Year of the Five Emperors facts for kids
The Year of the Five Emperors was a very busy time in Ancient Rome during the year 193 AD. In this single year, five different people claimed to be the Roman Emperor. These five powerful figures were Pertinax, Didius Julianus, Pescennius Niger, Clodius Albinus, and Severus. It was a time of great change and conflict for the Roman Empire.
Contents
Pertinax: A Brief Reign
The year 193 began with a big event: the previous emperor, Commodus, was killed on December 31, 192. The very next day, January 1, 193, a man named Pertinax became the new emperor. He was the City Prefect, which was like the main police chief of Rome.
Pertinax tried to make the Praetorian Guard (the emperor's special bodyguards) follow rules more strictly. He also didn't pay them as much money as they expected. Because of this, the Praetorian Guard became very unhappy. They killed Pertinax on March 28, 193. After his death, they actually tried to sell the job of emperor to the highest bidder!
Didius Julianus: Buying the Throne
Later on the same day Pertinax was killed, two men tried to become the next emperor. One was Didius Julianus, and the other was Titus Flavius Sulpicianus. Sulpicianus was Pertinax's father-in-law and also the new City Prefect.
Sulpicianus offered to pay each soldier in the Praetorian Guard 20,000 sestertii (a type of Roman coin). This was a huge amount, about eight times a soldier's yearly pay! But Didius Julianus offered even more: 25,000 sestertii to each soldier. Because he offered the most money, Didius Julianus won the "auction" and was declared Emperor by the Roman Senate on March 28.
Severus and His Rivals
Even though Didius Julianus bought the throne, three other powerful Romans also wanted to be emperor. These were Pescennius Niger in Syria, Clodius Albinus in Britain, and Severus in Pannonia (a Roman province).
Severus decided to march his army to Rome to remove Didius Julianus from power. He succeeded, and Didius Julianus was killed on June 1, 193. Severus then got rid of the Praetorian Guard and punished the soldiers who had killed Pertinax.
To make sure he was the only emperor, Severus had to fight the other two challengers. He fought Pescennius Niger in battles at Cyzicus and Nicea in 193. He finally defeated Niger at Issus in 194.
Clodius Albinus first supported Severus, thinking he might become emperor next. But when Albinus realized Severus had other plans, he declared himself emperor in 195. Severus then fought Albinus and defeated him at the Battle of Lugdunum on February 19, 197. After these victories, Severus became the undisputed Roman Emperor, ending the chaotic Year of the Five Emperors.
Images for kids
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Coin of Clodius Albinus
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Septimius Severus at Glyptothek, Munich.
See also
In Spanish: Año de los cinco emperadores para niños
