"For I Am One Favored By the Gods": The Rise And Fall of the Mauritian Dynasty

After reading dozens of alternate Roman Empire Timelines, I've decided to try one myself, focusing on a fascinating, often overlooked figure...

PART 1: ‘AT NISIBIS WAS MY FORTUNE MADE…’

“…By early summer, Macrinus’ reign was facing severe difficulties. The Pseudo-Severan cause of Elagabalus was rising in Syria, his soldiers were growing discontent with his reductions in pay and his favoring of diplomatic solutions over profitable--to the soldiers, at least--campaigns, while the city of Rome was growing increasingly wary of the Moor Emperor. It was in these circumstances that Marcrinus went to face Artabanus and the Parthians at Nisibis…[1]

“The battle did not begin promisingly, the first day being a lengthy, bloody draw. However, on the second day, a botched charge (caused, legends state, by a single improperly fastened saddle) decimated the Parthian military, handing the Romans a definitive advantage.[2] On the third day, Artabanus was confronted by his soldiers, who refused to engage the Romans again, and demanded he sue for peace. As the Parthian force were not professional soldiers, but a feudal levy, the King of Kings had no choice but to send an emissary to the Emperor…[3]

“Macrinus’ conditions were harsh, demanding a payment the equivalent of 300 million sesterces from the defeated Parthian King. [4] Much of this princely sum was distributed to Macrinus’ troops, to their great joy, ending for the moment their growing disaffection. Fortune had once again smiled on Macrinus.[5] And yet he received little respite. Mere days after the Emperor’s hard-won victory, Elagabalus was brought before the troops of the Third Legion by his grandmother, Julia Maesa and his mother, Julia Soaemias, and declared Emperor--once the women had distributed a hefty bribe to the legion--based on his being the illegitimate son of Caracalla.[6] Macrinus was initially wary of engaging the rebels in full force, fearing a Parthian counterattack--however, Artabanus’ defeat had only furthered the impetus of the ongoing Persian revolt, [7] giving Macrinus a free hand to deal with the pretenders. And so, Macrinus and his forces marched west…”

--MACRINUS MAGNUS: THE TRANSFORMING EMPEROR, Yusef Abbas

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[1] All this is OTL. In fact, I've skipped over the early portions of Macrinus' rise to power, as I would merely be repeating history.

[2] Our POD. IOTL, Nisibis was a bloody draw that could be considered a Roman defeat. As it was a near thing for both sides, it's quite possible that some minor bit of bad luck for the Parthians could result in their defeat.

[3] IOTL, Macrinus was forced to make an offer of peace on the fourth day, as his dissatisfied army was on the verge of dissolving. Here, the Roman's gaining the advantage on the second has Artabanus making a similar offer earlier. Artabanus' troubles with his troops are OTL--his hold on his throne was about as tenuous as Macrinus' at this point.

[4] IOTL, Macrinus paid a sum of 200 million sesterces to the Parthians. Here, Macrinus has the Parthians in even more of a bind than they had him, and so he squeezes just a bit harder. (That stated how much of this sum he actually got paid is probably debatable.)

[5] Macrinus had tried to reform the military by lowering pay for new recruits, which cost him quite a bit of loyalty. Here he's able to counteract that, as well as enjoying all the good publicity that a victory over the Parthian menace gives him.

[6] This actually happened much later IOTL. However, with Macrinus' victory, the Julias are forced to move quickly before he solidifies his reign, and most likely moves to suppress them. Also, the Julias are forced to spend a bit more to get the Third to come over to their side--this will have few immediate effects, but will come to haunt the family in the future.

[7] IOTL, Macrinus originally sent a small force to defeat the Third. Here, he's both able and willing to commit more forces. Artabanus' troubles with the Persians are from OTL, and are here quite a bit worse at the moment. Seeing as in our universe, he was the last Parthian King of Kings, Artabanus is in a very bad position right now...

PART 2: ‘…AT ANTIOCH WAS MY RULE SECURED.’

