100 Great Black Britons
I was heartened and excited to see that the noted historian Patrick Vernon included the Roman Emperor Septimius Severus in his list of 100 Great Black Britons and that he ended up ranking 25th on the final list.
Severus died in York in 211 BC. C. and it could be said that he was the first black man to set foot on British soil, but he did not arrive as a slave, but as an emperor. Behind this little-known fact lies the incredible story of someone who went from being a young rebel to becoming the most powerful man in the ancient world.
Septimius Severus, the Black Caesar, came from humble beginnings in occupied North Africa, born in the Mediterranean city of Lepcis Magna. He would end his days fighting in northern Scotland, having expanded the Roman Empire further than any of his illustrious predecessors, from Julius Caesar to his mentor Marcus Aurelius.
As a child, Severus hated the Romans. He was involved with the local freedom fighters, participating in daring sabotage raids against the Empire. But frustrated by this petty rebellion and his petty violence, the resourceful Severus embarked on a journey to Rome, taking him into the heart of the power he despised.
Once there, however, the picture changes. Gradually, his exposure to Rome begins to change him and he soon finds himself in an ironic position: sent as a soldier from Rome to fight his fellow Africans as they cross the Mediterranean into Spain. His accidental military career earns him a powerful reputation and friends.
When the much-loved Emperor Marcus Aurelius dies and his depraved son Commodus becomes the new ruler, Rome becomes an increasingly dangerous place. After Commodus is assassinated, the veteran Roman general Pertinax is hailed as emperor. However, Pertinax manages to hold on to his throne and his head for only sixty-eight days, and his assassination plunges Rome into a bloody civil war.
Severus now commands one of the largest Roman legions in the Empire and is drawn into a conflict from which he will ultimately emerge as Emperor.
The peace that Severus’ victory brings is short-lived. Rome’s dominions never remain subdued for long. The betrayal of both his advisors and his own family keeps the new Emperor watching his back. His cheating wife, Julia, is plotting her death, and her son is emerging as a vicious and disturbed young emperor.
Available on Amazon on Kindle and in paperback, SEVERUS: The Black Caesar traces his incredible life in its entirety and is being developed into a dramatic television series for HBO/SKY Atlantic starring actor/musician Marlowe Simms. (also known as Septimius the Great). .