SEVERUS, LUCIUS SEPTIMIUS (A.D. 146-211). A Roman emperor from 193 to 211, born near Leptis Magna. on the north coast of Africa. He was commander of a legion in Gaul, and gov ernor successively of Gallia Lugdunensis, Pan nonia, and Sicily. After the murder of Pertinax he was proclaimed Emperor, A.D. 193, at Car nuntum, and promptly marched upon Rome, where the puppet Julianus had by purchase ob tained the imperial purple. His arrival before Rome was the death signal for Julianus; and after taking vengeance on the murderers of Per tinax, and distributing an extravagant largess to his soldiers, Severus marched against Peseen nius Niger, and conquered him at Jesus, A.D. 194. A campaign in the East, and a three years' siege of Byzantium, which was finally taken, were fol lowed by a desperate struggle with Clodius Al binos, whom, after an obstinate conflict at Lyons, he conquered in 197. Severus returned to Asia,
and met with the most brilliant success in the campaign of 198 against the Parthians, and took and plundered their capital, Ctesiphon. lle re turned to Rome in 202, and gratified the popular taste by the exhibition of shows of unparalleled magnificence, also distributing another extrava gant largess to the citizens and pnetorians. A rebellion in Britain drew him to that country in 208, and at the head of an immense army he marched, it is said, to the extreme north of the island, encountering enormous hardships, to which no less than 50,000 of his soldiers suc cumbed. To safeguard the natives of Southern Britain from the incursions of the Meatce and Caledonians, Severus began the wall which bears his name. He died soon after at Eboracum (York).