“…The siege of Antioch was far from a sure thing for the Emperor.[1] His forces were larger than the Pseudo-Severans’ sole legion, but tired, and the Third Legion had had more than sufficient time to secure the city. A lengthy standoff would prove more draining to Macrinus then to the rebels, a fact that they had counted on. And yet they had underestimated the Emperor. While Macrinus was still sharpening his skills as a general, his skills as an intriguer needed no improvement…

“Within days of the siege’s beginning, rumors reached the rebels of the massive dissatisfaction among Macrinus’ troops, the supposed grand victory of Nisibis having been little more than a bloody stalemate, and the promised rewards having failed to reach the soldiers. Within a week, the rebel legion had an offer from a centurion to betray the Emperor, who would be placed into the rebels’ power for a sum of gold. The rebels eagerly accepted, dreams of an easy victory before them, and arranged for the exchange to occur that night at a back gate of the city. When the appointed hour came, the rebels were quickly horrified to discover that they had paid not for an Emperor, but to allow in a small group of soldiers who had secured the gate for a larger group, who had in turn secured the front gates of the city for Macrinus’ forces. While the Third Legion fought on with all the fury desperate men possess, they had no hope facing superior numbers in such a disorganized state. (Augustine Philo states that much of the Third were engaged in a drunken celebration of their imminent victory during the early portion of the attack, granting the Emperor’s army that much greater an advantage, though this may be a legend.)

“The next morning, Macrinus had won Antioch, and disbanded the rebellious Legion, sentencing the few remaining members to death.[2] However, he had not found Elagabalus among them, for the Pretender-Emperor had sent them out under the command of his tutor Gannys, after sending them forth with the blessing of his god.[3] While men had died in his name, Elagabalus had fled to Rome, with the remaining family wealth and in the company of his mother, grandmother, aunt, cousin and a few loyal solders, there to put his case before the Senate…”[4]

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[1] IOTL, Macrinus' forces were melting away by the time he faced the Third near Antioch--which by this time included in it some of the soldiers he'd sent out to suppress the rebellion originally--so the rebels met him in open battle. Here, he's in significantly better shape so they decide to stay in the city and force a siege. (They're also, due to the differences in timing, in possession of Antioch instead of Macrinus ITL, reversing the OTL situation.)

[2] Things didn't go much better for the Third Legion IOTL. After realizing that backing Elagabalus might have been a mistake, they rose in rebellion, lost and were disbanded. The lesson here is when backing a future Emperor, make sure not to back someone so crazy that you wind up regretting it.

[3] This isn't quite as gutless as it sounds--Elagabalus is a whopping 14 years old at this point. For those who don't know, Elagabalus' god is... well, Elagabalus (or more exactly Ilāh hag-Gabal). Varius Avitus Bassanius was the diety's high priest, and came to be very closely identified with him--hence the name. And yes, this will be important.

[4] IOTL, Macrinus tried to pull a runner after Antioch himself. It didn't work.

This sounds very well-researched, but-- I've only a cursory knowledge of the Roman Empire. When exactly is this? Who is Macrinus? Whenever Roman discussions get outside the realm of Caesar, lots of people get lost. Would a small history lesson be a dick thing to ask for?

Macrinus was the Emperor who followed Caracalla of the Severan Dynasty, reigning for just under a year in 217-218. He was the first Emperor not to have been appointed to the Senate before taking the purple, and the first Emperor of Berber descent. (Septimus Severus may have had some Berber ancestry, but he was mostly Punic.) He appears to have been a reasonably competent, decent man--well, as decent as you can be to rise in Roman politics, and most likely arrange the assassination of your (admittedly murderous) predecessor--and thus in the fine tradition of the 3rd Century Empire, he was abandoned by his greedy troops for an incompetent lunatic.

Macrinus is also an interesting transitional figure, standing nicely on the border of the Principate and the Crisis. (I personally consider him the first Emperor of the Crisis period, thus backdating the period by over twenty years, but really, the starting point of that is highly debatable, with the conventional wisdom to place it after the later "Severans".) He's one of the last men to rule with some pretence of official order, instead of the chaotic free-for-all that the Empire would become.

