Cold Open

It’s March 28th, 193 C.E., inside the Imperial Palace in Rome.

The ruler of the mighty Roman Empire, Emperor Pertinax, paces the halls nervously. He’s canceled his scheduled appearances for the day and taken shelter deep within the palace. Word has reached the 67-year-old Pertinax that there will soon be an attempt on his life.

Walking alongside the emperor is his most senior official, Eclectus. Alone in this cavernous space, the two men speak in hushed tones, debating their chances, and none of them like the odds.

Pertinax is only been Emperor for 87 days, but already he's survived two attempted coups by the Praetorian Guard. The Praetorians are soldiers who are sworn to protect the emperor. But after Pertinax made moves to limit their power and prestige, the guard turned on him. Pertinax narrowly escaped their earlier attempts on his life, but he knows his luck cannot last.

As Pertinax and Eclectus discuss their options, the doors to the chamber shudder… and then give way. The Praetorians are here - hundreds of them. There are no guards left, still loyal to Pertinax, so it only takes moments for the soldiers to surround the Emperor and his aide.

But rather than run, Pertinax uses the only weapon he has left. Remaining calm but raising his voice, he reminds the guards of their duty and tries to make them see reason. What they’re doing is not the behavior of civilized men of Rome.

For a few minutes, it seems like it’s working. But at least one of the soldiers at the front of the crowd is unmoved.

He draws his sword but is met by Eclectus... who pulls out his own weapon to defend the emperor.

The unsheathing of weapons breaks the spell Pertinax has cast, and the other guards join in the fight. Eclectus is brave, but no match for the hundreds of soldiers and he quickly falls.

Knowing what is coming next, Emperor Pertinax pulls his toga over his head. Then he’s brutally cut down by the soldiers in a frenzy of bloodlust. The short reign of Emperor Pertinax is over.

A decade before the assassination of Pertinax, the citizens of Rome had enjoyed relative peace. Emperor Marcus Aurelius had been a good and noble leader – a philosopher-king who wanted the best for his people. But when he died, his son, Commodus, became emperor and brought an end to that era of stability.

Commodus was a brutal megalomaniac who hated and feared in equal measure. After 12 years as emperor, he was murdered by his own allies, and Pertinax ascended to the Imperial throne.

Now, though, Pertinax is dead and the empire is leaderless. Rome is about to enter a deadly power struggle that will become known as the “Year of the Five Emperors”. But although one man will finally stake a claim on the throne before the year is done, the civil war within the empire won’t come to a close until the Battle of Lugdunum four years later, on February 19th, 197 C.E.

Introduction

From Noiser and Airship, I’m Lindsay Graham and this is History Daily.

History is made every day. On this podcast—every day—we tell the true stories of the people and events that shaped our world.

Today is February 19th, 197 C.E: The Battle of Lugdunum.

Act One: To The Highest Bidder

It’s March 28th, 193 C.E., outside the Senate in Rome, just a few hours after the murder of Emperor Pertinax.

A crowd of soldiers surrounds Senator Didius Julianus. Julianus has just learned of the emperor’s assassination. And it’s shocking news, but less surprising than what he hears next: these Praetorian Guardsmen want Julianus as their new emperor.

The 60-year-old Senator takes a few moments to gather his thoughts before he gives a curt nod of acceptance.

Then under the cover of darkness, the soldiers escort Julianus to the Praetorian barracks, where they intend to proclaim him emperor. But when they arrive, they discover that another group of soldiers has had the same idea, but chosen a different man - Sulpicianus, the father-in-law of the dead emperor Pertinax.

Senator Julianus doesn’t waste any time arguing his case to the guards. He knows what will persuade them: money. So, he tells them that if they choose him as Emperor, he will pay them handsomely. And hearing this, Sulpicianus insists that he can pay more.

This chaotic bidding war continues throughout the night, until finally, Julianus names a sum the soldiers are happy with. While Sulpicianus slinks off home defeated, the Praetorian Guard name Didius Julianus as the new Emperor of Rome.

But although the soldiers are happy, Julianus isn’t so popular elsewhere. Many Roman citizens don’t like that he bought his way to the throne, and demonstrate against him in the streets. Julianus is also unpopular among his former colleagues in the Senate, who are unhappy that the emperor was chosen by soldiers instead of politicians. So, with public opinion firmly on their side, several senators begin a quiet search for a different leader.

Three candidates emerge from across the Roman Empire. The first is the governor of Syria, Gaius Pescennius Niger. There is also Clodius Albinus, who commands over 30,000 battle-ready men in the Roman province of Britain.

