100 great black brits
I was encouraged and excited to see that noted historian Patrick Vernon included the Roman Emperor Septimius Severus on his list of 100 Great Black Britons and that he ended up ranking 25th on the final list.
Severo died in York in 211 BC. C. and he was possibly the first black man to set foot on British soil, but he did not arrive as a slave, but as an emperor. Behind this still little known fact is the incredible story of someone who went from being a rebellious youth to being the most powerful man in the ancient world.
Septimius Severus, the Black Caesar, came from humble origins 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 local freedom fighters, participating in daring sabotage raids against the Empire. But frustrated by this petty rebellion and its petty violence, the sharp Severus embarked on a journey to Rome, taking him to the heart of the power he despised.
Once there, however, the picture changes. Little by little, 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 and enter Spain. His accidental military career earns him reputation and powerful friends.
When the beloved 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. Yet Pertinax manages to keep his throne and head for just 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 finds himself embroiled in a conflict from which he will ultimately emerge as Emperor.
The peace that Severus’ victory brings is short-lived. The dominions of Rome never remain subdued for long. The betrayal of both his advisers and his own family, keeps the new Emperor watching his back. His unfaithful wife Julia is plotting his death, and their son is emerging as a vicious and disturbed waiting young emperor.
SEVERUS: The Black Caesar, which is available on Amazon in Kindle and pocket-size formats, shows his incredible life in its entirety and is being turned into a television drama series for HBO / SKY Atlantic starring actor and musical artist Marlowe Simms ( also known as Septimius the Great). .