ELAGABALUS (218-222)

“Don’t call me lord, I am a lady” His short reign is known for sexual scandals and religious controversies. He came from Emesa in Syria, where he served as the high priest of the sun god Elagabal. After the death of his cousin, Emperor Caracalla, the fourteen-year-old Elagabalus was elevated to the position of emperor in a military rebellion instigated by his grandmother, Julia Maesa. He replaced the head of the Roman pantheon, Jupiter, with the deity Elagabal. He forced senators to participate in the religious ceremonies he presided over. He married four women, including a Vestal Virgin, and favored male courtiers—his lovers. It was also claimed that the emperor engaged in prostitution.

Elagabalus and his mother were murdered, dragged through the streets of Rome, and thrown into the Tiber.