The third candidate is Septimius Severus, the Governor of a small but influential Roman province. Born to humble beginnings near modern-day Libya, 48-year-old Severus would seem an outsider bet to lead Rome, but he soon wins the support of over a dozen legions of the Roman Army.

Severus is a canny politician as well as a military leader. He was close to the old Emperor Marcus Aurelius and uses that connection to promote his claim to the throne. He announces that the murder of Pertinax was something Aurelius would have found abhorrent, and he promises vengeance. He just has to defeat the men standing against him first.

Knowing that he faces war on several fronts, Severus first makes peace with one of his rivals, offering Clodius Albinus a deal. If Albinus backs Severus’ claim, Severus hints he will name his former rival as his heir.

It’s an offer Albinus can hardly refuse. In Britain, he’s too far away from Rome to seize power himself, and this way he still has a good chance of eventually becoming emperor. So, he agrees. That leaves Severus to focus on his two remaining enemies: Pescennius of Syria and the new emperor in Rome, Didius Julianus.

With Pescennius still in the east consolidating his troops, Severus gathers his own men and heads for Rome.

Knowing Severus is coming, Emperor Julianus does all he can to protect himself, ordering his troops to dig fortifications and dispatches assassins to kill Severus in his own camp. But both plans fail. And the closer Severus gets to Rome, the more desperate Julianus becomes. In a final gambit, he asks the Senate to appoint Severus as joint ruler alongside him.

But the Senate isn't interested in having two Emperors. Instead, they condemn Julianus to death and have him executed on June 1st, in the year 193. His rule lasted just 66 days.

After that, Severus is named emperor by the Senate and marches into Rome without opposition. He gets to work right away. True to his word, the new emperor rounds up the Praetorians who murdered Pertinax and has them executed. The remainder of the untrustworthy guards are exiled with a warning not to come within 100 miles of the capital. Any who do, will be killed.

And then the new emperor makes plans to cement his position. Severus may have secured Rome, but he knows there’s a large force to the east still hailing Gaius Pescennius as emperor. And to the north is Britain, and armies of Clodius Albinus.

In the months to come, the Roman Empire will face yet more division and bloodshed. Taking the throne has been easy for Severus. But now he’ll have to prove he can hold onto it.

Act Two: Power Plays and Propaganda

It’s June 1st, 193 C.E., at the Senate building in the heart of Rome.

It's been less than a day since Septimius Severus entered the capital and was declared emperor. Now, he's working hard to strengthen his hold on the position. To that end, he’s summoned the politicians who crowned him to a meeting of the Roman Senate.

Severus is astute enough a leader to understand that ruling the Roman Empire takes more than just force. It’s often about persuasion - and storytelling. Having won the throne with an army at his back, Severus knows that he risks being seen as a violent usurper. So he tries to frame his bid for the crown as actions of an honest warrior seeking vengeance for a dear friend, the slain emperor, Pertinax. In truth, Severus had no strong connection to the late emperor, but that doesn’t stop him from publicly calling Pertinax “father” and giving orders for him to receive a grand state funeral.

Following this theatrical proclamation, Severus announces the formation of three new armies as well. Officially, these are to continue campaigns against the Parthian Empire, who the Romans have been at war with, off and on, for centuries. But Severus has no intention of marching these armies on the Parthians. Instead, he has a different plan for the troops: use them to vanquish his competitors for the Imperial throne.

Clodius Albinus and his armies in Britain have been placated for the time being. With a promise of being named next in line for the throne, this means Severus can focus his attention on his other rival: Gaius Pescennius, the Governor of the Roman Province of Syria.

Hailed as emperor by his legions in the east, Pescennius is regarded as an astute military leader in his own right. But the real brains behind his operation is Asellius Aemilianus. He’s the proconsul of Asia and a man of great political power in the Empire. If Pescennius is to take Rome from Severus, he will need Aemilianus by his side.

Though neither Pescennius nor Severus declares all-out war, the two begin to prepare for the inevitable battles to come. And after a few months of amassing troops and building new armies, Severus leaves Rome and makes for Syria.

Heading East, through Byzantium, Severus racks up a series of victories that quickly leave Pescennius looking for a way out. Although he controls plenty of wealth, his forces are increasingly outnumbered, and as his defeats continue, Pescennius begins to lose the support of key allies. With his chances of seizing the Imperial throne dwindling, Pescennius’s thoughts turn to survival, ways he can keep his life and at least some of his riches and influence. So, he begins to bargain with Severus, suggesting they end the bloodshed and share power, ruling Rome together.

