Flavius Valerius Severus

"Severus II" redirects here. For the Patriarch of Antioch, see Severus II bar Masqeh.

Severus II

Flavius Valerius Severus
as Caesar (305–306)

Reign

1 May 305 – summer 306 (as Caesar in the west under Constantius Chlorus);
summer 306 – March or April 307 (as Augustus in the west, in competition with Constantine, Maxentius, and Maximian)

Predecessor

Constantius I

Successor

Maxentius, Licinius

Born

Illyria

Died

16 September 307
Tres Tabernae

Issue

Flavius Severianus

Full name
Flavius Valerius Severus Augustus

Severus II (Latin: Flavius Valerius Severus Augustus;^[1] died September 307), was a Western Roman Emperor from 306 to 307. After failing to besiege Rome, he fled to Ravenna. It is thought that he was killed here or executed near Rome.

Officer in the Roman army

Severus was of humble birth, born in Northern Illyria around the middle of the third century AD.^[2]^[3] He rose to become a senior officer in the Roman army,^[2] and as an old friend of Galerius, that emperor ordered that Severus be appointed Caesar of the Western Roman Empire, a post that he succeeded to on 1 May 305.^[4] He thus served as deputy-emperor to Constantius I (Constantius Chlorus), Augustus of the western half of empire.^[2]

Augustus, 306–307

On the death of Constantius I in Britain in the summer of 306, Severus was promoted to Augustus by Galerius, in opposition to the acclamation of Constantine I (Constantius' son) by his own soldiers.^[5]^[6] When Maxentius, the son of the retired emperor Maximian, revolted at Rome, Galerius sent Severus to suppress the rebellion. Severus moved towards Rome from his capital, Mediolanum, at the head of an army previously commanded by Maximian.^[2] Fearing the arrival of Severus, Maxentius offered Maximian the co-rule of the empire. Maximian accepted, and when Severus arrived under the walls of Rome and besieged it, his men deserted to Maximian, their old commander. Severus fled to Ravenna, an impregnable position.^[2] Maximian offered to spare his life and treat him humanely if he surrendered peaceably, which he did in March or April 307. Despite Maximian's assurance, Severus was nonetheless displayed as a captive and later imprisoned at Tres Tabernae.^[2] One belief is that when Galerius himself invaded Italy to suppress Maxentius and Maximian, the former ordered Severus's death, and that he was executed (or forced to commit suicide) on 16 September 307 at Tres Tabernae, near the current Cisterna di Latina.^[3] Another belief is that Severus II was killed in Ravenna.^[4]^[7]

Severus was survived by his son Flavius Severianus.

References

↑ In Classical Latin, Severus' name would be inscribed as FLAVIVS VALERIVS SEVERVS AVGVSTVS.
1 2 3 4 5 6 Michael DiMalo (1998). "Severus II". An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Emperors. Retrieved 1 August 2015.
1 2 "Aurelius Victor, About Caesar" (in Russian). Ancient Rome. Retrieved 1 August 2015.
1 2 "Biography of Emperor Constantine" (in Russian). Ancient Rome. Retrieved 1 August 2015.
↑ Barnes, Timothy David (1982). The New Empire of Diocletian and Constantine. Harvard University Press. pp. 26–27. ISBN 0-7837-2221-4.
↑ Lactantius. "On the death of the persecutors". p. 5. Retrieved 1 August 2015.
↑ Baronio, Annales Ecclesiastici, vol. 1, pp. 769-770

External links

Works related to The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Volume 1, Chapter XIV at Wikisource
Media related to Flavius Valerius Severus at Wikimedia Commons

Regnal titles
Flavius Valerius Severus Constantinian dynasty Born: Unknown Died: 16 September 307
Preceded by Constantius Chlorus	Roman Emperor 306–307 Served alongside: Galerius	Succeeded by Licinius
Political offices
Preceded by Constantius Chlorus , Galerius	Consul of the Roman Empire 307 with Maximinus Daia , Galerius, Maximian, Constantine I	Succeeded by Diocletian , Galerius, Maxentius, Valerius Romulus

