Flavius Valerius Severus
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| Severus | |
| Caesar then Augustus of the west | |
 Flavius Valerius Severus as caesar (305-306) |
|
| Reign | 1 May 305 - summer 306 (as Caesar in the west under Constantius Chlorus); summer 306 - March or April 307 (as Augustus in the west, in competition with Constantine, Maxentius, and Maximian) |
|---|---|
| Full name | Flavius Valerius Severus |
| Birthplace | Illyria |
| Died | 16 September 307 |
| Place of death | Tres Tabernae |
| Predecessor | Constantius I (Constantius Chlorus]] |
| Successor | Maxentius, Licinius |
| Issue | (Flavius?) Severianus |
Flavius Valerius Severus (died 16 September 307) was a Western Roman Emperor from 305 to 307 (Caesar, 305-306; Augustus, 306-307).
Severus was of humble birth, born in the Illyrian provinces around the middle of the third century AD. He rose to become a senior officer in the Roman army, and as an old friend of Galerius, that emperor ordered that Severus be appointed Caesar of the Western Roman Empire, a post that he succeeded to on 1 May 305. He thus served as deputy-emperor to Constantius I (Constantius Chlorus), Augustus of the western half of empire.
On the death of Constantius I in the summer of 306, Severus was promoted to Augustus by Galerius himself, in opposition to the acclamation of Constantine (Constantius' son) by his own soldiers. When Maxentius, the son of the retired emperor Maximian, revolted at Rome, Galerius sent Severus to suppress the rebellion. Severus moved from his capital, Mediolanum, towards Rome, at the head of an army previously commanded by Maximian. Fearing Severus' arrival, Maxentius offered Maximian the co-rule of the empire. Maximian accepted, and when Severus arrived under the walls of Rome and besieged it, his men deserted him and passed to Maximian, their old commander. Severus fled to Ravenna, in an impregnable position. Maximian offered to spare Severus' life and treat him humanely if the latter surrendered peaceably, which he did so in March or April 307. Despite Maximian's assurance, Severus was nonetheless displayed as a captive and later imprisoned at Tres Tabernae. When Galerius himself invaded Italy to suppress Maxentius and Maximian, the former ordered Severus' death. He was executed (or forced to commit suicide) on 16 September 307.
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| Preceded by Constantius Chlorus |
Roman Emperor 306-307 with Galerius |
Succeeded by Licinius |
