Septimius Severus' amazing speech in 197

[Caesar CXXXVII]

In 197 Severus came to Rome after his victories over his opponents and gave a speech in the very shoked Senate . He praised Marius and Sulla for their revengefulness/vindictiveness and scorned Pompey and Caeser for their clementia . The important thing , he praised Commodus and had him Deified !!!!!!!!!!! the Senators were in a state of trauma......

 

Now , why did he do it ? What were his motives ? How could an intelligent person like Severus praise a Monster , a mad man , a killer ?

Edited January 16, 2007 by Caesar CXXXVII

[caldrail]

Serverus did that to show that he had no praise for Didius Julianus. For all his faults, Commodus had some popularity with the roman masses simply for appearing in the arena 735 times. Bear in mind the situation. Commodus is bumped off. Pertinax, a respected general, is put into power almost immediately and may well have been a part of the plot, though is conjecture. Pertinax makes too many changes, and doesn't really have time to listen to well meant advice. The praetorians in particular are miffed at the changes which they see (correctly) as an attempt to curb their power. So they bump him off. No susprises there. Now to preserve their institution and make a fair bit of cash in the process, the praetorians auction the throne. Didius Julianus and his father-in-law are the two contestants. Didius wins by offering tons of cash and telling the praetorians that his rival was a friend of Pertinax, so there'd be trouble ahead if he got the vote. Didius is loathed by the romans when he comes to power. He has no military credibility. He takes to the arena in a blatant attempt to emulate commodus's popularity. He didn't earn the empire, he bought it. A shadey business deal. Worse still, he reneges on his promise of a donative and the praetorians did what praetorians always did when they got miffed. Severus turns up with his army. He assumes control, eliminates the praetorians as untrustworthy and places his own men as the guard, then proclaims commodus as a god. It was simply a way of saying that he was now the true succession, that he honours those who ruled by consent, and that usurpers have no place in his regime. Remember that commodus ruled as co-emperor with Marcus Aurelius for six years before the old man died. Commodus was the 'first man born to the purple' - He inherited the throne and severus acknowledged that.

Edited January 16, 2007 by caldrail

[Primus Pilus]

Severus also needed to legitimize his reign by connecting himself to the Antonines. It was a stroke of genius to name himself the brother of Commodus and force a popular deification through on a cowed Senate. Commodus was loved by the people and perhaps more importantly, the legions. With the loyalty of Clodius Albinus still in doubt in Britain, and the rivalry of Pescennius Niger in Syria, what easier way was there to boost one's own popularity and secure the loyalty of the army than by exacting vengeance against the killers of "his brother", the legitimate and popular emperor. Concurrently, these same actions made it widely known throughout the empire that Severus was not going to leave himself open to the the dangers that Pertinax did, who despite attempts at reconciling the various factions, ultimately met the same fate as his predecessor.

[Caesar CXXXVII]

Thanks for your responses

 

It is difficult to estimate how much Commodus was loved by the masses , we don't have their point of view...but let us assume that he was loved by them , so since when an Emperor (an African soldier) listen to the Roman mob ? And what about him taking the name Pertinax , who , let say , was in the conspiracy to kill Commodus ? He could not represent himself as a Pertinax and as a Commodus at the same time , could he ?

If I am not wrong , Nero was very much loved by the masses...why Galba (or Otho or Vitellius or Vespasianus) , who was in the same (more or less) position as Severus did not defied him and praised him ?

 

It is still a problem for me

 

Maybe , as one said (Amit , 2003) he tried to justify his intended persecutions (Teror) against the Senate by claiming that they conspired to kill a lawful Emperor ?

Edited January 16, 2007 by Caesar CXXXVII

[Primus Pilus]

Thanks for your responses

 

It is difficult to estimate how much Commodus was loved by the masses , we don't have their point of view...but let us assume that he was loved by them , so since when an Emperor (an African soldier) listen to the Roman mob ?

 

Sorry, I was not clear. I intended to promote the idea of Commodus' popularity with the legions as far more important than his popularity with the mob. In that case, the situation was much different from Nero.

[caldrail]

It is difficult to estimate how much Commodus was loved by the masses , we don't have their point of view...but let us assume that he was loved by them , so since when an Emperor (an African soldier) listen to the Roman mob ?

 

Roman emperors were very keen to please their public if they had any sense. Imagine for instance your a emperor at the games. The gladiator has surrendered and pleads for mercy. He's beaten your favourites often enough and you've just lost a bet. The crowd however thinks he has fought well and shout for clemency. Do you do what you'd like and condemn him to immediate death? Or do you listen to the crowd? Do you want to be thought of as cruel or honourable?

