Year of the Five Emperors, or Roman Civil War of 193

The Year of the Five Emperors refers to the year 193 CE, in which there are five claimants for the title of Roman Emperor.

The five are Pertinax, Didius Julianus, Pescennius Niger, Clodius Albinus and Septimius Severus.The year 193 opens with the murder of Commodus on New Year's Eve, December 31, 192 and the proclamation of the City Prefect Pertinax as Emperor on New Year's Day, January 1, 193.

Pertinax is assassinated by the Praetorian Guard on March 28, 193.

Later that day, Didius Julianus outmaneuvers Titus Flavius Sulpicianus (Pertinax's father-in-law and also the new City Prefect) for the title of Emperor.Flavius Sulpicianus offers to pay each soldier 20,000 sestertii to buy their loyalty (eight times their annual salary; also the same amount offered by Marcus Aurelius to secure their favors in 161).

Didius Julianus, however, offers 25,000 to each soldier to win the auction and is proclaimed Emperor by the Roman Senate on March 28.However, three other prominent Romans challenge for the throne: Pescennius Niger in Syria, Clodius Albinus in Britain, and Septimius Severus in Pannonia.

Septimius Severus marches on Rome to oust Didius Julianus and has him decapitated on June 1, 193, then dismisses the Praetorian Guard and executes the soldiers who had killed Pertinax.Consolidating his power, Septimius Severus battles Pescennius Niger at Cyzicus and Nicea in 193 and then decisively defeats him at Issus in 194.

Clodius Albinus initially supports Septimius Severus believing that he would succeed him.

When he realizes that Severus has other intentions, Albinus has himself declared Emperor in 195 but is defeated by Septimius Severus at the Battle of Lugdunum on 19 February 197.

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