What is Publius Septimius Geta?

Geta
Emperor of the Roman Empire
Reign	209 - February 4 211 (with Severus & Caracalla); February - December 211 (with Caracalla)
Full name	Publius Septimius Geta
Born	March 7 189(189--)
	Rome
Died	December 211 (age 22)
Buried
Predecessor	Septimius Severus (alone)
Successor	Caracalla (alone)
Dynasty	Severan
Father	Septimius Severus
Mother	Julia Domna

Roman imperial dynasties
Severan dynasty

The Severan Tondo

Septimius Severus alone
Children
Geta
Caracalla
Septimius Severus, with Geta and Caracalla
Geta and Caracalla
Caracalla alone
Interlude, Macrinus
Elagabalus
Children
Alexander Severus, adoptive
Alexander Severus

Publius Septimius Geta (March 7, 189–December 211), was a Roman Emperor co-ruling with his father Septimius Severus and his older brother Caracalla from 209 to his death.

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.

When Septimius Severus died in York in the beginning of 211, Caracalla and Geta were proclaimed joint emperors and returned to Rome. Caracalla soon had his brother killed.

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. Contemporary sources refer to numbers of about 20,000 persons of both sexes killed and/or proscribed during this time.

Mythical king of Britain

Geoffrey of Monmouth (a highly un-reliable source for the history of Roman Britain) claims that Geta was raised to the kingship of the Britons by the Roman legions still occupying York. The Britons, however, raised Caracalla to the throne because Monmouth states Caracalla was the son of a Briton mother. This contradicts evidence that Geta and Caracalla had the same mother. 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.

See also

• Severan dynasty family tree

References

• Dio Cassius lxxvii; Herodian iv. I.

External links

• has media related to
• *Life of Geta (Historia Augusta at LacusCurtius: Latin text and English translation)

Preceded by Septimius Severus	Roman Emperor 209-211 with Septimius Severus and Caracalla	Succeeded by Caracalla (as Bessianus in Britain)
Preceded by Interregnum - Lucius	Mythical British Kings
Preceded by Septimius Severus	Severan Dynasty 209–Feb 211 with Septimius Severus and Caracalla Feb–Dec 211 with Caracalla	Succeeded by Caracalla (alone)

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