Caracalla

Caracalla

Caracalla
Reading Level

	edHelper's suggested reading level:	grades 7 to 9
	Flesch-Kincaid grade level:	9.29

Vocabulary

	challenging words:		co-ruler, disregard, kingship, placate, sympathizers, edict, oust, frontline, killing, must-see, invasion, rivalry, bathhouse, hailed, catastrophe, legislation
	content words:		Septimius Severus, Lucius Septimius Bassianus, Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, Marcus Aurelius, Good Emperors, Roman Empire, On February, Praetorian Guard, Constitutio Antoniniana, Asia Minor

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Caracalla
By Vickie Chao

¹     Caracalla was never a reasonable emperor. As a matter of fact, he was probably one of the most notorious rulers in Roman history, right in the same league as Nero.

²     Born on April 4, 188 A.D., in the modern-day city of Lyon, Caracalla was the eldest son of a Roman general named Septimius Severus. When he was about eight years old, his father -- then an emperor already -- changed his name from Lucius Septimius Bassianus to Marcus Aurelius Antoninus. (Marcus Aurelius was actually the name of the Roman emperor right before the reign of Septimius Severus. Hailed as the last of the "Five Good Emperors," he ruled the Roman Empire from 161 A.D. to 180 A.D.) But, as it turned out, neither identity was how people referred to him. They saw that he liked to wear a particular type of Gallic cloak ("Caracalla"), so they felt it fitting to nickname him accordingly.

³     Caracalla was made a co-ruler in 198 A.D. and got to manage the Roman Empire alongside his father. Thinking that he was the next in line for kingship, he was not at all pleased when his father decided to also make his younger brother, Geta, a co-ruler in 209 A.D. Since the duo never liked each other, they were always quarreling. Their fierce rivalry made their father very uncomfortable. Several times, Septimius Severus tried to heal the rift but to no avail. On February 4, 211 A.D., the ailing emperor passed away in York during his visit in England. Upon his death, Caracalla and Geta ascended the throne together. Needless to say, both hated the arrangement and tried to oust each other. Later that year, Caracalla asked Geta to meet him in their mother's chamber to try to work out their differences. Geta agreed and showed up defenseless. That was, of course, a big mistake. He died in his mother's arms.

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