Prompt Cast
The Short Reign of Didius Julianus as Roman Emperor
TLDR Didius Julianus became emperor of Rome through a controversial bidding process, but his reign was marked by unpopularity and a lack of respect. He was eventually overthrown by Septimius Severus after serving as emperor for only 66 days.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
Didius Julianus became Roman emperor in a unique way and his reign was short-lived, but he is remembered for how he came to power.
01:37
Didius Julianus had a successful career in public service and held prestigious positions, but his appointment to distribute money to the poor in Milan was seen as a way to diminish his power.
02:56
Didius Julianus was acquitted of accusations of taking part in a plot to kill Commodus and later appointed as the governor of Bethania and pro-consul of North Africa, while Commodus was eventually killed and replaced by Pertnax, marking the start of the "year of five emperors."
04:21
Pertnax, who tried to bring back the days of Marcus Aurelius, was killed by the Praetorian Guard after not giving them their bonus, creating a power vacuum for the next emperor, which led to a ridiculous scene where Pertnax's father-in-law and Didius Julianus both made their cases to be emperor.
05:45
Didius Julianus became emperor by outbidding his rival Sopichianus with a bid of 25,000 cisterces per Pertorian, totaling about 200 million cisterces, but his purchase of the throne led to a lack of respect and a downhill spiral for his reign.
07:12
Didius Julianus faced insults and stone-throwing from crowds, his actions were unpopular, he reversed a decree against Commodus, made the coins less valuable, and three different generals were acclaimed emperor, but his biggest problem was a lack of money.
08:38
Septimius Severus marched on Rome, the Praetorian Guard defected to him, the Senate declared him emperor and sentenced Didius Julianus to death, and Julianus was killed by Severus' soldiers after serving as emperor for 66 days.
