The Second Seal
Civil War
There went out
another horse that was red: and power was given to
him that sat thereon to take
peace from the earth, and that they should kill one
another.
With the atrocious murder of Pertinax, the Praetorian's
had violated the sanctity
of the throne and dishonored the majesty of it.
Ignoring the Senate, they offered the empire up to
the highest bidder.
Then in fulfillment of the prophecy the military leaders
began to fight with one another.
An Empire Divided
Assassinations, Revolutions and Civil War
For four years a civil war swept across the Empire
until Septimus Severus
fought his way to the throne slaughtering three rival
emperors.
Severus was a stern, strong and able
general who kept the barbarians out and order within
the empire. However, he was a poor
administrator. He did not know how to deal with the
Empire's internal problems.
He despised and degraded the Senate and
would not allow them between
himself and the army. He quadrupled the size of
the
Praetorian guard and established
a system of pure military despotism.
The House of Severus
Enrich the Soldiers, Scorn Everyone Else
On his deathbed Severus advised his sons to "enrich
the soldiery, scorn
everyone else." The Severus dynasty followed his
dangerous policy and it
undermined the foundations of the empire.
Geta, Caracalla, Macrinus and Elagalus were all were
ineffective rulers who were either assassinated or
removed
from power.
However, Alexander Severus was one of the best
of Rome's emperors. He brought temporary stability to
the empire. But Alexander was not generous with the
army and this sealed his fate. They executed him.
The fifty years following the death of Alexander, the last
of the house of Severus, were to be the lowest points
in the history of the Roman
Empire.
