Year 193 (AD) — the Year of the Five Emperors

What "a common year" means

Calling 193 a common year simply indicates it was not a leap year under the Julian calendar. Beyond this calendrical note, the year is remembered for events that reshaped Roman politics and set the stage for the Severan dynasty.

Roman crisis and the five emperors

After the assassination of Emperor Commodus at the end of 192, a series of rapid changes of leadership occurred in Rome. In early 193 Publius Helvius Pertinax was acclaimed emperor by the Senate but was murdered by elements of the Praetorian Guard. The Guard then infamously auctioned the imperial office; Marcus Didius Julianus won that auction and ruled briefly. Several provincial commanders and legions rejected the sale and proclaimed their own emperors, most notably Septimius Severus in the Danube provinces, Pescennius Niger in the eastern provinces, and later Clodius Albinus in Britain.

Immediate consequences

Septimius Severus marched on Rome with the loyalty of the legions, deposed and executed Didius Julianus, and secured the city. His rise marked the end of the chaotic succession and the beginning of the Severan dynasty, which shifted imperial power firmly toward the military and the provinces. Rival claimants were fought in the following years, producing civil wars that extended beyond 193.

Other regions and broader context

Outside Rome, the late second century remained a period of regional fragmentation and military contests across Eurasia. In China the Han dynasty's central authority continued to weaken as regional warlords consolidated power, a process that would culminate in the Three Kingdoms period in the early third century. In the East and frontier regions, local conflicts and dynastic changes shaped the political landscape but are less tied to the Roman events of 193.

Notable figures and legacy

• Pertinax — briefly emperor, killed after attempting reforms and curbing the Praetorian Guard.
• Didius Julianus — purchased the throne from the Guard and was soon overthrown and executed.
• Septimius Severus — proclaimed emperor by his legions; his ascendancy began a new period of Roman rule with a stronger military orientation.
• Pescennius Niger and Clodius Albinus — provincial rivals whose claims led to further conflict.

The events of 193 illustrate how military power, institutional weakness, and factionalism could rapidly alter imperial leadership. The year's turmoil had lasting effects on Roman governance, military authority, and the balance between Rome and its provinces.