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186 XXI Severus Lucius Septimius Severus (r. 193–211) was one of the more effective “soldier-emperors.” He introduced roughly a century of fairly overt military despotism characterizing Roman government between the death of Commodus in 192 and Diocletian’s assumption of the imperial title in 284. In order to gain full power, he waged war against his rival, Albinus. Against him in 197 near Lyons, he fought the battle with the most casualties of any battle of Roman forces against other Roman forces since the great victory of Octavian (the future Augustus Caesar) over the forces of Brutus and Cassius in 42 BC. He led extensive military campaigns against the Parthians and, much later, to pacify Britain. In the Book of Emperors he presides over a vast conflict within the empire, ending in huge numbers of casualties, his own defeat, and suicide. The massive slaughter scenes may reflect the reputation attached to him from the battle at Lyons, but this is probably the only—and rather tenuous—link to factual history; otherwise he provides simply a convenient imperial name for the story of a heroic Bavarian duke offering justified resistance to the Roman Empire. While our author is full of praise for the Roman Empire from it earliest days, it is clear that he thinks more highly of Germans than of inhabitants of the city of Rome and gives Bavarians a certain preference among Germans. The story of Adelger, the legendary Bavarian duke who defended Bavarian independence within the empire, has its roots in a story attached to Theodoric the Ostrogoth, which also features a similar animal fable. The fable itself makes sense only if it is kept in mind that for medieval people the heart was the seat of reasoning power or intelligence as well as of the emotions. Severus 187 the Book tells us that Severus then held the Empire. In his reign there was a highly respected duke in Bavaria whose name was Adelger, and often he would take actions against the Roman Empire. The king came to realize that that within his empire there was no other man of this world who more frequently rebelled against his grace, and that if he kept putting up with him much longer it would undermine his own honorable reputation. One day royal messengers reached Adelger and summoned him to appear in Rome, since he had committed acts against the ruler in spite of the latter’s grace. The duke had a vassal whom he often took aside for counsel. He asked him to come to his chamber and said, “Your thoughts have often been good in the past, and I would like you to be the first to advise me about this: the Romans have sent for me, which gives me grave misgivings. I fear that they will do me some shameful harm—they are hard-hearted people. My feelings tell me not to go there. It may be that I will get over such feelings , but right now I would hate to go there.” “By my very life,” his old counselor told him, “I will advise you in a way that increases your honor. Do not be afraid of all of this. My advice to you is: send men there who are loyal to you. See that they are dressed in the finest clothing that can be found in your whole land. You may not fight against established Roman rights, but go with these men to Rome yourself. Pay homage to the crown, appease the king in whatever he is doing that annoys you, pledge to support him in his wishes if they are reasonable; but let him know that if he goes beyond that he will easily have trouble on this hands.” The duke then made preparations and set off for the king’s court, but when he arrived there he was not treated well at all. When the king saw him he turned angry and said to him, “How dare you come directly before me. According to law you forfeited your life with all the misery you caused me, and I will take vengeance on you today.” “Your messenger conducted me here, sire,” said Duke Adelger. “I hope to win your approval and protection with the approval of all Romans by negotiating with Your Majesty, full of grace as you are. “I don’t know what grace you are talking about,” King Severus replied. “Your head should be struck off and your lands should be...

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