Italy: Icon of Severus II (-307), 55th Roman emperor, from the book Icones imperatorvm romanorvm (Icons of Roman Emperors), Antwerp, c. 1645

Severus II (-307), full name Flavius Valerius Severus, was of humble birth from Illyria, but he managed to rise and become a senior officer in the Roman army. He was an old friend of Emperor Galerius, and the emperor ordered Severus be appointed as Caesar of the Western Roman Empire in 305, serving as deputy-emperor to Emperor Constantius I.

Severus was promoted to emperor in 306 after the death of Constantius, in opposition to the claims made by Constantius' soldiers that his son, Constantine I, was emperor. Severus was sent to deal with the usurper emperor Maxentius in Rome, marching towards Rome at the head of an army once commanded by former Emperor Maximian, Maxentius' father. Maxentius, fearing Severus' arrival, offered his father co-rule of the empire, which he accepted.

Therefore, when Severus arrived at the walls of Rome, his army deserted him for Maximian, forcing Severus to flee to Ravenna. Maximian offered him protection if he surrendered peacefully, which he did in 307. Nevertheless, Severus was still displayed as a captive and imprisoned at Tres Tabernae. When Galerius himself invaded Italy to defeat Maxentius and Maximian, Maxentius ordered Severus' execution, which occurred on 16 September 307.

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