The Last Command of Septimius Severus

On February, 211 AD, Emperor Septimius Severus died in Eboracum, modern-day York, England. After nearly two decades of rule, he had strengthened the military, expanded Rome’s borders, and consolidated imperial power. His presence in Britain was strategic—he sought to subdue the northern tribes and reinforce Roman authority. However, weakened by illness, his final act was not on the battlefield but in the form of a cryptic piece of advice to his sons and successors: "Stay united, enrich the soldiers, and don’t bother about anything else."

Artwork: SK

But unity never came. His sons, Caracalla and Geta, became joint rulers, yet their relationship was poisoned by rivalry and resentment. Rome became a city of whispers and tension, as the two brothers could not even share the same palace without fearing conspiracy. The conflict reached its gruesome climax in late 211 AD when Caracalla arranged a meeting of reconciliation—only to have Geta murdered in their mother Julia Domna’s arms. His death triggered a wave of purges, with thousands of Geta’s supporters executed under Caracalla’s brutal reign.

To erase his brother’s legacy, Caracalla launched one of the most infamous cases of damnatio memoriae, a Roman practice of systematically erasing individuals from history. Statues were smashed, inscriptions defaced, and official records rewritten to eliminate any trace of Geta’s existence. But history is stubborn, and despite Caracalla’s efforts, whispers of his crime persisted. His rule continued, marked by tyranny and paranoia, and his name would forever be associated with treachery.

Septimius Severus’ fate highlights a timeless truth of empires: the difficulty of maintaining stability in the face of unchecked ambition. His reign was built on military strength, but even his reforms could not prevent the empire from fracturing from within. Today, the remnants of Rome’s northern frontier, like Hadrian’s Wall, stand as silent witnesses to the struggles of an empire that sought to control everything—except the greed of its own rulers.

References:

• Goldsworthy, Adrian. The Fall of the West: The Death of the Roman Superpower

• Southern, Pat. Septimius Severus: The African Emperor

• Cassius Dio, Roman History