{"id":37657,"date":"2026-08-03T19:40:15","date_gmt":"2026-08-03T19:40:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/37657\/"},"modified":"2026-08-03T19:40:15","modified_gmt":"2026-08-03T19:40:15","slug":"the-moment-that-emperor-severus-almost-died-at-lugdunum","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/37657\/","title":{"rendered":"The Moment That Emperor Severus Almost Died at Lugdunum"},"content":{"rendered":"

Published: Aug 3, 2026written by Kieren Johns<\/a>, PhD Classics & Ancient History<\/p>\n

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When the emperor Commodus died on New Year\u2019s Eve, 192 AD, the Roman Empire\u2019s Golden Age came to an abrupt end. In the years of civil war that followed, Septimius Severus fought to defeat a series of rivals. His final showdown was with Clodius Albinus at the Battle of Lugdunum in February 197. This battle in southern Gaul became known as the largest in Rome\u2019s history. In the midst of the brutal fighting, Septimius Severus was unhorsed and looked like he would lose the Empire and his life.<\/p>\n

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Prelude to Power: Who Was Septimius Severus?
\n\"SeptimusPortrait of Septimius Severus, 200-211 AD. Source: Altes Museum Berlin<\/p>\n

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Septimius Severus was, according to the sources<\/a>, a highly superstitious man. Later in his life, as he reclined amidst the luxury and grandeur of the imperial palaces on the Palatine Hill, he would have been able to cast his eyes to the ceiling to look at the horoscopes that had ordained his journey to the summit of Roman power. Born in 145 AD in the city of Lepcis Magna, a prominent port city on the Mediterranean coast of modern Libya, Severus\u2019 life<\/a> provides an extraordinary illustration of the cosmopolitan nature of the Roman Empire in the late 2nd century AD. The early years of his life were dedicated to the typical roles an ambitious man was expected to fulfill as he worked his way up the cursus honorum<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Over the course of his early career, his administrative and military posts would take him from Sardinia to Syria. It just so happened that, as the political situation in Rome descended into chaos and violence at the end of 192, Severus was exceptionally well-placed. He was acting as the governor of Pannonia (roughly modern Hungary), and able to command a formidable force of legions should the right opportunity arise.<\/p>\n

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Civil War: Commodus\u2019 Downfall and the Five Emperors
\n\"portraitPortrait bust of Commodus. Source: Palazzo Massimo, Rome<\/p>\n

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On New Year\u2019s Eve, 192 AD, patience in Rome finally snapped. For too long, the Senate, Rome\u2019s traditional political aristocracy<\/a>, had been cowed by the volatile and violent megalomania of the emperor Commodus. Where once he had masqueraded in the arena as a gladiator<\/a>, now he appeared to have taken total leave of his senses: he had begun to refer to himself as Hercules<\/a>. As he wallowed away the evening in his bath, the senatorial conspirators initiated their plan. A poison was administered to Commodus in his wine. Unfortunately for the conspirators, the emperor appeared to have a deceptively strong constitution, and he vomited up the toxic tincture. Aware that their plans hung in the balance, the conspirators ordered Narcissus, a favorite wrestler, to go into the bathhouse and throttle the stricken Commodus.<\/p>\n

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\"PertinaxPortrait bust usually identified as Pertinax, Roman, c. 193 AD. Source: Capitoline Museum, Rome<\/p>\n

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With Commodus\u2019 death, the age of the Antonines, the emperors responsible for the Roman Empire\u2019s so-called \u201cGolden Age<\/a>,\u201d was over. The question now was who would succeed the heirless Commodus? The first man chosen was the elderly senator Pertinax. His rise to power represented the culmination of an extraordinary career from humble beginnings. But his hold on authority was weak. The Praetorians<\/a>, used to an easy, well-remunerated life under Commodus, did not take kindly to the stringent cutbacks of the new emperor, so they murdered him.<\/p>\n

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Realizing the gravity of what they had done, the guards retreated into their castra (fortified camp) and waited. They were approached by two men, each desirous of being the new emperor. What followed was the infamous \u201cauction\u201d for the empire, with the two offering increasingly extravagant sums to the Praetorians for their support. In the end, the highest bidder was Didius Julianus.<\/p>\n

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\"pesceniusNumismatic portraits of emperors Pescennius Niger (left), Clodius Albinus (middle), and Septimius Severus (right), c. 193-194 AD. Source: British Museum<\/p>\n

