3 – Geta – 211
At first glance, Geta probably seems like an odd choice since he was only in power for little over two and a half years and hardly made a dent in Roman history. Alas, he still compares favorably to the truly dreadful leaders that followed him. Geta was the younger son of Septimius Severus; Caracalla was his older brother. Emperor Severus planned for both of his sons to reign together but jealousy ensured they could not rule in harmony and the premature death of one was inevitable.
Historians suggest that Geta shared Caracalla’s bad temper, but he was nowhere near as cruel or idiotic. Although Geta suffered from a stammer, he didn’t let it stop him from surrounding himself with intellectuals and writers in a bid to become more literate. Caracalla refused to share power with his brother although he had no choice from 209 until February 211 when Severus ruled with both sons. Once he died, however, Caracalla wasted no time in making his bid for sole power.
Of the two emperors, Geta was the better fit for the throne. Although he didn’t necessarily display the characteristics of a good ruler, at least he made an effort to improve his literacy and thought processes. This appears to be the mindset of a man who was determined to better himself and if he had become emperor, perhaps the Crisis of the Third Century could have been averted or at least its impact might have been minimized.
In any case, Caracalla had Geta murdered in December 211; the unfortunate young man died in his mother’s arms. As it was, Caracalla ruled until 217 when a soldier murdered him. His reign was known for its cruelty, instability, and inability to handle invasions from Germanic tribes. Caracalla was followed by several ineffectual emperors and when Alexander Severus was murdered by the army in 235, the Third Century Crisis began in earnest.