Roman and Byzantine emperors

Principate 27 BC – 235 AD	Augustus Tiberius Caligula Claudius Nero Galba Otho Vitellius Vespasian Titus Domitian Nerva Trajan Hadrian Antoninus Pius Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus Commodus Pertinax Didius Julianus (Pescennius Niger) Septimius Severus Caracalla with Geta Macrinus with Diadumenian Elagabalus Severus Alexander

Crisis 235–284	Maximinus Thrax Gordian I and Gordian II Pupienus and Balbinus Gordian III Philip the Arab Decius with Herennius Etruscus Hostilian Trebonianus Gallus with Volusianus Aemilianus Valerian Gallienus with Saloninus Claudius Gothicus Quintillus Aurelian Tacitus Florian Probus Carus Carinus and Numerian

Dominate 284–395	Diocletian (whole empire) Diocletian (East) and Maximian (West) Galerius (East) and Constantius Chlorus (West) Galerius (East) and Severus (West) Galerius (East) and Licinius I (West) Licinius I (West) and Maximinus Daia (East) Licinius I (East) and Constantine the Great (West) Constantine the Great (whole empire) with son Crispus as Caesar Constantine II Constans I Magnentius with Decentius as Caesar Constantius II with Vetranio Julian Jovian Valentinian the Great Valens Gratian Valentinian II Magnus Maximus Theodosius the Great

Western Empire 395–480	Honorius Constantius III Joannes as Western usurper in Ravenna Valentinian III Petronius Maximus Avitus Majorian then Libius Severus then Anthemius then Olybrius Glycerius Julius Nepos (de jure) Romulus Augustulus (Usurper)

Eastern/ Byzantine Empire 395–1204	Arcadius Theodosius II Pulcheria Marcian Leo I the Thracian Leo II Zeno (first reign) Basiliscus with son Marcus as co-emperor Zeno (second reign) Anastasius I Dicorus Justin I Justinian the Great Justin II Tiberius II Constantine Maurice with son Theodosius as co-emperor Phocas Heraclius Constantine III Heraklonas Constans II Constantine IV with brothers Heraclius and Tiberius and then Justinian II as co-emperors Justinian II (first reign) Leontios Tiberios III Justinian II (second reign) Philippikos Anastasios II Theodosius III Leo III the Isaurian Constantine V Artabasdos Leo IV the Khazar Constantine VI Irene Nikephoros I Staurakios Michael I Rangabe Leo V the Armenian with Symbatios-Constantine as junior emperor Michael II the Amorian Theophilos Michael III Basil I the Macedonian Leo VI the Wise Alexander Constantine VII Porphyrogennetos Romanos I Lekapenos with sons Christopher, Stephen and Constantine as junior co-emperors Romanos II Nikephoros II Phokas John I Tzimiskes Basil II Constantine VIII Zoe (first reign) and Romanos III Argyros Zoe (first reign) and Michael IV the Paphlagonian Michael V Kalaphates Zoe (second reign) with Theodora Zoe (second reign) and Constantine IX Monomachos Constantine IX Monomachos (sole emperor) Theodora Michael VI Bringas Isaac I Komnenos Constantine X Doukas Romanos IV Diogenes Michael VII Doukas Nikephoros III Botaneiates Alexios I Komnenos John II Komnenos Manuel I Komnenos Alexios II Komnenos Andronikos I Komnenos Isaac II Angelos Alexios III Angelos Alexios IV Angelos Nicholas Kanabos as usurper chosen by the Senate Alexios V Doukas

Empire of Nicaea 1204–1261	Constantine Laskaris Theodore I Laskaris John III Doukas Vatatzes Theodore II Laskaris John IV Laskaris

Eastern/ Byzantine Empire 1261–1453	Michael VIII Palaiologos Andronikos II Palaiologos with Michael IX Palaiologos as co-emperor Andronikos III Palaiologos John V Palaiologos John VI Kantakouzenos with John V Palaiologos and Matthew Kantakouzenos as co-emperors John V Palaiologos Andronikos IV Palaiologos John VII Palaiologos Andronikos V Palaiologos Manuel II Palaiologos John VIII Palaiologos Constantine XI Palaiologos

Italics usually indicate an usurper or co-emperor.

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