Lucius Septimius Severus was Roman emperor from 193 to 211. He was born in Leptis Magna, Libya, in the Roman province of Africa. He was of mixed Roman and Punic/Phoenician descent. As a young man, he advanced through the customary succession of offices under the reigns of Marcus Aurelius and Commodus. Severus was the final contender to seize power after the death of the emperor Pertinax in 193 during the Year of the Five Emperors.