Caracalla was Roman emperor from 198 to 217. His reign featured domestic instability and external invasions by Germanic tribes. Caracalla was widely depicted in ancient sources as a cruel tyrant. At his birth in 188, the son of emperor Septimius Severus and Julia Domna he was named Lucius Septimius Bassianus but at age 7 was renamed Marcus Aurelius Antoninus as part of his father's attempt at union with the families of Marcus Aurelius and Antoninus Pius. His nickname "Caracalla" reportedly came from a hooded tunic he wore and popularized. He was made co-emperor with his father by age 11. Caracalla was pushed into an arranged marriage with the daughter of Gaius Fulvius Plautianus, the praetorian prefect, at age 14, whom he hated for reasons unknown.
By 16, Caracalla had Plautianus charged with treason and executed, though probably on fabricated charges. He also banished his wife, who was later killed. Septimius Severus died on a campaign in Scotland in 211, leaving Caracalla and his brother Geta as co-emperors. The two immediately ended the war and withdrew the legions to the line of Hadrian's Wall. As the brothers could not get along, they considered dividing the empire into eastern and western halves they would rule separately, but their mother talked them out of it. Geta was killed at the end of the year, probably on Caracalla's orders. He had Geta's allies also executed and had the Senate declare him damnatio memoriae. Some 20,000 people were killed.After Geta's demise, Julia Domna's responsibilities grew, probably because Caracalla was uninterested in civil administration, although he still held ultimate authority on all civil matters. In 212, the emperor passed the Constitutio Antoniniana, which granted citizenship to all free inhabitants of the empire. Cassius Dio believed this was primarily done to increase the empire's tax base. It had the effect of making the provinces consider themselves the equals of Italy.
Caracalla departed Rome in 213 and never came back. He traveled to the German frontier to battle the Alamanni, who had broken through the fortifications in Rhaetia. Caracalla defeated some of the Germanic tribes in battle while others were brought to terms through peace negotiations. He rebuilt and strengthened the fortifications on the frontier so they held against barbarian incursions for another 20 years. In 214, he went to the east and had reached Alexandria by late 215. The locals had heard of the murder of Geta and produced a satire ridiculing Caracalla and his pretensions. Not finding the humor in this, the emperor had a delegation of leading citizens who greeted him killed and then allowed his troops several days of looting and pillage in the city. He returned to Antioch and as the campaign season began in spring 216 pushed into Armenia and south into Persia.He debased the currency significantly to pay for extensive pay raises he gave to the army, following his father's suggestions to always keep the soldiers happy at the expense of everyone else. Caracalla ingratiated himself with the army and began to dress like them and adopt their manners. He became obsessed with imitating Alexander the Great and planned an invasion of Persia, even creating mock-phalanx units in emulation of the Macedonian phalanx. Caracalla sent the Parthian emperor Artabanus IV an offer to marry the latter's daughter, which was refused. He invaded the countryside east of the Tigris and overwintered at Edessa.
>>18753751Of course it was some neckbeard in a hoodie that extended citizenship to all non-Italians and women
>>18753757the cloak he wore was a Celtic garment; he was known to favor northern European clothing
In April 217, Caracalla was planning to resume his offensive against Persia with the beginning of campaign season in the spring. He was traveling to visit a temple of the Babylonian moon god Sin when he stopped by the side of the road to relieve himself. Caracalla was approached by a soldier named Justin Martalis and stabbed. A Scythian bodyguard of the emperor immediately killed Martalis with his lance. The two Praetorian tribunes ran to Caracalla's side and finished him off. Martalis was offended when the emperor refused to promote him to centurion and the praetorian prefect Macrinus took advantage to use Martalis to get rid of Caracalla. Macrinus declared himself emperor with the army's support three days later. Julia Domna, on hearing the news, committed suicide--the fact that she was also ill with breast cancer probably aided in her decision.Caracalla was the first of the new breed of "barracks" emperors whose official depictions showed him in a soldier's garb and hairstyle as opposed to the philosopher-emperors who preceded him--he was once reported to have said "Let them hate me so long as they fear me." This reflected the army's increasing dominance in Roman politics. The Senate disliked Caracalla, but due to his popularity with the army did not declare him damnatio memoriae and Macrinus had him deified.
>>18753754>Septimius Severus died on a campaign in Scotland in 211imagine wanting to invade a cold wet barbarian wasteland filled with ginger ooga boogas
>>18753782>By 210, Severus's campaigning had made significant gains, despite Caledonian guerrilla tactics and purportedly heavy Roman casualties.[85] The Caledonians sued for peace, which Severus granted on condition they relinquish control of the Central Lowlands (of what is now Scotland)[80][86] as evidenced by the extensive Severan-era fortifications there.[87] The Caledonians, short on supplies and feeling that their position was desperate, revolted later that year with the Maeatae.[88] Severus prepared for another protracted campaign within Caledonia. He was now intent on exterminating the Caledonians, telling his soldiers: "Let no-one escape sheer destruction, no-one our hands, not even the babe in the womb of the mother, if it be male; let it nevertheless not escape sheer destruction."[82][89]>Severus fell ill during the winter of 210-211 and withdrew to Eboracum (modern York) where he died February 4. Caracalla quickly ended the campaign and permanently withdrew to the line of Hadrian's Wall; the Romans never attempted to push into Scotland again.
>>18753791we were this close to a world without Scots. just imagine the nirvana that could have been.
>>18753791>Severus fell ill during the winter of 210-211 and withdrew to Eboracumhe probably got pneumonia from the nasty rainy shit winter weather in norf England
>>18753813there are Roman accounts of how miserable the weather/climate in Britain was
>>18753751this dude was wearing gangsta hoodies before it was cool
>>18753782He thought it would be an easy win and brought his two sons with him so they would get use to military life. But the bongs refused to give the romans open battle and resorted to guerrilla warfare which dragged the conflict out for over two years until many romans including septimius himself succumbed to diseases and had to leave. All this could've been avoided had the romans just fortified hadrians' wall harder instead of embarking on a vanity campaign in hopes of an easy triumph
>>18753777Caracalla wasnt a barracks emperor. He was a legitimate designated heir of his father.
>>18754062>>18753813>>18753782>>18753763>>18753757>>18753751>Caracalla, half arab half north african, wearing a hoodie and causing trouble in europe, gave citizenship to all non italians, was born in Francewho wrote that shit
>>18754212sounds like the Romans were on the verge of victory and the Scots were about to collapse when he died
