Macrinus

Born around 165 in Caesarea, Mauretania, to a Berber equestrian family, Macrinus rose through imperial administration to praetorian prefect under Caracalla. In April 217, fearing for his life, he orchestrated Caracalla's assassination and was proclaimed emperor by the eastern legions - confirmed by a Senate he would never meet in person. He inherited an empire at war with Parthia, Armenia, and Dacia, and a treasury bled dry. His diplomacy bought peace, but the cost of settlements and his fiscal corrections turned the military against him. Caracalla's aunt Julia Maesa exploited the discontent, rallying legions behind her fourteen-year-old grandson Elagabalus. Macrinus lost the Battle of Antioch on 8 June 218, fled toward Rome, was caught in Chalcedon, and executed in Cappadocia. His son, sent to Parthia for safety, was also hunted down and killed. The Senate erased both names from the record.