 

The same occurs outside the arena. If the public feel strongly they are going to become very vocal. If you're not a popular emperor, then an ambitious senator will be licking his lips and plotting your downfall.

 

Emperors did listen to the crowd - but it did depend on their character.

 

And what about him taking the name Pertinax , who , let say , was in the conspiracy to kill Commodus ? He could not represent himself as a Pertinax and as a Commodus at the same time , could he ?

 

Pertinax is from a latin word for persistence is it not? It was applied for that reason I suspect, although it is interesting that severus did so. Roman names were often nicknames that had meanings like this. Julius Caesar's name actually translates as 'curly'. However, severus had taken power in rome and perhaps by calling himself pertinax he has symbolically assumed the old mans former status and reputation as his own, so that no man would look back and see severus as somehow less than his predecessors.

 

If I am not wrong , Nero was very much loved by the masses...why Galba (or Otho or Vitellius or Vespasianus) , who was in the same (more or less) position as Severus did not defied him and praised him ?

 

In the case of the Four Emperors of 68-69ad, the men concerned were of a different character from Nero and to associate themselves with him would invite senatorial dismay. The senate after all had finally declared Nero an enemy of the state. Is this new emperor asking us to return to ways of Nero's time? As for severus, Nero was long gone - a figure of history. His need was more immediate.

 

Maybe , as one said (Amit , 2003) he tried to justify his intended persecutions (Teror) against the Senate by claiming that they conspired to kill a lawful Emperor ?

 

Well... they had. The senate ordered a legionary officer to go to the home of didius julianus and execute him. Didius had been abandoned by his family and slaves and begged for his life alone. The soldier was not impressed, and conducted the execution forthwith. The praetorians stood back and allowed it to happen. Their attitude was that it was his own fault - the tight fisted wally had reneged on his promise of a huge donative. What did he expect?

 

Severus marched on rome as a rebel in real terms. He conducted a classic coup-detat. He needed credibility as the roman leader and therefore associated himself with the roman succession.

[Caesar CXXXVII]

So , caldrail and PP , Severus wanted to use Commodus' popularity (with in the army or the masses) ? It is a very logical argument , I accepet it .

Yet , we are talking about 197 , that is 5 years after Commodus assasination (people's memory you know) and why in the Senate ? He could praise Commodus in the arena , why in the very very Anti-Commodian Senate ? He could say "I am a new Marcus Aurelius" or something like that . Is there another example for an Emperor praising a "bad" Emperor by all standards ?

 

The episode is Fascinating .

[Primus Pilus]

So , caldrail and PP , Severus wanted to use Commodus' popularity (with in the army or the masses) ? It is a very logical argument , I accepet it .

Yet , we are talking about 197 , that is 5 years after Commodus assasination (people's memory you know) and why in the Senate ? He could praise Commodus in the arena , why in the very very Anti-Commodian Senate ? He could say "I am a new Marcus Aurelius" or something like that . Is there another example for an Emperor praising a "bad" Emperor by all standards ?

 

The episode is Fascinating .

 

Perhaps the following is not quite the same issue, but Vespasian praised Claudius along with building his Temple. Claudius has hardly been as reviled as Commodus in the historical records, but the bulk of the senate surely had little endearment for him.

 

The similarity lies in the need for Vespasian to legitimize his reign and identify it with the Julio-Claudians. Clearly associating himself with Nero (whose reign had obviously been the cause of civil war) would not have endeared him to many, but Claudius at least was respectable. Here we have two "usurpers" in Vespasian and Severus who both attempted clear identification with the preceding dynasties. Vespasian was even buried in the mausoleum of Augustus alongside the Julio-Claudians. This act not only identified Vespasian with the previous dynasty but also secured that same identification for Titus and even Domitian.

 

The only other example of a dynastic change until the time of Severus was that of the Flavian to the "Antonine/Adoptive". Here we see no praise for Domitian from either Nerva or Trajan and very little connection at all with the Flavians. However, despite the apparent abandonment of the Flavians, it is interesting that Nerva was a member of Domitian's court, and Trajan was a loyalist who had attempted to quell an earlier rebellion. While it's obvious that Trajan's adoption likely prevented any thought of civil war among other generals, such as occurred in AD 69, Trajan's adoption as a Domitian loyalist might or might not also be an indication that the legions were not pleased with the assassination of their benefactor Domitian.

[caldrail]

So , caldrail and PP , Severus wanted to use Commodus' popularity (with in the army or the masses) ? It is a very logical argument , I accepet it .

