Caracalla (nickname of Lucius Septimius Bassianus) e Geta there were two brotherssons of the emperor Septimius Severus and his wife Giulia Domna. In the year 211upon the death of their father, they reigned together for a few months over the Roman empire, but the antagonism that existed between them made sharing power difficult and Caracalla solved the problem killing (or causing to be killed) his brother. He therefore remained the sole emperor. In his years of reign, Caracalla proved himself ruthless and cruelbut he was also capable of issuing important reforms, such as the edict that extended the Roman citizenship to all the inhabitants of the empire, and to build sumptuous public works, such as the Baths of Caracalla at the Circus Maximus. Caracalla was in turn assassinated in 217.
Who were Caracalla and Geta
Caracalla and Geta were sons of Septimius Severus, who at the beginning of the 3rd century AD had inaugurated a new dynasty, that of the Severeand he had strengthened the power of the emperor to the detriment of the Senate and other judiciaries.
Caracalla was born in Lugdunum (now Lyon) in the year 188 with the name of Lucius Septimius Bassianuswhich he later replaced with that of Marcus Aurelius Antoninus to “associate” himself with the Antonine dynasty (who had reigned in the 2nd century). It was nicknamed Caracalla due to a coat typeoriginally from Gaul, which he loved to wear. His brother, Publio Septimius Getawas born in Rome in 189.
Septimius Severus involved his children in the management of power since they were children: in 198 Caracalla, at just ten years old, obtained the title of Augustus and accompanied his father in one shipping in Britain. Geta was instead involved in the administration of the justice. The relations between the two brothers, according to Roman sources (all on the senatorial side and, therefore, hostile to the Severi), were of rivalry and mutual antipathy since childhood. The mother’s mediation, Giulia Domnawas not enough to quell the antagonism.
Why Caracalla killed Geta: the joint reign and the death of his brother
Septimius Severus died on 4 February 211 in Britain. By decision of his advisors, Caracalla and Geta were to reign together. The two brothers concluded peace with the Britons and returned to Rome. They began to reign jointly but, due to rivalry and ambitions, the situation soon became untenable.
Two factions were created in the ruling class, one in favor of Caracalla, one in favor of Geta, and even the possibility of dividing the empire into two halves was considered. Caracalla, however, resolved the issue differently: on 26 December 2011after less than a year of joint reign, murdered (or had murdered) his brother. The sources on the matter do not agree: according to some testimonies, Caracalla killed Geta personally, piercing him with his sword; according to others he used a hitman. In some versions of the story, the killing occurred while Geta was sheltering in his mother’s arms. What is certain is that since the end of 211 Caracalla was able to reign alone.
To justify the murder, the emperor spread the rumor that his brother was conspiring against him. With this motivation, Caracalla also decreed the damnatio memoriae (condemnation of memory) of Geta. That is, he established that every memory of his brother had to be eliminated: the name was erased from the inscriptions where it was present (such as on the arch of Septimius Severus in Rome), the face was eroded from the sculptures, and it was forbidden to speak about him in public.
Caracalla emperor
Caracalla reigned from 211 to 217proving cruel and ruthless. He had all Geta’s supporters and anyone who made fun of him exterminated. He also clashed with the Senate and centered his power on the support of the army, whose loyalty he guaranteed by increasing the pay of the legionaries and participating personally in the military life.
Caracalla’s reign, however, was not without its positive aspects. First of all, the emperor showed himself tolerant in religious matters and did not undertake persecutions against Christians and Jews.
Furthermore, in 212 he issued his most famous provision: the Constitutio Antoninianawith which he extended Roman citizenship to all the inhabitants of the empire, bringing to the conclusion a process started in previous centuries. The emperor also distinguished himself as builder of public works and had the famous ones built spa near the Aventinethe largest and most luxurious of the time, which can still be admired today.
In the military sphere, Caracalla had to face the confederation of the Alemannia group of Germanic peoples who reached the for the first time in 212 limes (the border of the empire). The emperor defeated them in battle or, according to another version, paid them a tribute to keep them away from Roman territory. In the following years he undertook new campaigns, but in 217 it was murdered by a soldier.