Awesome TL so far. I just have a couple of points to make.

- With a defeat at Nisbis, will the Sassanids move even more quickly in challenging the Parthians ? Or will the much weaker position of Artabanus convince more of his feudal subjects to rebel leading to multi-front civil war?

- Macrinus is very much a civilian emperor. The only reason Caracalla appointed him as a praetorian prefect was because he was such a great lawyer and bureaucrat. Seeing as how he is a provincial equestrian the Senate is gonna hate his guts for being so uppity. At the same time, although he has won some victories, Macrinus will not be loved by the soldiers seeing as how he realises paying them insane amounts of money like Severus and Caracalla is unsustainable. So who is he going to rely on for his power base?

On the whole having a financially prudent emperor who chooses a decent heir might mean the empire sidestepping the entire Third Century crisis period.

Thanks for the praise. And to answer your questions while revealing as little as I can...

--The Persians have already moved from causing trouble to out and out revolt ITL. And yes, Artabanus is in a much, much worse position at the moment.

--Macrinus is going to have a tough balancing act ahead of him--keeping the army happy while instituting necessary reform. Still, a couple of solid victories, and the rewards he's been able to give out have given him some breathing room that he never got IOTL. As for the Senators, allow me to say, yes many of them aren't happy, and this will cause Macrinus quite a bit of grief to come.

Interesting timeline; I don't know much about the time period, but it seems like a fascinating read. Will follow.

Interesting - a little-known figure rising to power... Would this make the breakaway empires of the Crisis easier to deal with?

SavoyTruffle said:

Interesting - a little-known figure rising to power... Would this make the breakaway empires of the Crisis easier to deal with?

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Or at least butterflied away for the meantime.

Sa'id Mohammed said:

Or at least butterflied away for the meantime.

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Likely, they'll be known as the Crisis of the Fourth Century?

This won't butterfly away the Migration Period, though.

300 Million Sesterces?

That CAN'T be right. It's got be an exageration. Persia wasn't THAT rich, even taking plunder into account.

Good story. A more civilian Empire...it will be interesting to watch. Subscribed.

Art said:

That CAN'T be right. It's got be an exageration. Persia wasn't THAT rich, even taking plunder into account.

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What about all that gold the Parthians raked in by being the middlemen on the Silk Road ? The Romans were crazy about silk and there were those who said that the Romans were subsidising their own enemies by paying for those silk dresses. After seeing I Claudius however I can see why they liked it so much........

Great start. We can always use another good Roman TL.

Art said:

That CAN'T be right. It's got be an exageration. Persia wasn't THAT rich, even taking plunder into account.

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It's what he asked, and what was agreed to. Did he get that sum? Probably not. But he did pick up a hefty hunk of change, and as the only guideline as to the exact sum is what was agreed to...

PART 3: “ALWAYS DID I HONOR ROME…”

“…With affairs at Antioch over, Emperor Macrinus felt certain that he had shown he was no mere usurper. He had won a terrific battle against the Parthians, and followed it by defeating a serious challenge to his rule. True, Elagabalus had escaped--but the Pretender’s case was hopeless, and doubtless would be recognized by as such. Indeed Macrinus had sent a missive to the Senate informing them to ignore ’the false Antonius’ for the lunatic he was, and been assured that the rebel would find no friends in Rome.[1] With the Parthian Empire occupied by renewed civil war and the Persian Rebellion, Macrinus was free to secure his hold over the East and Africa--most especially all valuable Egypt.[2] Traveling with his son and co-emperor Diadumenian, the Emperor progressed through the provinces, enjoying their hospitality and basking in the love of the people.[3] As opposed to his predecessor Caracalla, Macrinus cut a magnificent figure, handsome, well-dressed, eloquent--and interested in the very matters that the self-described ‘soldier-emperor’ had seen as beneath him. [4] And yet, once again, just as Macrinus seemed at his most secure, fate turned on him…

