Which emperor told his sons to 'enrich the soldiers and scorn all others'? (r. 193-211 AD)

Septimius Severus is the emperor who, on his deathbed in 211 AD at Eboracum (York), advised his sons Caracalla and Geta to “enrich the soldiers and scorn all others.” Coming to power after the chaotic Year of the Five Emperors (193), Severus relied heavily on the legions, raised their pay, and expanded their privileges, cementing a more openly military monarchy. The quote captures his belief that loyalty from the army was the key to imperial survival. This policy shaped the Severan dynasty: Caracalla later increased soldiers’ pay again and extended Roman citizenship (Constitutio Antoniniana) to broaden the tax base that funded the army. Memory tip: “Severus” sounds like “severe”—and his severe, soldier-first strategy kept him in power. Enrich the soldiers, scorn the rest: the Severan recipe for stability in a turbulent empire.