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Faustina the Younger was the daughter of Antoninus Pius and the wife of Marcus Aurelius. She was not well regarded by historians like Cassius Dio; he claims she was licentious and unfaithful, but it seems that she and Marcus Aurelius may have had a…

Caracalla was the son of Septimius Severus and the brother of Geta. His reign was a notorious one, as he was known as a harsh and paranoid person. He had his brother Geta murdered just before 212 CE, soon after the death of their father, and…

Geta was officially erased from memory when he was condemned to suffer damnatio memoriae by his brother, Caracalla, in 211 CE. Jealous and paranoid, Caracalla has his brother murdered and "erased from memory" shortly after their father, Septimius…

Elagabalus, also known as Heliogabalus, was the leader of the Roman Empire from 218-222 CE. Caracalla, who was Elagabalus’ cousin, was assassinated by the praefect of the Praetorian Guard, Marcus Opellius Macrinus, in 217 CE. Macrinus replaced…

Severus Alexander was put into power after the assassination of his cousin, Elagabalus, in 222 CE. As opposed to his cousin, Severus respected Roman tradition and behaved in accordance with Roman law. He was a wise ruler, though it is rumored that he…

Aurelian was declared Emperor by his troops after the death of Claudius II Gothicus in 270 CE. Claudius II Gothicus’ brother, Quintillus, however, was also declared Emperor by the Pannonian troops in the same year. Not unexpectedly, Quintillus was…

Carinus and Numerian were the sons of Carus. Carus and his younger son, Numerian, were to the rule the Eastern provinces and Carinus, the older son, was the rule the western. Carinus was successful militarily, but soon faced usurpation of the throne…

Most of Gordian’s reign was spent in the East campaigning against the Persians. He married the daughter of his Praetorian Praefect, Furia Sabina Tranquillina, which by this time was a prudent political move. The Praefect, Timestheus, though very…

From a noble Roman family, Valerian held many important positions in the city of Rome, including Censor and Princeps Senatus, before he was declared Emperor in 253 CE. His son, Gallienus, was declared co-emperor and sent to the west to look after…

Julia Maesa was the Severan matriarch after the death of Caracalla. Trying to restore the Severan dynasty, she secured the murder of Emperor Macrinus, Caracalla’s former Praetorian Praefect and murderer, in 218 CE. Elagabalus, her grandson, was then…