“The Pseudo-Severans had arrived in Rome and pressed their case to the Senate. It would have seemed to have been simplicity itself. Elagabalus was an untried youth with a nonsensical claim based on lies, pitting himself against a victorious Emperor they themselves had acknowledged. And yet, Macrinus was not popular in Rome. He was a foreigner who did not even sit on the Senate before taking the purple, and had failed to even visit the city since his elevation. Even worse, a thunderstorm had caused severe flooding and set fire to portions of the city, and Macrinus’ appointment of urban prefect had failed to make the needed repairs, resulting in his replacement by the Senate. [5] Whispers grew in the city that this was an omen that Macrinus’ rule meant ruin for Rome, while young Elagabalus was hailed by the proletariat in the streets. When coupled with the Julias’ formidable bribes and promises of greater Senatorial power, the Pseudo-Severan Claim seemed far less ridiculous to that august body that perhaps it should have…” [6]

“…It is an image made famous in a thousand paintings, books, and poems, passed down to us by Augustine Philo and Thaddeus Major. Macrinus is in Alexandria when news of Rome’s acclamation of Elagabalus reaches him in the form of a letter. He stares at the letter in shock. ‘Oh, Caesar,’ declares a follower, ‘you have lost the Empire!’ Macrinus defiantly crumples the letter in his hand, his countenance stern. “I? Lose the Empire? No! Never! It is Rome that has lost the Empire!” he declares grandly. A wonderful tale--but almost certainly false, as even allowing for Macrinus’ gifts, it suggests an amount of foresight that borders on the prophetic… [7]

“In fact, there is plentiful evidence that Macrinus was very much concerned with Rome’s defection--as well he should have been--and at first offered various enticements to bring the Senate and city back into the fold. However, while many Senators were increasingly sympathetic to Macrinus, the public of Rome was not, killing any hope of reconciliation in the immediate future. It was as a regretted last-ditch effort that Macrinus ordered the grain ships of Egypt to avoid Rome, before continuing on his way to a city that held great significance for him--and would come to hold greater significance still...

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[1] Macrinus sent a similar message to the Senate IOTL, and recieved a similar answer. After his defeat, the Senate reversed itself, and declared for Elagabalus, doubtless figuring that all of Macrinus' talk of lunacy was typical Imperial politics. (It wasn't.) He referred to Elagabalus as the "False Antonius" because upon declaring himself emperor he changed his name to Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Augustus, in a blatant grab for legitimacy. Not that Macrinus was much better on that account--he changed his name to Caesar Marcus Opellius Severus Macrinus Augustus, and his son's name to Marcus Opellius Antoninus Diadumenianus for the same reasons. Though at least the original names are still in there...

[2] He has very good reasons to do this. Egypt remained the bread-basket of the Empire, and Caracalla had spent his time as Emperor winning the people's love there with brutal massacres, most notably at Alexandria in 215.

[3] Macrinus had Diadumenian made his Caesar and heir very shortly after his ascension, most likely to demonstrate that in contrast to his predecessor, he had an heir. Diadumenian was only ten years old, and IOTL, died shortly after his father, caught trying to flee to the Parthians.

[4] Caracalla was famously slovenly, intentionally imitating the garb and habits of his beloved soldiers. (His famous name in fact, comes from his favorite Gallic cloak.) He also largely viewed being Emperor as a chance to play with armies, and was always rather annoyed when people insisted he deal with a problem that didn't involve the military. It was not that he was stupid--what evidence we have shows that he could handle legal issues reasonably well. It was more that he didn't care, and was quite possibly insane to boot.

[5] This all happened OTL, and is probably why the Senate accepted Elagabalus so readily, though his family's rather brilliant manipulation of crowds played a part.

[6] This doubtless seems rather short-sighted on the part of the Senate and the Roman people. To which I say--welcome to 3rd-Century Rome.

