Alexander Severus (2 pictures)

Alexander Severus  (Reign: 222-235 AD)
Alexander Severus was born in 208 AD in Arca, Syria.  His grandmother, Julia Maesa, was the mother-in-law of the Emperor Septimius Severus.  His mother and grandmother saw to his education as well as to his adoption by Emperor Heliogabalus, in 221 AD.  After Heliogabalus' death, Severus' mother organized for him to become emperor, which he did in the year 222 AD.
Severus was a religious man who adorned the Temple in Palatium with sculptures. However, Severus did not have the necessary skills needed to deal with the serious problems facing the Roman Empire. To the east, the Persian kings began a series of attacks on the Empire.  Severus himself went to the troubled region in the year 232 AD. Although this journey was not much of a success, he conducted a victory march in the year 233 AD.  A year later, Severus traveled to Germany, hoping to reach a peace treaty with the Germans in diplomatic ways. Yet, in the year 235 AD, before succeeding in doing so, he and his mother were murdered in Mainz by soldiers who disagreed with his policies.