Rather than simply refuse him, Severus makes a counter-offer. He says he is willing to negotiate, but only if Pescennius kills his right-hand man, Aemilianus. Knowing he will be weak without him, Pescennius refuses. And the negotiations between the two rival Emperors end, setting the stage for a final showdown.

The two sides meet at Issus in modern-day Turkey, in May of the year 194.

The battle is a bloody one, fought under dark skies. Thunder rumbles over the clash of swords, while lightning flashes among the clouds above. Heavy rain soaks the ground, turning the battlefield into mud which coats the fighters from each side until it is hard to tell friend from foe. Steadily, though, Pescennius’s army is pushed further and further back, until it is completely overwhelmed. Having lost thousands of men, Pescennius concedes that today's victory belongs to Severus and he flees south to his last stronghold at the city of Antioch.

But Pescennius doesn’t find safety there. He is hunted down by Severus’s men, captured, and executed in June 194 C.E. His wife and children are also put to death, and Pescennius’s severed head is brought back to Rome for public display.

But despite the victory at the Battle of Issus, Severus still has one rival left. At the beginning of his campaign, Severus promised Clodius Albinus a position as his heir in exchange for a truce. But late in the year 196, Severus decides that he wants his own son to succeed him as emperor instead. When word of this betrayal reaches Britain, Albinus will be outraged. Gathering his troops, he will declare himself the true Emperor of Rome and march south at the head of a gigantic army, intent on seizing the throne and ending the short reign of Septimius Severus.

Act Three: The Battle

It’s February 19th, 197 C.E., on the fields of Lugdunum in Gaul, three years after Septimius Severus won victory at the Battle of Issus.

Now, Severus looks out over the plains, surveying the vast numbers of troops on each side. There are tens of thousands of soldiers lined up to fight for the two warring emperors: Severus and the pretender Clodius Albinus.

This will be a hard battle, but Severus feels confident. He’s already struck down many enemies in his three years as emperor. Albinus is just one more.

Severus attaches his imperial cloak to his breastplate, mounts his horse, and rides to the front of his men. He gives the order to charge, and the soldiers on the left flank move into action as planned. Soon, thousands of men collide in bloody close-quarters combat.

Severus watches from a safe distance. His soldiers are experienced in battle and seem to have an edge over Albinus’s men. Sensing a quick victory, Severus commands his right flank to attack as well.

But it's all a trap. Albinus’s soldiers have dug hidden trenches that ensnare Severus’s troops. In a matter of minutes, the battle turns. To rally his men, Severus decides he has no choice but to charge into battle himself.

He’s heading toward the men caught in the trenches when he’s thrown from his horse. Suddenly, he’s on the ground, in reach of enemy swords. With his Imperial cloak around his shoulders, he’s an obvious target. So Severus cuts the garment free, ready to do battle as just another soldier of Rome.

The fight continues through the rest of the day and into the night. The sheer number of men makes it difficult to know who has the upper hand at any time. But Severus does have one advantage - extra troops are on the way. When those reinforcements arrive under the command of General Julius Laetus, it spells the end for Albinus.

And in the wake of defeat, he takes his own life. It’s not enough retribution for Severus though, who finds his rival’s dead body and tramples it with his horse, before removing Albinus' head and sending it back to Rome.

Severus’s quest for vengeance doesn’t stop there, either. Back in the Senate, he roots out and executes all supporters of both Gaius Pescennius and Clodius Albinus. It’s a ruthless move to consolidate power - and a sign of things to come.

Over his eighteen-year reign, Severus will never tolerate challenges to his authority. Even his own general and the hero of Lugdunum won’t be spared. When Severus hears rumors that General Laetus has aspirations to be emperor one day, Severus doesn’t hesitate to have him killed.

It is a brutal reminder of the chaos and desperation of the Year of Five Emperors, a period of civil war and bloodshed in the Roman Empire that finally came to an end at the Battle of Lugdunum on February 19th, 197 C.E.

Outro

Next on History Daily. February 20th, 1280. The Emperor of Japan orders temples and shrines to pray for victory against an impending invasion by the Mongols.

From Noiser and Airship, this is History Daily, hosted, edited, and executive produced by me, Lindsay Graham.

Audio editing by Muhammad Shahzaib.

Sound design by Matthew Filler.

Music by Lindsay Graham.

This episode is written and researched by Owen Paul Nicholls.

Edited by Joel Callen.

Managing producer Emily Burke.

Executive Producers are William Simpson for Airship, and Pascal Hughes for Noiser.