[7] This is intended as the sort of story that springs up all the time in Roman histoy--and history in general--where events that were a muddle of snap decisions and opportunistic actions are transformed into epic plots wherein the people involved always had a clear goal in mind, and knew what they were doing. Largely because the thought that huge events occured because nobody really thought of the consequences it to horrible for many people to bear.

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I'm planning to shift over to a post a week. Largely so I don't exhaust myself.

Space Oddity said:

*****
I'm planning to shift over to a post a week. Largely so I don't exhaust myself.

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That's fine. Sounds like this will be bad for Rome (though not for the Empire...an early split into WRE-ERE? Movement of the capital?)

truth is life said:

That's fine. Sounds like this will be bad for Rome (though not for the Empire...an early split into WRE-ERE? Movement of the capital?)

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truth is life

Given the description "It is an image made famous in a thousand paintings, books, and poems, passed down to us by Augustine Philo and Thaddeus Major" it sounds like either the empire or some successor state [with distinctly Latin/Greek names] will be giving Macrinus a lot of fame and prestige for centuries to come.

I suspect this is going to turn into a scenario where the classical empire survives for markedly longer than OTL. Which could be possible if you can get reforms and stability in place which prevent the 3rd Century crisis. Very likely to be a Sassanid state emerging, which is likely to be a bigger threat to Rome than the Parthians were, as OTL, but if Rome is in a better condition and more politically stable it could hold them back without the highly destructive, both material and socially, losses of the early wars OTL. In turn that could avoid/reduce the instability and attractiveness of the empire to external threats.

Steve

PART 4: “…TILL SHE DID SPURN ME”

“Varius Avitus Bassianius, called Marcus Aurelius Antonius, best known as Elagabalus, began his yearlong reign the beloved of Rome. By the end of it, the boy Pretender would have shown the people and Senate of Rome exactly what a poisonous viper they’d grasped to their bosom in their folly. And yet it all seemed to begin so well.[1] Elagabalus was a handsome, charismatic figure, and his mother and grandmother gave liberally to the city and the officials to ensure his popularity. Macrinus’ patient, Fabian strategy for dealing with their uprising only increased the rebels’ confidence as they mistook the Emperor’s cunning prudence for cowardice. [2] The Pseudo-Severans were convinced that starting from Rome, they could tear the Empire from Macrinus’ grasp despite his victories. This was not as foolish an idea as it sounds. Even though Rome was well into its decline by this point, it in many ways remained the focal point of the Empire. The Julias were certain that given time, an Emperor sitting in Rome could defeat even a so-far victorious Emperor out in the Provinces. And perhaps he could have, if the Emperor in question had not been Elagabalus…

“Problems began with Elagabalus’ god. The young Pretender-Emperor had inherited the high priesthood of the Syrian solar deity Ilāh hag-Gabal from his father, and he took it quite seriously. Within a month of being proclaimed Emperor by the Senate, Elagabalus had declared his god the supreme diety of Rome, Deus Sol Invictus. [3] While the Romans were generally willing to accept a certain amount of religious innovation, Elagabalus’ methods--for example, having his god ‘marry’ Minerva and appropriating treasures from rival temples--were so ridiculous they scandalized the city. [4] The situation was made worse by the generally distasteful rites of his deity, presided over by the Pretender himself, which lead inevitably to rumors of even more distasteful rites being practiced in secret.

“Indeed, prurient rumors attached themselves to Elagabalus with an almost startling ease. It became heavily believed in much of the city that he was planning on marrying a Vestal Virgin.[5] Even worse, he was said to be already married--to a charioteer, his love of silk and makeup convincing much of Rome he was homosexual. At least one source has Elagabalus looking for some way to be made into a woman… [6] Elagabalus cut such an unimpressive figure that the Pseudo-Severan cause was lost among the very provincial governors and legion commanders they counted on winning…

