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. Think Vikings meet Tudors. There is old world magic and tradition that collide with the expectations of the new world. Severus has political intrigue, romance, and family drama.
As a young man, Severus hates the Romans and conspires to humiliate them. What starts out as a childish prank turns into a bloodbath that sends Severus hurtling into his future. Through tragic love, dangerously close battles, and threats from both internal and external, Severus increased his power – and 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 waiting emperor.
Even in its ancient setting, the show addresses timely issues of home, family and parenting, immigration, and assimilation. What have you given up when fighting something you used to believe in? Is it growth? Is it a betrayal? Who can 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 in which 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 frank in what he believes, sometimes to his detriment.
Julia Domna: a priestess who catches Severus. She gives birth to their two children and claims to love him, but works entirely under her own auspices. She is seductive and mysterious, but also strong-willed and powerful.
Marcus Aurelius – An emperor of reason who teaches Severus what he knows. He deeply believes that sages should rule over fools and imparts it to Severus before his death.
Comfortable: the despotic son of Marcus Aurelius. He accepts the power that he believes to be his birthright and possesses psychotic and cruel 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.