Gnaeus Minicius Faustinus Sextus Julius Severus was an accomplished Roman

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

of the 2nd century. He also held the office of suffect consul in the last three months of 127 with Lucius Aemilius Juncus as his colleague.

Biography

Julius Severus was born in the Province of Dalmatia, Colonia Claudia Aequum, today Čitluk, a small village in what is now

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

. He served as

governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

Moesia Moesia (; Latin: ''Moesia''; ) was an ancient region and later Roman province situated in the Balkans south of the Danube River. As a Roman domain Moesia was administered at first by the governor of Noricum as 'Civitates of Moesia and Triballi ...

; he was appointed governor of Britain around 131. In 133 and to circa 135, he was transferred to 14th legate of Judaea, to help suppress the

Bar Kokhba revolt The Bar Kokhba revolt (132–136 AD) was a major uprising by the Jews of Judaea (Roman province), Judaea against the Roman Empire, marking the final and most devastating of the Jewish–Roman wars. Led by Simon bar Kokhba, the rebels succeeded ...

there. Because of his military reputation, historians have seen him as a troubleshooter, sent to troublesome provinces to bring peace through war and his presence has been taken as indication of unrest in Britain at the time. There is no archaeological evidence to suggest fighting in Britain under his governorship, although a reference by the orator Fronto to many soldiers dying in Britain under

Hadrian Hadrian ( ; ; 24 January 76 – 10 July 138) was Roman emperor from 117 to 138. Hadrian was born in Italica, close to modern Seville in Spain, an Italic peoples, Italic settlement in Hispania Baetica; his branch of the Aelia gens, Aelia '' ...

's reign may refer to trouble at this time. :"Soon 32 however, all Judaea had been stirred up, and the Jews everywhere were showing signs of disturbance ... Hadrian sent against them his best generals. The first of these was Julius Severus, who was dispatched from Britain, where he was governor, against the Jews." – Cassius Dio, ''History of Rome'' LXIX.xiii.1-2 - Epitome of Xiphilinus

References

* A.R. Birley, ''The Roman Government of Britain'' (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005), pp. 129–133. * E. Dabrowa, ''The Governors of Roman Syria from Augustus to Septimius Severus'', 1998, pp. 94–96 * W. Eck,"The Bar Kokhba Revolt: The Roman Point of View", '' Journal of Roman Studies'' 89 (1999), pp. 79–80 * W. Eck, "Hadrian, the Bar Kokhba Revolt, and the Epigraphic Transmission", in: ''The Bar Kokhba war reconsidered : new perspectives on the second Jewish revolt against Rome'', Peter Schäfer (editor) (Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2003), pp. 168–169 * P. Weiß
Neue Militärdiplome für den Exercitus von Britannia
'' Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik'' 156 (2006), pp. 245–254 * Eck, W., Holder, P., Pangerl, A.
A Diploma for the Army of Britain in 132 and Hadrian’s Return to Rome from the East
''Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik'' 174 (2010), pp. 189–200 * A. R. Birley
Viri Militares Moving from West to East in Two Crisis Years (AD 133 and 162)
''The Impact of Mobility and Migration in the Roman Empire'', E. Lo Cascio and L. E. Tacoma (eds.), Leiden, 2017, pp. 55–79 {{DEFAULTSORT:Julius Severus, Sextus 2nd-century Roman governors of Judaea 2nd-century Romans Ancient Roman generals Bar Kokhba revolt Severus, Sextus Roman governors of Britain Roman governors of Lower Moesia Suffect consuls of Imperial Rome