Caracalla
Lucius Septimius Bassianus entered the world on the 4th of April 188 in the city of Lugdunum, Gaul. This location is now known as Lyon, France. His father was Emperor Septimius Severus and his mother was Julia Domna. The boy carried Punic ancestry from his father and Arab heritage from his mother. He had a younger brother named Geta who would later share power with him. When his father became Augustus on the 9th of April 193, Caracalla was only five years old. The family name changed to Marcus Aurelius Antoninus when he was seven. This renaming was part of an attempt by his father to unite with older imperial families.
Septimius Severus died at Eboracum on the 4th of February 211 while campaigning in Caledonia. Two sons inherited the throne together as co-emperors. Caracalla and Geta argued constantly during their journey back to Rome with their father's ashes. They considered dividing the empire along the Bosphorus River but were persuaded against it by their mother. On the 26th of December 211, a reconciliation meeting arranged by their mother turned into a massacre. Members of the Praetorian Guard loyal to Caracalla assassinated Geta. The dying brother fell into his mother's arms. Caracalla ordered the execution of most of Geta's supporters. An estimated 20,000 people were killed in the aftermath. His name was struck from papyrus records and speaking it became a capital offence.
An edict issued in 212 granted Roman citizenship to all free inhabitants throughout the empire. The document excluded dediticii who had surrendered in war and freed slaves. Before this decree, only about 4 to 7 percent of peoples in the Roman Empire held citizenship rights. The majority of citizens lived within Roman Italia or in specific colonies. Provincials usually remained non-citizens despite some magistrates holding Latin Rights. Cassius Dio claimed one purpose was to increase state revenue for military pay raises. The edict widened obligations for public service and increased inheritance taxes paid only by citizens. Few new citizens were wealthy enough to significantly boost imperial coffers. The provincials gained a sense of equality with Romans as partners in the empire.
Caracalla raised annual legionary pay from 2000 sesterces to between 2700 and 3000 sesterces. He spent much time with soldiers and began imitating their dress and manners. In 216 he launched aggressive campaigns against the Parthian Empire east of the Tigris River. He arranged 16,000 men into Macedonian-style phalanxes despite Roman tactical obsolescence. Caracalla visited Alexandria while preparing for his Persian invasion and persecuted Aristotelian philosophers. He believed Aristotle had poisoned Alexander the Great according to a legend. During the campaign against Alamanni tribes, he strengthened frontier fortifications in Raetia and Germania Superior. These defenses could withstand barbarian invasions for another twenty years after completion.
Construction on the Baths of Caracalla in Rome began in 211 at the start of his rule. The complex covered around 50 acres or 202,000 square metres of land. It accommodated approximately 1,600 bathers simultaneously with swimming pools and exercise yards. A partial inauguration occurred in 216 before outer perimeter work finished under Severus Alexander. To fund military bonuses, Caracalla debased coinage soon after ascending to power. The Roman denarius silver purity dropped from about 55 percent to roughly 51 percent by 217. In 215 he introduced the antoninianus as a double denarius currency. This new coin had 52 percent silver purity but an actual size ratio of 1.5 denarii. People hoarded old high-silver coins which aggravated inflation problems caused by earlier devaluation.
On the 8th of April 217 Caracalla was travelling from Edessa to Carrhae while visiting a temple of the moon god Sin. He stopped briefly to urinate when approached by a soldier named Justin Martialis. Martialis stabbed the emperor who had just turned twenty-nine years old. A Scythian bodyguard killed Martialis with his lance. Two Praetorian tribunes rushed forward to complete the assassination. Three days later Macrinus declared himself emperor with army support. Julia Domna was sorting correspondence in Antioch when news arrived. Her role increased significantly because administrative tasks bored her son. The murderer Martialis died immediately after killing the emperor. Macrinus ordered secret removal of statues rather than open damnatio memoriae.
Ancient sources like Cassius Dio and Herodian portray Caracalla as a cruel tyrant and savage ruler. They present him as a soldier first and an emperor second. His preference for northern European clothing made him distinct from other emperors. Geoffrey of Monmouth wrote pseudohistorical accounts making Bassianus king of Britain in the 12th century. Eighteenth-century French painters revived images of Caracalla due to parallels with Louis XVI. Their works served as warnings that absolute monarchy could become tyranny. Edward Gibbon called him the common enemy of mankind in his history book. Modern historians question this representation citing road construction and fortification reinforcement projects. Some scholars suggest psychopathy explains his behavior while others note disgraceful nature of rule.
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Common questions
When and where was Caracalla born?
Lucius Septimius Bassianus entered the world on the 4th of April 188 in the city of Lugdunum, Gaul. This location is now known as Lyon, France.
How did Caracalla die and who killed him?
On the 8th of April 217 Caracalla was stabbed by a soldier named Justin Martialis while visiting a temple of the moon god Sin. A Scythian bodyguard killed Martialis with his lance before two Praetorian tribunes rushed forward to complete the assassination.
What major edict did Caracalla issue in 212?
An edict issued in 212 granted Roman citizenship to all free inhabitants throughout the empire. The document excluded dediticii who had surrendered in war and freed slaves.
Why did Caracalla assassinate his brother Geta?
Caracalla ordered the execution of most of Geta's supporters after members of the Praetorian Guard loyal to Caracalla assassinated Geta on the 26th of December 211. An estimated 20,000 people were killed in the aftermath and his name was struck from papyrus records.
What currency reforms did Caracalla implement during his reign?
In 215 he introduced the antoninianus as a double denarius currency with 52 percent silver purity but an actual size ratio of 1.5 denarii. To fund military bonuses, Caracalla debased coinage soon after ascending to power causing the Roman denarius silver purity to drop from about 55 percent to roughly 51 percent by 217.
All sources
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