History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Volume 1 - Chapter V Part 2

In which the swift and resolute Severus secures the imperial throne through a combination of military prowess and calculated clemency, extinguishing rivals and quelling the mutiny of the Prætorian guards, while instituting reforms that seek to restore order and prosperity to the empire’s fractured provinces. Yet beneath the surface of peace and triumph, the seeds of future decay are sown as Severus’s reliance on favoured troops and the erosion of traditional senatorial authority herald a new era of military despotism and centralised power.