There’s a popular phrase: “money wins elections,” but few instances throughout history have demonstrated as clear a link between money and power as the short reign of Didius Julianus. Only a generation earlier, the position of Roman emperor had been appointed based on who the previous emperor had seen most fit to govern after his death. By Julianus’ time in 193, the emperor was determined by a direct bidding war.
 
Julianus was born to a prominent family and enjoyed the successful career of a typical Roman of his class. He had served several civilian offices such as aedile, quaestor, and governor, and had an accomplished stint in the military. His rise through the Roman ranks was steady, but noticeable enough to alarm Commodus, the reigning emperor. Commodus’ assassination in 192 set off one of the most chaotic periods in Roman history, and the opportunistic Julianus seized his moment.

Above: Denarius of Didius

Above: Denarius of Didius Julianus sold by Leu Numismatik AG for 1,600 CHF. The reverse features the emperor wearing a toga.
 
Commodus was succeeded by Pertinax, the son of a freed slave who instituted several fundamental reforms that were popular with the people but not the powerful Praetorian Guard. After three months, the out-of-control Praetorians assassinated him and offered the throne, literally, to the highest bidder. A rival, Sulpicianus, seemed to be the favorite, offering a whopping 20,000 sesterces to every Praetorian soldier. Julianus, offering his entire family wealth, countered with 25,000 and won the day.
 
The people never accepted him, always jeering and throwing stones, but he had other problems: three generals, all in different parts of the empire and commanding most of the empire’s legions, had risen against him after hearing the news. The most dangerous was a general in the East, a man of Libyan origins named Septimius Severus. He was proclaimed emperor by the legions in Egypt and thus had far more ability to enforce his claim to the throne than Julianus, who had merely bought the position.


Julianus tried to train the Praetorians he had just bought, but they were, given their previous actions, not the most loyal of friends. Upon reports that Septimius Severus was marching on Rome, nearly all the Guards abandoned him. The Senate, sensing which way the winds were blowing, promptly deified Pertinax and declared Julianus a public enemy. He was assassinated in the palace just 66 days after buying the throne, apparently pleading for his life with the words “what evil have I done? Whom have I killed?”