Caracalla & Geta

Caracalla and Geta inherited a powerful empire from their father, Septimius Severus, but their deep-seated rivalry made co-rule impossible, leading to Geta’s assassination and a bloody purge of his supporters. Caracalla, ruling alone, prioritized military expansion and sought to unify the empire through the Antonine Constitution, granting Roman citizenship to nearly all free men, though largely as a means to increase taxation. His reign, however, was defined by cruelty, paranoia, and a disregard for governance beyond military affairs, ultimately leading to his assassination by his own troops.