The Severan Dynasty

The Severan era (193-235 CE) is difficult to quantify. Is it the dawn of the so-called Crisis of the Third Century, or is it rather the last bastion of institutional continuity before the Military Anarchy? The truth may lie somewhere in between. The Severan dynasty was in many ways institutionally consistent with its predecessors, but the collapse of the Antonine household in 192 also opened a new frontier in which rulers and writers alike were challenged to define the era anew. The result of these varying attempts was a dramatic 40-year period marked by violence and intrigue, but also containing one of the most potentially important constitutional developments in history.