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He was born at Leptis Magna (62 miles south east of Carthage), on the north coast of Africa, died at Eboracum ( York), England. Severus's family was of equestrian rank, and in 172 he seems to have been made a senator by Marcus Aurelius. In 190 he became consul, and in the following year received from Commodus the command of the legions in PannoniaPannonia is an ancient country bounded north and east by the Danube, conterminous westward with Noricum and upper Italy, and southward with Dalmatia and upper Moesia. Today, Pannonia is largely identical with what is called " Transdanubia" in Hungary.. On the murder of PertinaxPublius Helvius Pertinax ( August 1, 126 March 28, 193) was proclaimed Roman Emperor the morning following the assassination of Commodus on December 31, AD 192. His career before he became emperor as it is documented in the Historia Augusta has been confi by the troops in 193, they proclaimed Septimius emperor, whereupon he hurried to Italy and took possession of Rome without opposition. The legionaries of Syria, however, proclaimed Pescennius NigerPescennius Niger (died 194) was an Emperor of the eastern Roman Empire from 193 to 194. He was a governor of Syria who was proclaimed emperor by the eastern legions after the murder of Pertinax and the auctioning off of the imperial title to Didius Julian emperor and those of Britain, Clodius AlbinusClodius Albinus (died February 19, 197) was proclaimed Roman Emperor by the legions in Britain and Spain upon the murder of Pertinax. In the civil war that followed, he was initially allied with Septimus Severus, who had captured Rome, and accepted the ti; it was not until 197 that all competing claimants were eliminated.

In the later years of his reign Septimius undertook a number of military actionsThe Interregnum of Severus was a legendary time in British history following the death of St. Lucius as accounted by Geoffrey of Monmouth. When Lucius died, the Britons began to rebel against the power of Rome. In response, the Senate requested Emperor Se in defence of Roman BritainThe word Britain is used to refer to the United Kingdom (UK): i. the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (from 1927), the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland ( 1801- 1927) or the United Kingdom of Great Britain ( 1707- 1801). against barbarian incursions and undertook reconstruction of Hadrian's WallHadrian's Wall was a stone and turf fortification, built by the Romans across the width of Great Britain to prevent military raids by the Pictish tribes of Scotland to the north. The name is also sometimes used as a euphemism for the border between Scotla before dying in YorkThis article is about the English city. For other meanings, see York (disambiguation). York is a city in the north of England built at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss. In 1991 the city had a population of 123,126. Its geographic coordinates are on February 4, 211.

Septimius Severus was at heart a soldier, and sought glory through military exploits. He waged a brief and successful war against the Parthian Empire, which restored the northern half of Mesopotamia to Rome. During that war, his soldiers sacked the Parthian capital of Ctesiphon and sold the survivors into slavery.

His relations with the Roman Senate were never good. He was unpopular with them from the outset, having seized power with the help of the military, and he returned the sentiment. Severus ordered the execution of dozens of senators on charges of corruption and conspiracy against him, replacing them with his own favorites. He also disbanded the Praetorian Guard and replaced it with one of his own, made up of 50,000 loyal soldiers camped in and around Rome.

Although his actions turned Rome into a military dictatorship, he was popular with the citizens of Rome, having stamped out the moral degeneration of the reign of Commodus and the rampant corruption. When he returned from his victory over the Parthians, he erected a triumphal arch that still stands and bears his name to this day.

Upon his death in 211, he was deified by the Senate and succeeded by his two quarrelsome sons, Caracalla and Geta, who were advised by his wife Julia Domna. The stability Severus had provided the empire was soon gone.

The reign of Septimius provides an interesting example of the persecution meted out to Christians under the Roman empire. Septimius made no new laws against Christians, but allowed the enforcement of laws already long-established. There is no evidence of systematic persecution, and there are many evidences that not only was the emperor not personally hostile to the Christians, but he even protected them against the populace. There were doubtless Christians in his own household, and in his reign the church at Rome had almost absolute peace. On the other hand, individual officials availed themselves of the laws to proceed with rigor against the Christians. Naturally the emperor, with his strict conception of law, did not hinder such partial persecution, which took place in Egypt and the Thebaid, as well as in proconsular Africa and the East. Christian martyrs were numerous in Alexandria (cf. Clement of Alexandria, Stromata, ii. 20; Eusebius, Church History, V., xxvi., VI., i.). No less severe were the persecutions in Africa, which seem to have begun in 197 or 198 (cf. Tertullian's Ad martyres), and included the Christians known in the Roman martyrology as the martyrs of Madaura. Probably in 202 or 203 Felicity and Perpetua suffered for their faith. Persecution again raged for a short time under the proconsul Scapula in 211, especially in Numidia and Mauritania. Later accounts of a Gallic persecution, especially at Lyons, are legendary. In general it may thus be said that the position of the Christians under Septimius Severus was the same as under the Antonines; but the law of this emperor at least shows clearly that the rescript of Trajan had failed to execute its purpose.

see: Severan dynasty family tree, Roman Empire, Byzantine Empire and Byzantine Emperors.