Editing Severus Alexander (section)

===Military discipline===
Alexander's reign was also characterized by a significant breakdown of military discipline.{{sfn|Campbell|1984|p=196}} In 228, the [[Praetorian Guard]] murdered their [[Praetorian prefect|prefect]], Ulpian,{{sfn|Campbell|1984|p=196}} in Alexander's presence. Alexander could not openly punish the ringleader of the riot, and instead removed him to a nominal post of honor in [[Egypt]] and then [[Crete]], where he was "quietly put out of the way" sometime after the excitement had abated.<ref name="ledlie-ulpian">{{cite journal |last1=Ledlie |first1=James Crawford |title=Ulpian |journal=Journal of the Society of Comparative Legislation |date=1903 |volume=5 |issue=1 |page=19 |jstor=751768 }}</ref> The soldiers then fought a three-day battle against the populace of Rome, and this battle ended after several parts of the city were set on fire.{{sfn|Campbell|1984|p=197}}

Dio was among those who gave a highly critical account of military discipline during the time, saying that the soldiers would rather just surrender to the enemy.{{sfn|Campbell|1984|p=197}} Different reasons are given for this issue; Campbell points to <blockquote>...the decline in the prestige of the Severan dynasty, the feeble nature of Alexander himself, who appeared to be no soldier and to be completely dominated by his mother's advice, and lack of real military success at a time during which the empire was coming under increasing pressure.{{sfn|Campbell|1984|p=197}}</blockquote>
Herodian, on the other hand, was convinced that "the emperor's miserliness (partly the result of his mother's greed) and slowness to bestow donatives" were instrumental in the fall of military discipline under Alexander.{{sfn|Campbell|1984|p=197}}