame707 How did he get from unoccupied Finland to Rome? And why?
@@Endgame707 I'm sorry but I've lost your plot. So basically it's a myth that no-one has heard of. OK Byeee
@@Endgame707 Scio
First , He was born in Leptis Magna (present-day Al-Khums, Libya)
Lucius Septimius Severus (Latin: [sɛˈweːrʊs]; 11 April 145 - 4 February 211) was Roman emperor from 193 to 211. He was born in Leptis Magna (present-day Al-Khums, Libya) in the Roman province of Africa. As a young man he advanced through the customary succession of offices under the reigns of Marcus Aurelius and Commodus. Severus seized power after the death of the emperor Pertinax in 193 during the Year of the Five Emperors.
@@Endgame707 🤨 🇱🇾
@@Endgame707 which history you are following, he was born in Libya 🇱🇾 , my friend this is a historical fact
@@Endgame707 now is clear ,,,, 😝
@@Endgame707 no , you are not , but at least you got a new chunk of info 😜 which is he is a Libyan
@@Endgame707 ِActually , We have an ancient civilization and have affected humanity effectively, yet those who wrote history have deliberately ignored us
I call Severus "the Destroyer" because he banned Gladiatrix fights! Greetings from Mexico!
Is his hometown of tripolitina the origin of modern day Tripoli in Libya?
60 km west of Tripoli , leptis and magna , Libya
Why is he not too well known?
He IS,.One of the top 10 Emperors,.White as a Sheet too
@@matthewmatt5285
Clearly he wasn't.
He was half North African and half Italian.
@@Astartes-6969 lol
Sadly Sept. Sev. is being hijacked by cultural warriors, claiming he was "black" and therefore one of the "best" emperors. I'm so exhausted.
_Hey, gotta keep the Hoteps happy._
Well he was black lol😅😅😅
@@NorrinRadd1984Absolutely he was not. We still have his statues here in Libya. His mother was Roman, his father was from Leptis Magna east of Tripoli. Most people here back then and now were not black. Why do you care about the color of people.? It means nothing for us here. Greetings from Libya 🇱🇾🇱🇾🇱🇾
@eelmohamed the ethnic make up of people back then in northern Africa is way different than it was 2000 plus years ago. Secondly Africa has more phenotypes than any other continent on the planet. Lastly it would do you some good if you actually studied anthropology.
@@NorrinRadd1984 Is that your attempt to demonstrate the Septimius was likely this or that color of skin?!
It only get better, from now on. 😉
Didnt Pertinax get killed because be bribed the guards too but he didn't pay the full amount after he got in power
Отличный был мужик,как и Марка подвели наследники.
He was a Punic which means a leviathan
No , punic is local tripolitania province
@@mohamedjedid9017 yeah which Phoenicians also inhabited including Leptis-Magna his hometown.
His mother was originally Italian, but on his father’s side, he was mainly Imazighen (Berbers) and Punic. Punics were mainly Imazighen themselves while only a minority of them were Phoenician.
Phoenicians come from the Arabian peninsula, his name was Lucius Septimius Severus Arabicus
HE WAS AFRICAN 🧔🏾 GET OVER IT !!!!
Grandi i migliori
I think West Bromwich Albinalls were named after Clodius
He was a Libyan Berber.
AFRICAN 🧔🏾
The emperor who turned the empire into one giant barrack
I think my last name comes from this guy
There is no certainty that Severus' father was of punic origin, it's just very reasonable to assume that he had some punic ancestry. On the other hand is almost certain that he was of at least partly Italian ancestry, since his grand parents were Roman citizens and all their names suggest Italian origin (Septimia was a Roman gens). He may have of course had some more remote punic ancestry.
Ig but the issue with his dynasty is that they were the first emperors to no be born in rome. They were the first non Italians to rule rome. Although septimius severus mother was Italian I can say his father was definitely Punic.
@@trillmoney263 No, the first emperor not born in Rome was Caligula, the III emperor.
Also not the first not born in Italy, the first one born outside of Italy was Claudius, the IV emperor.
It was not even the first one whose family has been living ouside of Italy for centuries, that was Trajan.
Severus father may have had some punic ancestry, it's reasonable but not sure. We know 3 generations of his ancestors, and they were all Roman citisens.
@@barrankobama4840 ig. But Caligula Hadrian are all Roman emperors who have Italian ancestry even though they were born outside of Rome. Now I don’t want to hurt your feelings but I’m 100% positive septimius had a Phoenician/Carthaginian father. Because after him and his half arab son Caracalla (septimius married an Arab women) made everyone a Roman citizen. All the roman emperors after septimius weren’t Italians but very diverse.
@@barrankobama4840 Arcadius was a Spaniard. Constantine was Greek. Phillip the Arab was Arab. Diocletian was Balkan and so on and so on.
@@trillmoney263 You can be 100% positive about whatever you want, but what you believe and what is known and documented are different things.
We have no document of any kind that proves that Septimius father was Phoenician/Carthaginian, we can reasonably assume he had some Phoenician/Carthaginian ancestry because in Historia Augusta (written hundreds of years later and highly biased against Septimius) is written that he had Phoenician accent and because we know, from other inscription, that many wealthy families from Leptis Magna had mixed Carthaginian and Roman heritage, and since he was from a wealthy family is highly likely his ancestors intermarried with the other wealthy families of the city.
We know for sure that Septimius great-grandfather was a Roman citizen who married a roman citizen, that he owned land in Italy, that there are inscription referring to various Septimii in Praeneste centuries before.
So it's a reasonable certainty that his mother was Italian and his father was at least partially Italian. At the same time it's equally reasonable to assume that his father had also some Carthaginian ancestry.