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However, when news of Pertinax\u2019s death and Julianus\u2019 elevation became common knowledge around the Empire, a series of other men were acclaimed by the provincial legions under their control. The year 193 AD was to be remembered in history as the \u201cYear of the Five Emperors<\/a>.\u201d In Syria, there was Pescennius Niger, and in Britain and Gaul, Clodius Albinus. To the north of Italy, at the head of the formidable Pannonian legions, Septimius Severus was acclaimed. Presenting himself as the avenger of Pertinax, he stole a march on his rivals and advanced on the capital, where Julianus was killed and Severus recognized as the new emperor.<\/p>\n

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Friends to Foes: Severus and Clodius Albinus
\n\"AureusAureus of Clodius Albinus, Rome, 194-195, with obverse portrait of emperor identified as Clodius Septimius Albinus by the legend, and reverse depiction of seated Fortune. Source: British Museum.<\/p>\n

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Now the master of Rome, Severus still faced threats on both sides. In the 16th century, Niccolo Machiavelli<\/a> would describe Severus as embodying the traits of both the Lion and the Fox, as he displayed all of his cunning when concocting a plan to confront his rivals. The scheme was simple: divide and conquer.<\/p>\n

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First, Severus convinced Albinus to become an ally. The governor of Britain was assured by Severus that the two could be colleagues in power. Severus would be the senior \u201cAugustus,\u201d but he would recognize Albinus as his junior partner and \u201cheir.\u201d He did not formally adopt Albinus as his son, as the emperors of the previous century had done, but the arrangement was suggested through nomenclature<\/a>, with Albinus taking Severus\u2019 names. With his western flank secured, Severus could turn his attention to Niger in the east.<\/p>\n

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\"portraitPortrait of a boy identified as Caracalla, Roman, c. 2nd century AD. Source: Capitoline Museum, Rome<\/p>\n

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Niger was defeated by Severus\u2019 forces at the Battle of Issus in late 194 AD. This was the same battleground on which Alexander the Great<\/a> had vanquished the Persian forces centuries previously. It would also prove a springboard for Severus\u2019 own Parthian War. This was ostensibly a punitive war against the eastern territories that had allied with Niger, although the contemporary historian Cassius Dio<\/a> caustically remarked that it simply allowed Severus to amass glory and support.<\/p>\n

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On his return from the east, now with only a single rival to contend with, Severus broke decisively with Albinus. Reneging on his original promise to recognize Albinus as the imperial heir, Severus elevated his own son, Lucius Septimius Bassianus, better known as Caracalla<\/a>, to the position of imperial heir. The final, decisive battle of this protracted period of civil war was looming. It would be fought at Lugdunum, in southern Gaul.<\/p>\n

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Showdown: The Battle of Lugdunum
\n\"albinusBust of emperor Clodius Albinus, 193-196 AD. Source: Museo del Prado; Marble bust of Septimius Severus in military garb, c. 200 AD. Source: Kunsthistorische Museum, Vienna<\/p>\n

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The city of Lugdunum (modern Lyon) was a place Severus knew well. Earlier in his career, he had been the governor of Gallia Lugdunensis, of which Lugdunum was the capital, and it was there, in 187 AD, that Severus married Julia Domna<\/a>. The daughter of a Syrian priest, Julia was Severus\u2019 second wife and would go on to be one of the most formidable women in imperial Roman history.<\/p>\n

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However, despite Severus\u2019 happy memories of the Gallic city, it was Albinus who seized it as a base of operations, having marched his legions from Britannia through Gaul. He was able to draw on the support of a number of key allies, including the governor of Hispania. Initial skirmishes between the two forces were inconclusive. Albinus\u2019 soldiers were unable to break through Severus\u2019 frontline defenses, which, crucially, guarded the Alpine passes into Italy. Another skirmish at Tinurtium (modern Tournus) was similarly inconclusive.<\/p>\n

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The lines of the decisive battle were drawn up on February 19, 197 AD. It was going to be the largest battle between Roman forces in history. Although it is almost certainly an exaggeration, Cassius Dio records each side fielding 150,000 combatants, giving a clear indication as to the vast scale of the armies. Unfortunately, Cassius Dio<\/a>, along with the other sources for the battle, do not give detailed narratives of the combat itself. Cassius Dio does note that Severus was a more skilled soldier than his adversary. Nevertheless, Severus would need all of his skill, and a significant slice of luck, to emerge triumphant.<\/p>\n

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On the Brink: Severus Unhorsed
\n\"battleEmperor Septimius Severus at the Battle of Lugdunum (197 AD), depicted by illustrator S\u00e9an \u00d3\u2019Br\u00f3g\u00e1\u00edn. Source: historyten.com<\/p>\n

