Explanation: Roman Emperor Septimius Severus, the victor of the brutal civil war after the mad Emperor Commodus (murdered for being a bad man) and the Senate-elected successor of Emperor Pertinax (murdered for being a good man), told his children on his deathbed to "enrich the soldiers, and scorn all others"
His sons took this to heart, as did their successors. Unfortunately, and probably not coincidentally, this happened at the same time of the Crisis of the Third Century, wherein the Empire itself almost fell apart due to constant wars and a spiraling economic situation exacerbated by government mismanagement and bribery competitions.
Mistakes were made.
Bribery competitions?
The loyalties of the soldiery and politicians were often effectively bid over by competing generals with astounding nakedness.
Though the most infamous such situation was shortly before the Crisis of the Third Century, when two contenders for the position of Emperor after the death of Pertinax literally laid competing bids for bribing the Praetorian Guard, the normalization of bribery of the soldiery led to ever-escalating attempts to win their favor, even just for the few moments needed to become Emperor.
Explanation: Roman Emperor Septimius Severus, the victor of the brutal civil war after the mad Emperor Commodus (murdered for being a bad man) and the Senate-elected successor of Emperor Pertinax (murdered for being a good man), told his children on his deathbed to "enrich the soldiers, and scorn all others"
His sons took this to heart, as did their successors. Unfortunately, and probably not coincidentally, this happened at the same time of the Crisis of the Third Century, wherein the Empire itself almost fell apart due to constant wars and a spiraling economic situation exacerbated by government mismanagement and bribery competitions.
Mistakes were made.
Bribery competitions?
The loyalties of the soldiery and politicians were often effectively bid over by competing generals with astounding nakedness.
Though the most infamous such situation was shortly before the Crisis of the Third Century, when two contenders for the position of Emperor after the death of Pertinax literally laid competing bids for bribing the Praetorian Guard, the normalization of bribery of the soldiery led to ever-escalating attempts to win their favor, even just for the few moments needed to become Emperor.