I don't understand what feelings have to do with this. Please don't move a discussion about facts and opinions into one of attacks and insults.
It's also factually incorrect that "all the roman emperors after Septimius weren’t Italians but very diverse".
Caracalla and Geta were partially Italians being his sons.
Also Heliogabalus and Alexander Severus had partial Italian ancestry, according to their mothers; vice versa, Philippus II was Italian from his mother side.
Pupienus, Balbinus, Gordian III, Trebonianus, Volusianus, Valerianus, Gallienus, Saloninus, Tacitus, Florianus, Petronius, Libius Severus and Anicius Olybrius were clearly Italians and I don't find this being contested.
Plus we have Decius, Etruscus, Hostilianus, Carus, Carinus, Numerianus, Avitus who were born outside of Italy but from ancient Roman families of Italian origin.
Then we have emperors we know little about but because of their name and various inscription believe to refer to some of their relatives are believed to have some Italian ancestry: Macrinus, Gordian I, Gordian II, Aurelianus, Iohannes, Maiorianus, Glycerius, Iulius Nepos, Flavius Romulus.
Finally we have some for which we don't have any document attesting any connection to Italy but who claim themselves to have Italian ancestry (possibly for propaganda purposes) like all the Costantinians, the Valentinians and their descendants.
This makes people proud to be black! Thank you so much!
@@Endgame707 What? Does that mean we wuz not kangz?
he was actually white from libya. Libyans are white plus he had an italian mom.
Ok WakaKanda,.. White as a SHEET
@@abdulelmeshi7215 Libyans are not white bro
Septimius Severus was of mixed Italian ("white") and Punic (olive/tan skin) ancestry. Not a "black" man, but multiracial.
He was from Libya 💚💚💚💚
Don't get used to it. He is not a Libyan he is Phoenician.
@@Warmaster2001AFRICAN 🧔🏾 GET OVER IT !!!
Wow, I'm surprised how much praise Septimius Severus seems to get in this comment section, and no criticism at all. He was obviously on a just cause at first by trying to seek justice for Pertinax and not letting the praetorians do as they please, but the way he tried to assassinate Claudius Albinus, his legitimate successor, was just despicable. Also, it seems that the power rose up to his head later, since he suddenly declared himself as the son of Marcus Aurelius. I mean, how conceited a man must be for declaring another man a public enemy just because he had made a lot of statues of himself? Marcus Aurelius would have certainly not done so. Not to mention that Septimius debased the value of sestertius more than anyone had done before, so that he could have paid all his troops enough coins, and thus he increased the future inflation further.
Of course, the overall life everywhere in the realm was stable during Septimius's reign, and Rome also benefitted of the conquests that were made at his behest. He was undoubtedly a capable ruler, but also a ruthless one, and definitely not very honourable man. A far cry from the modest Pertinax.
He is Libyan..he is born in lopda city
In the 200s BC the romans fight the Punic wars in the 200s AD the romans have a Punic emperor
The image at 10:38 is taken from the publication "The Greatest Man Who Ever Lived" published by Jehovah's Witnesses. It chronicles the life of Christ Jesus.
He born in Libya my country
Is this How September got it's Name? From him
Maybe
What waithuh no no I thought uhhhhhh sheets we wuz king and all
"African" Emperor is a bit misleading title-especially in the light of term "african" being especially in USA problematically(and incorrectly)seen as basically synonym for "black".Also-why Severus is so often mentioned like this while other Emperors are not commonly mentioned like "Gallic Emperor",Spanish/Iberia(hispanic if you want) Emperor,Syrian Emperor ans so on?
Fair point, it might be a bit click baity. But Im my defense I do clarify that he was Africqn Born but of Punic/Roman origin
@@TheSPQRHistorian ok.
People do refer to them like that, both now and back in the day. Tetricus was a “gallic emperor”, Philip “the Arab”, Aurelian was known to be dalmettian.
People knew and even poked fun at the origins of the emperors.
@@thenoblepoptart Not Every Emperor was known like that however. Septimius severus for example was not.
@@paprskomet
Originally , Africa is a word of Berber origin, and Africa is a name given exclusively to North Africa .
OK that was really pompous but I regret nothing
Poor guy to went to hug his friend and ended up flogged instead... I would be that guy...
Seon Connell sr.
Why do people assume Septimius was black? He was father was Punic, his mother was roman. Because he was born in Africa, he didn't make him of African descent. The evidence points to his father being Arabic descent.
This is like assuming Cleopatra was of African descent because she was born in Egypt, when it is clear she was of greek descent.
Because reggins always says
"WE WUZ KANGZ N SHIEET"
His father was Punic who are Phoenicians from the Levant (Lebanon) they didn't speak Arabic in that region yet
Well, meany peope assume that about Cleopatra as well... 😆😆🤫🤫🤭🤭
Many of native North Africans were not black anyway. Berber people were not black for example.
Lmao the extent people will go through to make all of history about white people or Arab would be hilarious if not a tragic example of racism and the white wash of history.
Septimius Severus make me proud to be white and a descendant of the Phoenician-Lebanese (white) heritage floksten.
The Phoenicians came from Arabian Peninsula and Palestine, not from Lebanon
HE WAS AFRICAN 🧔🏾 GET OVER IT !!!!
He was a Roman, Mediterranean, has nothing to do with the “African” idea that people has. The title is a little misleading and invite some racial bias people to claimed stupidities like they already do with Ancient Egypt.
He was black African
People with brains already know north africans are arabs/berbers etc not black.
@@elshanks1578 no He wasn’t.
HE WAS AFRICAN 🧔🏾 GET OVER IT !!!!
HE WAS AFRICAN 🧔🏾 GET OVER IT !!!