Publius Septimius Geta

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Geta
Emperor of the Roman Empire
Reign 209 - February 4, 211
(with Severus & Caracalla);
February - December 211 (with Caracalla)
Full name Publius Septimius Geta
Born March 7, 189
Rome
Died December 211
Predecessor Septimius Severus (alone)
Successor Caracalla (alone)
Dynasty Severan
Father Septimius Severus
Mother Julia Domna
Roman imperial dynasties
Severan dynasty

The Severan Tondo
Septimius Severus alone
Children
   Geta
   Caracalla
Septimius Severus, with Geta and Caracalla
Geta and Caracalla
Caracalla alone
Interlude, Macrinus
Elagabalus
Children
   Alexander Severus, adoptive
Alexander Severus

Publius Septimius Geta (March 7, 189–December 211), was a Roman Emperor co-ruling with his father Septimius Severus and his older brother Caracalla from 209 to his death.

Contents

[edit] Life

Caracalla and Geta by Lawrence Alma-Tadema. 1907.
Enlarge
Caracalla and Geta by Lawrence Alma-Tadema. 1907.

Geta was the younger son of Septimius Severus by his second wife Julia Domna. Geta was born in Rome, at a time when his father was only a provincial governor at the service of emperor Commodus.

Geta was always in a place secondary to his older brother Lucius, the heir known as Caracalla. Perhaps due to this, the relations between the two were difficult from their early years. Conflicts were constant and often required the mediation of their mother. To appease his youngest son, Septimius Severus gave Geta the title of Augustus in 209. During the campaign against the Britons of the early 3rd century, the imperial propaganda publicized a happy family that shared the responsibilities of rule. Caracalla was his father's second in command, Julia Domna the trusted counsellor and Geta had administrative and bureaucratic duties. Truth was that the rivalry and antipathy between the brothers was far from being improved.

When Septimius Severus died in York in the beginning of 211, Caracalla and Geta were proclaimed joint emperors and returned to Rome. Caracalla soon had his brother killed.

Following Geta's assassination, Caracalla damned his memory and ordered his name to be removed from all inscriptions. The now sole emperor also took the opportunity to get rid of his political enemies, on the grounds of conspiracy with the deceased. Contemporary sources refer to numbers of about 20,000 persons of both sexes killed and/or proscribed during this time.

[edit] Mythical king of Britain

Geoffrey of Monmouth (a highly un-reliable source for Roman Britain history) claims that Geta was raised to the kingship of the Britons by the Roman legions still occupying York. The Britons, however, raised Caracalla to the throne because Monmouth states Caracalla was the son of a Briton mother. This contradicts evidence that Geta and Caracalla had the same mother. Regardless, the shared throne was not a success: the brothers argued about every decision, from law to political appointments. Later sources speculate about the desire of the two of splitting the empire in two halves. By the end of the year, the situation was unbearable. Caracalla tried to murder Geta during the festival of Saturnalia without success. Later in December he arranged a meeting with his brother in his mother's apartments, and had him murdered in her arms by centurions.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Preceded by:
Septimius Severus
Roman Emperor
208-211
with Septimius Severus and Caracalla
Succeeded by:
Caracalla
(as Bessianus in Britain)
Preceded by:
Interregnum of Severus
Mythical British Kings
Preceded by:
Septimius Severus
Severan Dynasty
208–Feb 211 with Septimius Severus and Caracalla
Feb–Dec 211 with Caracalla
Succeeded by:
Caracalla (alone)