Didius Julianus
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| Didius Julianus | |
| Emperor of the Roman Empire | |
 Coin of Didius Julianus |
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| Reign | 28 March - 1 June 193 |
|---|---|
| Full name | Marcus Didius Severus Julianus |
| Born | 30 January 133 (Dio)/ 2 February 137 (SHA) |
| Birthplace | Milan |
| Died | 1 June 193 (aged 60)or 56) |
| Place of death | Rome |
| Predecessor | Pertinax |
| Successor | Septimius Severus |
| Consort to | Manlia Scantilla |
| Issue | Didia Clara |
| Dynasty | None |
| Father | Quintus Petronius Didius Severus |
| Mother | Aemilia Clara |
Marcus Didius Severus Julianus (133 or 137–193) was briefly Roman Emperor from 28 March 193 to 1 June 193. He ascended the throne after buying it from the Praetorian Guard, who had assassinated his predecessor Pertinax. This led to the Roman Civil War of 193–197. Julianus was ousted and sentenced to death by his successor, Septimius Severus.
Julianus was born to Quintus Petronius Didius Severus and Aemilia Clara. Julianus's father came from a prominent family in Milan and his mother was an African woman, of Roman descent. Clara came from a family of consular rank. His brothers were Didius Proculus and Didius Nummius Albinus. His date of birth is given as January 30, 133 by Cassius Dio and February 2, 137 by the Historia Augusta. Didius Julianus was raised by Domitia Lucilla, mother of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius. He married a Roman woman called Manlia Scantilla and about 153, Scantilla bore him a daughter and only child Didia Clara.
Like all Roman noblemen Julianus strove for a political position. Around 162 he was named as Praetor. Later he commanded the Legio XXII Primigenia in Mogontiacum (now Mainz). Starting in 170 he became praefectus of Gallia Belgica for five years.
He was consul in 175. After the murder of his predecessor, Pertinax, the throne was sold by auction by the Praetorian Guard. Didius Julianus offered every soldier 25,000 sestertii, outbidding City Prefect Titus Flavius Sulpicianus (the father of Pertinax's wife), who offered only 20,000. Threatened by the military, the Senate declared him emperor. His wife and his daughter both received the title Augusta.
The auction proved highly unpopular, and three generals in different parts of the empire (Pescennius Niger in Syria, Clodius Albinus in Britain, and Septimius Severus in Pannonia) rose in rebellion. In the face of an increasingly hopeless military situation, Julianus asked the Senate to appoint Septimius Severus as joint ruler, but Severus was nearing Rome and had no need to share power. He marched into Rome and ousted Didius Julianus (June 1, 193). The Senate passed a motion sentencing Julianus to death and bestowing divine honours on Pertinax. Severus had Julianus decapitated. He dismissed the Praetorian Guard and executed the soldiers who had killed Pertinax. According to Cassius Dio, Julianus's last words were "But what evil have I done? Whom have I killed?" His body was given to his wife and daughter, who buried it in his great-grandfather's tomb, by the fifth milestone on the Via Labicana.
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| Preceded by Pertinax |
Roman Emperor 193 |
Succeeded by Septimius Severus Pescennius Niger Clodius Albinus |
