Pertinax

Killed on 28 March 193 CE in Rome by his own Praetorian Guards after eighty-six days on the throne; his murder led to the literal auction of the empire.

Overview

Pertinax, a respected elder general and city prefect, was proclaimed emperor after the assassination of Commodus and immediately attempted discipline and reform, promising to correct the finances and the manners of the corrupted court. He tried to impose order on the pampered Praetorian Guard, offering a partial donative and strict camp rules. A contingent of two or three hundred guardsmen stormed the palace; his own officers deserted, and Pertinax met them with reason until he was cut down with his son in law. The guard then auctioned the throne to the wealthy senator Didius Julianus, who was himself killed after sixty-six days when Septimius Severus arrived with his legions. The episode exposed the empire dependency on soldiers.