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[[File: Septimus Severus two. jpg|200px|thumb|left|Ruins of the Arch in Rome built by Septimius Severus]]

Severus needed the support of the army to stay in power. He was after all not the legitimate Emperor and the support of the legions had allowed him to seize the Imperial diadem. The African was very conscious of the fact that he was technically a usurper and he invented spurious claims that he was the descendant of Emperor Nerva. He gave the army a leading role in the state and expanded the number of legions<ref>Campbell, Brian. The Roman Army, 31 BC-AD 337: A Sourcebook (London, Longman, 1997), p 119</ref>. The first African Emperor is often stated to have made the army the most important institution in the state and in fact the only one that mattered in the Empire. The army attained a level of unprecedented level of influence in the Empire under Severus, which it never lost. Moreover, the size of the army was a considerable burden on the economy and weakened it in the longer term. This was to lead to instability in the decades following Severus death. The founder of the Severin dynasty gave the army a pay increase, according to the one source he ‘gave his soldiers sums of money such as no emperor had ever given before’ <ref> Life of Septimius Severus: Historia Augusta, x </ref>. To fund it he debased the Imperial currency. It has often been claimed that because he debased the currency that he caused the catastrophic inflation of the Third Century. However, Severus had a full treasury and his administration of the Imperial finances was excellent. It cannot be denied that he established a precedent for Emperors to debase the currency to pay the soldiers and this was to have disastrous financial and economic consequences for the Empire, especially in the Third Century. Severus ended a long tradition by allowing soldiers to marry. This, it is claimed led to a decline in standards of discipline in the army. Later commentators deplored Severus decision to allow soldiers to marry and believed that it diminished the army as a fighting force <ref>Campbell, p. 120</ref>. Married soldiers were reluctant to be transferred to other provinces and they would often mutiny if ordered to do so. Severus was very conscious of the threat of rebellion and to limit the risk of a powerful military rival, he reduced the number of legions under his general's control. This did not limit military rebellions and may even have reduced the effectiveness of the legions. Severus military policies at once placed a great strain on the Roman economy and created a military that was conscious of its power. This was to have terrible consequences in the Third Century when the legions could make and unmake Emperors at their will<ref> Campbell, p. 137</ref>.