“And yet, Elagabalus was only part of the problem. His mother, Julia Soaemias, was another. With her son obsessed with his religion and his degeneracy, Soaemias wound up holding most of the real power in Rome--however, unlike her famous aunt, or even her mother, she was unwilling to hide this influence. She was granted a seat on the Senate by her son’s order, and soon dominated all arguments on policy, with her favorites appointed to positions of power.[7] Such blatant contempt for the mores of Rome won the Pseudo-Severans little love among the Senatorial class they’d claimed to be championing…

“All of this took place against the backdrop of Macrinus’ plan to starve the city of grain and gold. With each passing month, another few governors would cease to send their taxes to Rome and start sending them to Macrinus, while the grain ships grew fewer and fewer, and prices rose and rose. A move to seize any grain ship in Ostia’s harbor only scared away most of the smugglers still supplying the doomed cause, while the order to close Caracalla’s massive baths sparked a riot that raged for two weeks…[8] As bread and money grew scarce, the populace of Rome grew restless, with many who could leaving the city. Rome saw a steady trickling away of Senators to the court of Macrinus, with such future luminaries among them as Pupienus Maximus, Marius Maximus, Lucius Valerius Messalla Apollinaris, Gordian the Elder and his son, Gordian the Younger as well as the young Publius Licinius Valerianus and Tacitus Censor. [9] These defections only further deteriorated the relationship between the Pseudo-Severans and the Senate, resulting in an atmosphere of increasingly consuming paranoia. And even worse, it was then that Julias found their vast fortune had at last begun to run dry. The Pseudo-Severans were able to make do by seizing what assets those Senators who’d fled had left behind, but as most had made sure to take much of their wealth with them, this never seemed to be quite enough. A round of persecution of those Christians remaining in the city was ordered, but once again, many had fled, and the pickings were slim. Senators and Knights began to whisper worriedly of proscriptions, and began to hire armed guards for their estates and villas…

“It is no wonder then that the reign of the Pseudo-Severans failed to spread beyond Rome and a few neighboring cities, with Julia Soaemias both unable and unwilling to send troops against her family’s foe. The closest equivalent to a military operation that Elagabalus ever began was the sending of his ‘Praetorians’--a motley collection of criminals, ex-gladiators, and Legion veterans--to patrol the ‘borders’ in a futile attempt to stem the flow of citizens from the Pretender’s domain. As they performed their duties, the guards engaged in countless acts of banditry and crime, further alienating others from the Pseudo-Severan cause, and causing many neighboring provinces to recruit their own militias, to keep the ‘Praetorians’ out. As Elagabalus’ reign dragged on, Rome ceased to resemble the capital of the empire, instead seeming to be a strange, dysfunctional country in the middle of it...

“The remaining Senators--largely a collection of the venal, the foolish, and the half-mad--were at their wits’ end. Their loathing of Macrinus had only grown--but even they could not defend the cause they’d tied themselves to. Elagabalus was a disgrace, unworthy of the purple, and was doing more and more damage to their struggle against the Moor Emperor with each passing day. And yet--his young cousin, Alexander Severus, was not only as handsome and charming as the Pretender-Emperor, he had the added bonuses of being pleasant, pliable, and blessedly sane, with a mother who, while clearly eager to play a part in politics, was willing to do so in a quiet and unobtrusive manner. [10] Even better, the soldiers and proletariat had already begun to transfer the love they had felt for Elagabalus to Alexander. He would make a far more suitable Emperor, and could perhaps convince some of the fence-sitting governors that more reliable heads were in control once again. Once that happened, the upstart Macrinus could be easily put into his place. Plans were put into motion. Unfortunately, they were not very good plans.

