Publius Septimius Geta in Wikipedia
Publius Septimius Geta (7 March 189 – 19 December 211), was a Roman Emperor co-ruling with his father Septimius Severus and his older
brother Caracalla from 209 to his death.
Early life
Geta was the younger son of Septimius Severus by his second wife Julia Domna. Geta was born in Rome, at a time when his father was
only a provincial governor at the service of emperor Commodus.
Geta was always in a place secondary to his older brother Lucius, the heir known as Caracalla. Perhaps due to this, the relations
between the two were difficult from their early years. Conflicts were constant and often required the mediation of their mother. To
appease his youngest son, Septimius Severus gave Geta the title of Augustus in 209. During the campaign against the Britons of the
early 3rd century, the imperial propaganda publicized a happy family that shared the responsibilities of rule. Caracalla was his
father's second in command, Julia Domna the trusted counsellor and Geta had administrative and bureaucratic duties. Truth was that the
rivalry and antipathy between the brothers was far from being improved.
Joint Emperor
When Septimius Severus died in Eboracum in the beginning of 211, Caracalla and Geta were proclaimed joint emperors and returned to
Rome.
Regardless, the shared throne was not a success: the brothers argued about every decision, from law to political appointments. Later
sources speculate about the desire of the two of splitting the empire in two halves. By the end of the year, the situation was
unbearable. Caracalla tried to murder Geta during the festival of Saturnalia without success. Later in December he arranged a meeting
with his brother in his mother's apartments, and had him murdered in her arms by centurions.
Following Geta's assassination, Caracalla damned his memory and ordered his name to be removed from all inscriptions. The now sole
emperor also took the opportunity to get rid of his political enemies, on the grounds of conspiracy with the deceased. Cassius Dio [1]
stated that around 20,000 persons of both sexes were killed and/or proscribed during this time.
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