Year of the Five Emperors

Not to be confused with Year of the Four Emperors or Year of the Six Emperors.
Roman imperial dynasties
Aurei of the five Roman emperors of AD 193. Clockwise from top left: Pertinax, Didius Julianus, Pescennius Niger and Clodius Albinus, with Septimius Severus in the center.
Year of the Five Emperors (AD 193)
Chronology
193
193
193–194
193–197
193–211
Succession
Preceded by
Nerva–Antonine dynasty		 Followed by
Severan dynasty

The Year of the Five Emperors was AD 193, in which five men claimed the title of Roman emperor: Pertinax, Didius Julianus, Pescennius Niger, Clodius Albinus, and Septimius Severus. This year started a period of civil war when multiple rulers vied for the chance to become emperor.

The political unrest began with the murder of Emperor Commodus on New Year's Eve 192. Once Commodus was assassinated, Pertinax was named emperor, but immediately aroused opposition in the Praetorian Guard when he attempted to initiate reforms. They then plotted his assassination, and Pertinax was killed while trying to reason with the mutineers.[1] He had only been emperor for three months. Didius Julianus, who purchased the title from the Praetorian Guard, succeeded Pertinax, but was ousted by Septimius Severus and executed on 1 June. Severus was declared Caesar by the Senate, but Pescennius Niger was hostile so he declared himself emperor.[2] This started the civil war between Niger and Severus; both gathered troops and fought throughout the territory of the empire. Due to this war, Severus allowed Clodius Albinus, whom he suspected of being a threat, to be co-Caesar so that Severus did not have to preoccupy himself with imperial governance. This move allowed him to concentrate on waging the war against Niger.[1] Most historians count Severus and Albinus as two emperors, though they ruled simultaneously. The Severan dynasty was created out of the chaos of AD 193.[2]

  1. ^ a b Rahman, Abdur (2001). The African Emperor? The Life, Career, and Rise to Power of Septimius Severus, MA thesis. University of Wales Lampeter.
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Birley was invoked but never defined (see the help page).