Français – عربي – ⵜⴰⵎⴰⵣⵉⵖⵜ – English
Macrinus, from Caesarea (Cherchell), was the Praetorian Prefect of Roman Emperor Caracalla, and then succeeded him as Emperor. After the fall of the Severan dynasty, he continued the line of North African Emperors.
Origins
Marcus Opellius Macrinus was born around 165, in Caesarea (Cherchell), Roman Africa. His name might be the Latin form of the Amazigh name Mokran. He was from an Amazigh family of the equestrian order (the second rank of Roman aristocracy, after the Senatorial class). According to some late sources, his wife was called Nonia Celsa and was also African.
After his studies, he became a lawyer. Emperor Septimius Severus, wishing to create a new Roman African elite, entrusted him with responsibilities in his administration. His successor Caracalla named him Praetorian Prefect, commander of the elite guard in charge of the Emperor’s personal security.
Macrinus first enjoyed the Emperor’s trust; but then, after an oracle announced that he would overthrow Caracalla and succeed him, the Emperor became wary of him, and Macrinus feared for his life.
On 8 April 217, in the middle of a military campaign against the Persians, Caracalla was stabbed by a soldier while he was urinating. Macrinus was probably behind his murder.
Macrinus becomes Emperor
After Caracalla died, Macrinus succeeded him as Emperor. He reigned for a little over a year, from April 217 to June 218.
Macrinus was the first Emperor who wasn’t from the Senatorial class. Because of this, the Senate distrusted him. He was also the first Emperor who never visited Rome during his whole reign.
Macrinus first reestablished economic and diplomatic stability by making peace with the neighboring kingdoms against whom his predecessors were at war. He also named his son Diadumenianus co-Emperor.
Fall of Macrinus
During the reign of Macrinus, Caracalla’s aunt Julia Maesa organised a rebellion of the fallen Imperial family, to take back power. The Severan family supported Elagabalus, son of Julia Soaemias, a cousin Caracalla, whose mother claimed that he was the former Emperor’s illegitimate son. Most modern historians doubt that Caracalla really was his father. Macrinus and Diadumenianus were killed and Elagabalus succeeded them.