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For a long time, the battle hung in the balance, as each side endured shifts in momentum and fortune. Severus\u2019 left wing managed to break Albinus\u2019 right and pursued the fleeing enemy back to their camp, where they were massacred. However, while Severus\u2019 left flank was busy plundering the remnants of the enemy camp, his own right wing was falling foul of Albinus. They were lured into a charge by the seemingly desperate plight of Albinus\u2019 left wing. As they closed on the enemy, who had already discharged their javelins, Severus\u2019 soldiers tumbled into the carefully concealed ditches dug by Albinus\u2019 soldiers. The slaughter was terrible, as horses and men alike were ruthlessly butchered.<\/p>\n

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Seeing the plight of his men, Severus rushed into the melee with the Praetorians in support. It was almost a catastrophic error of judgment. In the crush, Severus<\/a> was unseated from his horse. There, as the soldiers of Albinus closed in on the blood soaked fields at Lugdunum, it must have seemed to Severus that his time as emperor was going to be exceptionally bloody and ultimately all too brief.<\/p>\n

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Out of the Jaws of Defeat: Severus\u2019 Victory at Lugdunum
\n\"StatueMarble statue of Septimius Severus in military dress, Roman, c. 193-200. Source: British Museum<\/p>\n

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Unhorsed and facing death or, far worse, his capture by the enemy, Severus rushed to rally what troops he could. All around him, they were fleeing from the carnage caused by the hidden ditches protecting Albinus\u2019 left flank. Throwing off his cloak and drawing his sword, Severus harangued the stricken soldiers. He hoped that he could either shame his men into standing their ground with him, or die anonymous in the melee and avoid the ignominy of capture and whatever cruel fate Albinus likely had in store for him.<\/p>\n

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Severus\u2019 desperate ploy worked. Enough of his men regained their composure to stand their ground with their beleaguered leader. Turning back to face the advancing enemy, they routed their pursuers. It was at this moment that Quintus Maecius Laetus, leading Severus\u2019 cavalry on the day, finally rode into action. Some historians have cynically questioned whether Laetus\u2019 delay was due to his waiting to see which way the tide was turning before choosing a side. Regardless, his intervention was crucial, with the cavalry charge decisively turning the battle in Severus\u2019 favor. Albinus, recognizing defeat, fled into Lugdunum, where he took his own life. After almost five years of constant civil war, political intrigue, and bloodshed, the day, and the Empire, was finally Severus\u2019 alone.<\/p>\n

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Aftermath: The Severan Empire
\n\"SeveranThe so-called Severan Tondo, Roman, c. early 3rd century AD. Source: Altes Museum, Berlin<\/p>\n

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Severus showed no clemency to his former rival. The body of Albinus was retrieved from Lugdunum and brought before the undisputed ruler of the empire. The corpse was desecrated as the new emperor gave full reign to his rage. It was an ominous sign of things to come for those who had not backed him in the civil wars. He would soon return to Rome where, before an aghast senate, would praise the cruelty of Sulla<\/a> in a speech, before turning his vengeance on the disloyal magistrates, who were executed and their wealth seized.<\/p>\n

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When Severus was unhorsed in the thick of the fighting, and as his men were dying in the charnel houses of the disguised trenches before Albinus\u2019 lines, he must have thought the day was lost. It was a moment of desperate courage, and the timely intervention of Laetus, which won the day for Severus. It ushered in a new imperial dynasty, the Severans, who would rule the Empire for the next three and a half decades.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Published: Aug 3, 2026written by Kieren Johns, PhD Classics & Ancient History \u00a0 When the emperor Commodus died…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":37658,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[19264,1337,19260,19270,19262,19267,19268,19266,19261,19273,19272,19265,8432,19274,15644,19269,17600,19263,11216,27,19271,16878,4703,19275],"class_list":["post-37657","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-rome","tag-american-history","tag-ancient-history","tag-ancient-history-blog","tag-ancient-philosophy","tag-art-blog","tag-artists-blog","tag-contemporary-art","tag-european-history","tag-history-blog","tag-history-of-politics","tag-history-of-religion","tag-latin-and-south-american-history","tag-medieval-history","tag-military-history","tag-modern-art","tag-modern-philosophy","tag-philosophy","tag-philosophy-blog","tag-renaissance-history","tag-rome","tag-travel-and-culture","tag-world-history","tag-wwi","tag-wwii"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37657","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37657"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37657\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/37658"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37657"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37657"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37657"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}