Maximinus Thrax | |||||||||
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Roman emperor | |||||||||
Reign | c. March 235 – June 238[1] | ||||||||
Predecessor | Severus Alexander | ||||||||
Successors | Pupienus and Balbinus | ||||||||
Rivals | Gordian I and II | ||||||||
Born | c. 173 (?) Thracia | ||||||||
Died | c. June 238 (aged ~65) Aquileia, Italy | ||||||||
Spouse | Caecilia Paulina | ||||||||
Issue | Gaius Julius Verus Maximus | ||||||||
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Father | Unknown, possibly Micca[3] | ||||||||
Mother | Unknown, possibly Ababa[3] |
Maximinus Thrax (Latin: Gaius Julius Verus Maximinus "Thrax"; c. 173 – 238) was a Roman emperor from 235 to 238. Born of Thracian origin – given the nickname "Thrax" ("the Thracian") – he rose up through the military ranks, ultimately holding high command in the army of the Rhine under Emperor Severus Alexander. After Severus was murdered in 235, he was proclaimed emperor by the army, beginning the Crisis of the Third Century. He is often remembered for his unusual height "as the tallest Roman emperor."
His father was an accountant in the governor's office. Maximinus was the commander of the Legio IV Italica when Severus Alexander was assassinated by his own troops in 235. The Pannonian army then elected Maximinus emperor.[4]
In 238 (which came to be known as the Year of the Six Emperors), a senatorial revolt broke out, leading to the successive proclamation of Gordian I, Gordian II, Pupienus, Balbinus, and Gordian III as emperors in opposition to Maximinus. Maximinus advanced on Rome to put down the revolt, but was halted at Aquileia, where he was assassinated by disaffected elements of the Legio II Parthica.
Maximinus is described by several ancient sources, though only Herodian's Roman History is contemporary. He was a so-called barracks emperor of the 3rd century;[5] his rule is often considered to mark the beginning of the Crisis of the Third Century. Maximinus was the first emperor who hailed neither from the senatorial class nor from the equestrian class.
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