Septimius Severus; Rome's first African Emperor

The Roman Empire was three times ruled by African Emperors

Whats hidden in the dark will eventually come into the light. The problem is, when it does, Most people turn away from the light. They have grown comfortable and being ignorant and living in the dark.
In 193 AD an African named Septimius Severus, who was the general of the army in Upper Pannonia, made himself emperor with the support of the army.
Clodius Albinus
He beat the other candidates, though it took him several years to finally defeat the most serious threat, Clodius Albinus, also an African and the governor of Britain.
Then in 197 AD the Parthians, seeing civil war in the Roman Empire, attacked again. Septimius Severus went there and pushed the Parthians back again.
After travelling around the Empire, he spent four years in Rome before going to England to fight an invasion there. Septimius Severus died in England, at York, in February 211 AD. He left the Empire jointly to his two sons, Caracalla and Geta.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Septimius_Severus