Yet , we are talking about 197 , that is 5 years after Commodus assasination (people's memory you know) and why in the Senate ? He could praise Commodus in the arena , why in the very very Anti-Commodian Senate ? He could say "I am a new Marcus Aurelius" or something like that . Is there another example for an Emperor praising a "bad" Emperor by all standards ?

 

The episode is Fascinating .

 

Commodus was popular with the crowd - inevitably since he strutted his stuff in the arena on a regular basis. The senate was a different ball game. They were a class apart from the mob. Any threat to Severus was going to arise from them. Some of their members had conspired to eliminate Commodus and place Pertinax in charge. Besides any personal advantage, this was done to ensure a smooth transition of power. Unfortunately Pertinax was less adept as a politician than desired. The praetorians got upset about the limits being imposed upon them, got drunk, and went round to the palace to sort him out. Fair play to Pertinax, he had some backbone and confronted the mob, but to no avail. Then the shameful auctioning of the throne took place leaving Didius in charge. Severus meanwhile has himself promoted to emperor by his soldiers on the frontier and marches on Rome. He does a deal with Niger to prevent rivalry. Didius appeals to the senate to allow him to share power with Severus, but that negotiation failed. One does not share power by force. Didius sends assassins to kill Severus - again, a failure. The senate more or less curry favour with the approaching Severus and his army by having Didius killed with further ceremony, and do not contest Serverus's claim to power. The senate has actually shown weakness by doing so. They fear retribution or proscription.

 

The fact is Severus could say pretty much anything he liked. The praetorians were replaced with his men and control was very firmly his. Marcus Aurelius was the wrong personality to be identified with. Severus wanted a stronger, more virile image to associate too, and in any case, Marcus Aurelius had died and passed power legitimately to Commodus. The Gladiator Emperor was therefore the last who had attained power by legimate means. It was a way of suggesting to the senate that their shenanigans were over - that succession would return to less bloody ways whether they liked it or not.

[Kosmo]

I had the impression that Severus at first praised Pertinax and behaved like his avenger. Then after the long years of civil war when he got absolute power he started to praise Commodus and had his killer thrown to the lions.

It is not that he praised Commodus, but before that he praised Pertinax and this really strange. I think that his "Pertinax" phase was when he needed to fight his strong opponents and needed the simpathy of the Senate ( Pertinax was a men of the Senate in the old Antonine way) and "Commodus" when he got absolute power and needed to smash and humble the Senate like Commodus did.

He was also duble faced when dealing with Niger and Albinus.

[Primus Pilus]

I had the impression that Severus at first praised Pertinax and behaved like his avenger. Then after the long years of civil war when he got absolute power he started to praise Commodus and had his killer thrown to the lions.

It is not that he praised Commodus, but before that he praised Pertinax and this really strange. I think that his "Pertinax" phase was when he needed to fight his strong opponents and needed the simpathy of the Senate ( Pertinax was a men of the Senate in the old Antonine way) and "Commodus" when he got absolute power and needed to smash and humble the Senate like Commodus did.

He was also duble faced when dealing with Niger and Albinus.

 

Severus also praised Pertinax because his rival Pescennius Niger had been called upon by the people to avenge his murder. Severus needed to make quite clear that he would also deliver on that request.

[Caesar CXXXVII]

The fact is Severus could say pretty much anything he liked. The praetorians were replaced with his men and control was very firmly his.

 

 

That is the bottom line . When reading about another accident I came to a conclusion that Severus had a cynical character . At the end of January 205 Caracala had Plautianus (the Praetorian Prefect , a senator of Consular rank , a Clarissimus Vir , a Comes Principis , No. 2 in the Empire , some say he was No. 1 , the best friend of Severus since 193 , a relative and more) to come before Severus alone . Caracala pushed his former father in law and orderd a soldier to kill him , the shoked Plautianus was dead in seconds . Severus said that he was sorry that the ambition of his friend brought uppon him his death...

 

Now , It is in my opinion that Severus had fun to show up in the Senate and to praise the man whom the Senators feared the most . he had the power , he used it (29 Senators , many of them with Consular rank were dead after the speech of June 197) .

 

Maybe Severus acted politically , but surley he combined business with pleasure...

[caldrail]

When we look at Commodus we judge him by modern morality. The same is said for other 'bad' emperors but the others? Trajan after all arranged the deaths of thousands in the arena to celebrate his victory in Dacia and he's supposed to one of the good ones.

 

Severus might have been cynical but then he was a soldier first and foremost. Perhaps hard-nosed, a realist, and certainly one well used to the details of command. He was also the man who banned female gladiators.

[Cohort]

"enrich the soldiers, despise the rest"...Severus....

[caldrail]

He should know!