SEVERUS: The Black Caesar

The first black man to set foot on British soil came not as a slave, but as the most powerful man in the ancient world.

Severus follows the amazing true story of a rebellious boy who grew up in an African province and became the Black Caesar of the Roman Empire, the head of a dynasty that would lead Rome through bloody civil wars and a changing world. He thinks the Vikings meet the Tudors. There is old world magic and tradition clashing with new world expectations. Severus has political intrigue, romance, and family drama.

As a young man, Severus hates the Romans and plots to humiliate them. What starts out as a childish prank turns into a bloodbath that sends Severus careening into his future. Through tragic love, dangerously close battles, and threats both from within and without, Severus increased the power of himself and his enemies in his unlikely rise to become the most powerful man in the world.

The betrayal of his advisers and his own wife draws ever closer, and his son emerges as a ruthless and disturbed emperor-in-waiting.

Even in its old setting, the show tackles timely issues of home, family and parenting, immigration and assimilation. What has one given up when he fights against something he believed in? Is it growth? Is it treason? Who gets to rule and what makes a good leader? There is also the eternal unanswered question: is history always doomed to repeat itself?

Main characters

Septimius Severus – The Black Caesar. He goes from being a proud and naive boy to a man who understands the world. He is a man who tries to stay true to his principles, but often creates situations where he must make impossible decisions. He is stubborn and often struggles to find his place in the Empire, but he is also kind and reasonable. He is outspoken in what he believes, sometimes to his own detriment.

Julia Domna – A priestess who traps Severus. She gives birth to her two sons and claims to love him, but works entirely under her own auspices. She is seductive and mysterious, but also strong and powerful.

Marcus Aurelius – An emperor of reason who teaches Severus what he knows. He deeply believes that the wise should rule over the foolish and imparts it to Severus before his death.

Commodus – The despotic son of Marcus Aurelius. He embraces the power that he believes is his birthright and possesses cruel and psychotic tendencies.

Caracalla – The eldest son of Severus and Julia. Called Lucius as a child, he changes his name and pretends to distance himself from his father, whom he says is not his real father. Like Commodus, he has a dark and brutal nature.