Lucius Artorius Castus

Lucius Artorius Castus (c. 190 – c. 229 AD) was a Roman aristocrat and military commander. He served as consul (211) and praetor (219), and was the uncle of Roman emperor Caracalla.

Early life
The only son of Lucius Artorius Pompeius and Lucilla (L. Lucilla), Artorius Castus was born in about 190 and married to Julia, daughter of Julia Mamaea, who died shortly after Artorius' birth. Artorius Castus became a man of influence in Roman politics. Julia was a sister to emperor Antoninus Pius and maternal aunt to emperor Marcus Aurelius.

The couple were childless, which led to the adoption of Lucius Junius Rusticus by Julia in the year 204/05. In 211, Rusticus married Julia's eldest daughter Julia Flavia Minor, who would later marry Marcus Aurelius in 225.

Consulship
In 211, he was made consul for the year, probably with Gaius Sulpicius Galba as his colleague. He had previously been quaestor in Italy. A man of moderate views, he may have been selected for the role as part of the emperor's peace negotiations, however, war broke out with Carthage shortly after his appointment as consul. He was defeated by the Roman General Publius Cornelius Sulla Felix in Illyria, on July 10, 211 and he was forced to flee to Greece, where he took refuge with his brother-in-law Marcus Antonius Primus, the brother of Antoninus Pius. According to Cassius Dio, Lucius Castus's political activity at this time was "of no consequence", however, he was restored to his senatorial rank, and served under Marcus Aurelius in Illyria, Macedonia, and Greece.

His military involvement in the war ended when he was forced to become one of the hostages of Publius Sulpicius Galba in 213, having taken part in negotiations for a peace treaty between the Romans and the Carthaginians, of which a final version was signed in 215. His role in the treaty was to secure the release of his uncle, Marcus Antonius Primus.

Later, during the conspiracy of Castus, he sided with Pertinax and his supporters against Caracalla. In 219, Castus was appointed as the praetor of Farther Spain, during which he successfully subdued the Garamantes. Upon his return to Rome, Castus, with the support of the army, overthrew Pertinax on February 8, 220. After Pertinax had committed suicide, Castus appointed his cousin Tiberius Alexander as Caesar (Augustus). He then proclaimed himself as emperor, taking the name "Artorius Castus", after his family name, and assumed the purple in Rome.

He had Pertinax's former supporters arrested and executed.

Life of Caracalla
Castus had a distinguished career as a military commander and politician. While his career did not start at the right point, he had a distinguished military record and became a friend and ally of the emperor Marcus Aurelius. Caracalla had been given the name “Severus” at the age of three, after the death of the emperor Severus Alexander. The historian Eutropius recorded that Caracalla was “a fine and worthy” person and that “the people called him a ‘son of Alexander’ and a son of Severus.”

After his accession, Caracalla appointed his own family as governors. In 221, the emperor appointed his cousin Tiberius Alexander to be governor of the province of Baetica, which had belonged to his uncle and grandfather, Lucius Septimius Severus and Caracalla himself had served as an aedile of the city of Leptis Magna. Castus was appointed to the province of Numidia, which had been given to his nephew Tiberius Alexander by the emperor Caracalla. After the rebellion of Pertinax and the proclamation of Castus as emperor in February 220, Caracalla appointed Castus as governor of Rome.

After the assassination of Castus, Caracalla changed the calendar to a new lunar system, adopted by some of the provinces, which was known as "the lunar year".

Family
Lucius Artorius Castus married Julia, the sister of the emperor Marcus Aurelius. She was the daughter of Lucius Junius Rusticus, consul in 211, and the niece of the emperor Antoninus Pius. Julia and Lucius Castus had a son, named Lucius Junius Artorius Maximus.

Castus died in some unknown time and place in 229, probably in or near Rome.