Aulus Caecina Severus (suffect consul 1 BC)
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Aulus Caecina Severus was a Roman politician and general who was suffect consul
in 1 BC
.
family, Severus made his name as a military man and was awarded the post of suffect consul in 1 BC.
In 6 AD he was the imperial legate
in Moesia
when the Great Illyrian Revolt
erupted. Severus was called down to suppress the revolt, and was joined by Marcus Plautius Silvanus
. In 7 AD they met the Daesitiates and the Breuci at the Battle of Sirmium
. Here, the Romans won a hard fought victory, but their losses were so significant that they could not follow it up. For the next two years he continued to fight in Illyricum
until the revolt was finally put down.
Around 14 AD, Severus was one of the legates in charge of the legions on the Rhine frontier under the overall command of Germanicus
. In the following year he was involved in the campaigns against Arminius
and the Cherusci
, achieving some substantial victories, to the point that he was awarded the insignia triumphalia
.
Severus was married and had six children.
Roman consul
A consul served in the highest elected political office of the Roman Republic.Each year, two consuls were elected together, to serve for a one-year term. Each consul was given veto power over his colleague and the officials would alternate each month...
in 1 BC
1 BC
Year 1 BC was a common year starting on Friday or Saturday of the Julian calendar and a leap year starting on Thursday of the Proleptic Julian calendar...
.
Biography
Descended from a distinguished VolaterranVolterra
Volterra, known to the ancient Etruscans as Velathri, to the Romans as Volaterrae, is a town and comune in the Tuscany region of Italy.-History:...
family, Severus made his name as a military man and was awarded the post of suffect consul in 1 BC.
In 6 AD he was the imperial legate
Legatus Augusti pro praetore
A legatus Augusti pro praetore was the official title of the governor of some imperial provinces of the Roman Empire during the Principate era, normally the larger ones or those where legions were based...
in Moesia
Moesia
Moesia was an ancient region and later Roman province situated in the Balkans, along the south bank of the Danube River. It included territories of modern-day Southern Serbia , Northern Republic of Macedonia, Northern Bulgaria, Romanian Dobrudja, Southern Moldova, and Budjak .-History:In ancient...
when the Great Illyrian Revolt
Great Illyrian revolt
The Great Illyrian Revolt, was a major conflict between an alliance of indigenous communities from Illyricum and Roman forces that lasted for four years beginning in AD 6 and ending in AD 9.-The war:...
erupted. Severus was called down to suppress the revolt, and was joined by Marcus Plautius Silvanus
Marcus Plautius Silvanus
Marcus Plautius Silvanus was a Roman politician and general who was consul in 2 BC.-Biography:Silvanus was the son of Urgulania, a close friend of the empress Livia, and it was Livia's intercession that allowed Silvanus to climb the cursus honorum, leading to the consulate in 2 BC alongside Augustus...
. In 7 AD they met the Daesitiates and the Breuci at the Battle of Sirmium
Sirmium
Sirmium was a city in ancient Roman Pannonia. Firstly mentioned in the 4th century BC and originally inhabited by the Illyrians and Celts, it was conquered by the Romans in the 1st century BC and subsequently became the capital of the Roman province of Lower Pannonia. In 294 AD, Sirmium was...
. Here, the Romans won a hard fought victory, but their losses were so significant that they could not follow it up. For the next two years he continued to fight in Illyricum
Illyricum (Roman province)
The Roman province of Illyricum or Illyris Romana or Illyris Barbara or Illyria Barbara replaced most of the region of Illyria. It stretched from the Drilon river in modern north Albania to Istria in the west and to the Sava river in the north. Salona functioned as its capital...
until the revolt was finally put down.
Around 14 AD, Severus was one of the legates in charge of the legions on the Rhine frontier under the overall command of Germanicus
Germanicus
Germanicus Julius Caesar , commonly known as Germanicus, was a member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty and a prominent general of the early Roman Empire. He was born in Rome, Italia, and was named either Nero Claudius Drusus after his father or Tiberius Claudius Nero after his uncle...
. In the following year he was involved in the campaigns against Arminius
Arminius
Arminius , also known as Armin or Hermann was a chieftain of the Germanic Cherusci who defeated a Roman army in the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest...
and the Cherusci
Cherusci
The Cherusci were a Germanic tribe that inhabited parts of the northern Rhine valley and the plains and forests of northwestern Germany, in the area between present-day Osnabrück and Hanover, during the 1st century BC and 1st century AD...
, achieving some substantial victories, to the point that he was awarded the insignia triumphalia
Roman triumphal honours
Roman triumphal honours denotes honours awarded during the Roman Empire to a victorious general in lieu of a full Roman triumph....
.
Severus was married and had six children.
Sources
- Syme, Ronald, The Roman Revolution, Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1939.
- Anthon, Charles & Smith, William, A New Classical Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography, Mythology and Geography (1860).