The assassination of Emperor Commodus in 192 sparked a civil war. Septimius Severus emerged as the eventual victor and his dynasty (the Severans) ruled until 235. He fought in numerous campaigns against both internal rivals and external enemies, expanding the Empire eastward (adding Mesopotamia), southward (into Africa), and northward (beyond Hadrian's Wall). The military aspects of his reign, including the reforms of the army, form the main focus of this new study.

After a discussion of his early career and his governorship in Pannonia, Michael Sage narrates his war with Pescennius Niger, the siege of Byzantium, and the campaign in northern Mesopotamia that added this region as a province. The much more difficult campaign against Clodius Albinus in Gaul is also studied in depth, as well as the one in North Africa. The narrative concludes with a description of the final campaign in Britain and the death of Severus. The final chapters analyze Septimius's reforms in the army and assess their impact on the events of the next seventy years leading up to the rise of Diocletian.

His greatest weakness was his love for his family. Like Marcus Aurelius, he loved his children very much. They failed to maintain what had been bequeathed to them.

Pages: 240, Dimensions: 15.6x15.6cm