Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, Queen Zenobia Addressing Her Soldiers, 1725 X 1730

Washington DC, National Gallery of Art, Samuel H Kress Collection, 1961.9.42

See: https://www.nga.gov/artworks/46141-queen-zenobia-addressing-her-soldiers

“Enrich the troops and scorn all other men”. That was the advice given by Septimius Severus to his sons on his deathbed in 211. It also serves as a description of Imperial rule for much of the century that was to follow.  

After the last of the Severans was murdered by his troops in 235, some twenty-six emperors would be proclaimed in the next fifty years. Most were army generals, and few lasted long. By 268, the Empire had split into three separate states, the eastern-most of which was ruled from Palmyra in Syria. At the same time, barbarian peoples launched devastating invasions throughout the Roman world. 

Most rulers were simply out for themselves, but others, such as Claudius II Gothicus and Aurelian, commanded enough loyalty to prevent further disaster. It’s a brutal but fascinating period.

RJW F2522 Online (via Zoom)

3 weeks, Monday 11 August - Monday 25 August.

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