“At a meeting of the Senate, the Pretender-Emperor was asked to bring his cousin, so that the youth could receive an honor. [11] Elagabalus sent a messenger to the palace, and shortly thereafter announced that his cousin was tired, and could not attend this meeting. But, the next perhaps? At the next meeting, Elagabalus announced that poor Alexander was ill. This became his stance for the next two weeks, with a running report on Alexander’s health, which seemed to snap between on the verge of recovery to on the doorway of death with alarming speed. Worse, Alexander’s mother, and their shared grandmother were apparently ill with the same disease. As Senator Balbinus was said to note, the Imperial Palace was apparently a very unhealthy place to live. [12] Eventually, a mournful Elagabalus announced that his ailing family members had all passed on. When talk of state funerals began, Elagabalus insisted that as high priest of Sol Invictus, he would see to it, and that the Senate need not concern itself at all. Unfortunately for the Pretender-Emperor, the Senate decided that in fact, it did need to…

“With the decline of the Pseudo-Severan’s fortune, bribery of their servants was made quite simple. And thus, a handful of Praetorians leaving the Palace carrying several largish bundles soon found themselves waylaid by a gang of ex-gladiators. The bundles were soon revealed to be the bodies of Alexander Severus, his mother, Julia Avita Mamaea, and his grandmother, Julia Maesa. The bodies were displayed in the Forum, enflaming the people against the kin-slaying Elagabalus and Julia Soaemis. An angry mob rushed to the Palace, screaming for the pair’s blood. As the Pretender and his mother begged for protection, their own Praetorians gave them to the mob, who swiftly tore them apart… [13]

“The reign of Elagabalus over the city of Rome was finished. Now began the reign of chaos, blood, and death.”

THE FALL OF ROME, Yuvian Marcell

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[1] Elagabalus' reign followed the same general outline IOTL, only there, facing no serious opposition, he managed a four year reign.

[2] If I may editorialize, obviously Macrinus is a cunning, prudent man ITTL, because his plan more or less worked.

[3] Elagabalus took the same actions IOTL. It was only slightly less a bad idea then. Sol Invictus was a previously existing deity, albeit a minor one. There's some debate whether Elagabalus was simply imposing a religious change, or attempting to take advantage of Sol's growing popularity to elevate his own religion.

[4] Again--all OTL. There's some question whether he married his god to Minerva, Astarte, the muse Urania, or some fusion of all three.

[5] From the vantage point of the OTL, we can safely say that he most certainly was planning this, as he married the Vestal Virgin Julia Aquilla Severa, claiming that they would produce divine children together. Then he divorced her, married someone else, divorced that woman, and remarried Severa. I like to call Elagabalus the Roman Liz Taylor.

[6] Both these stories are reported OTL. Elagabalus offended so many people, it's hard to be sure what stories about him are true or not. That said, he appears to have been either gay or bisexual, and quite possibly had gender issues to boot.

[7] IOTL, both Julia Soaemias and Julia Maesa, Elagabalus' grandmother were given seats on the Senate--ITTL, Maesa, more sensible of the dangers decides to keep a low profile, while Soaemias, more vain and grasping, insists on the seat. This sets the Julias against each other far earlier.

[8] The baths of Caracalla are the last great building project in Rome, and quite possibly the only worthwhile action Caracalla took as Emperor. Sadly, ITTL, they stay in operation for a considerably shorter length of time.

[9] Most of these men served as Consuls IOTL--many of them became emperors. None shall take the purple ITTL, but that's probably to their betterment--most had reigns measured in months. (Valerian managed five years, but had, by most accounts, a particularly unpleasant death.)

[10] Alexander Severus managed a reign of 13 years IOTL. While he appears to have been little more than a mediocrity, he was fondly remembered for managing over a decade of peaceful, fairly stable rule. Though with a reign bookended by Elagabalus and Maximinus Thrax, a person would have to stoop pretty low not to invoke fond memories.

[11] IOTL, a rumor that Elagabalus was planning to kill Alexander resulted in Elagabalus having to name his cousin Caesar and adopt him as his son, which in turn lead to the conspiracy to assasinate Elagabalus. Here, the Julias have already split, with Julia Soaemias having a distinct upper hand over her mother and sister. This is not good for their cause.

[12] Decimus Caelius Calvinus Balbinus is a respected Senator and IOTL, would go on to be an Emperor during the Year of Six Emperors. Things will go... slightly differently for him in this one...

[13] Their deaths weren't so different IOTL--there, the Praetorians rioted, and killed them.