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Message:: [QUOTE="jamesicus, post: 2867129, member: 14873"]Upon the Abdication of Diocletian and Maximian Herculius on the first of May 305, Constantius succeeded Maximian Herculius as Augustus of the West and Galerius Maximian succeeded Diocletian as Augustus of the East. Flavius Valerius Severus (Severus), a close friend and military comrade of Galerius Maximian, was appointed Caesar of the West by Constantius (as a result of persuasion by Galerius) and Galerius Valerius Maximinus Daia (Maximinus) was appointed Caesar of the East by Galerius Maximian. The second Tetrarchy was thus created. Severus was a typically tough and efficient miltary commander in the mold of the other Tetrarchs and had distinguished himself in several battles in the east. Constantius died at Eboracum (York) in Britain during a campaign against the warlike tribes of the North on 25 July 306. Before he died, Constantius conferred Imperium on his son, Flavius Valerius Constantinus (Constantine). Although the army of Constantius wanted to proclaim Constantine Augustus, Galerius Maximian, the now de-facto senior Augustus, proclaimed him Caesar of the West and elevated Severus to Augustus of the West (in accordance with the rules for succession) thereby creating the Third Tetrarchy. On 28 October 306, the Citizens of Rome revolted against oppressive taxation and petitioned Marcus Aurelius Valerius Maxentius (Maxentius), son of retired Augustus Maximian Herculius, to assume Imperium. This he did, initially adopting the appellation of Princeps. The army at Rome subsequently proclaimed him Augustus and Maxentius persuaded Maximian Herculius to come out of retirement in order to serve as his "colleague Augustus". Galerius Maximian, now .the de-facto Senior Augustus, rejected these actions as illegal and instructed Severus (because Rome was in his sphere of authority) to engage Maxentius and depose him. Early in 307 Severus commanded an army that marched south into Italy to engage and remove Maxentius from power. However, Severus was not well served by this army that maintained loyalties to its previous commander, Maximian Herculius, and indeed many soldiers deserted Severus. The forces of Maxentius quickly defeated those of Severus who was captured and subsequently executed in Rome. RIC VI, Londinium, No. 59a - Severus as Caesar (earliest titulature): <img src="http://jp29.org/lon59ao1.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /><img src="http://jp29.org/lon59ar1.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" />SEVERVS NOBILISSIMVS CAES ........................... GENIO POPV -- LI ROMANI RIC VI, Londinium, No. 46 (variant), Severus as Augustus: <img src="http://jp29.org/lon46o.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /><img src="http://jp29.org/lon46r.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" />IMP SEVERVS PIVS FEL AVG .................................... GENIO POPVLI ROMANI Obverse legend variation: PIVS FEL instead of PIVS FELIX. See the article by Lord Stewartby (Ian Stewart, Baron Stewartby) in the Review Numismatique (Persee): <a href="http://www.persee.fr/doc/numi_0484-8942_1999_num_6_154_2241" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.persee.fr/doc/numi_0484-8942_1999_num_6_154_2241" rel="nofollow">Some rare and unpublished roman coins of the London Mint in the Paris collection (188 - 12)</a> for information relating to a similar inscription variant for RIC, Volume VI, Londinium No. 40. Due to the somewhat sparse and sporadic output of the London Mint (one officina), and the short duration of his time as a Tetrarch, London Mint coins of Severus (II) have always been hard to come by -- those as Augustus are especially hard to find in my experience. [/QUOTE]

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