Maximinus Thrax (235 - 238 AD)
Family and Background
Aside from the fact that he was probably born in 172 or 173, we know
nothing for certain about Maximinus' life and career before 235, and
fantastic stories were later told about it. His full name (Gaius
Julius Verus Maximinus) suggests that he may have been a descendent of
a veteren family settled in the Balkans in the reign of Augustus (the
cognomen Thrax is a fourth-century invention). He presumably saw a
good deal of service in the army beginning in the reign of Septimius
Severus, and had risen to high rank by 235, when he was in command of
some recently recruited troops. He does not seem to have been a
member of the senate. We also cannot know to what extent to was
responsible for the revolt that ended in Alexander's murder in 235.
Later tradition makes him solely responsible, but these traditions are
so biased that they cannot be trusted.
Principal Events (Foriegn)
- 235-36: Campaign on the Rhine
- 236-37: Campaign against the Sarmatians (middle Danube)
Principal Events (Domestic)
- 235 (probably): Revolt of Magnus (possibly C. Petronius Magnus,
who was praetor under Severus or Caracalla, and consul at some
point under AlexanderÑthe sources say only that he was an
ex-consul and a patrician).
- 235 (probably): Revolt of Quartinus, said to have been a friend of
Alexander and an ex- consul. He was proclaimed emperor by troops
loyal to the memory of Alexander.
- 235 (probably): Reduction in grain distributions at Rome.
- 238 (January): Revolt of the Gordian I and II (father and son) in
North Africa.
- 238 (February): Revolt of Italy; proclamation of Pupienus,
Balbinus, and Gordian III (maternal grandson of Gordian I).
- 238 (April): Siege of Aquileia in northern Italy begins,
proclamtion of Maximinus' son Maximus as co-emperor.
- 238 (April): Siege of Aquileia fails, Maximinus and Maximus
murdered by their men.
Outlines of Policy
The sources are so uniformly hostile to Maximinus that it is hard to
say much about him. But there is some evidence to suggest that he
appears to have lacked broad support in the army, which may suggest
that he was indeed the leader of a group within the army that was
particularly opposed to Alexander. It is interesting that two people
who were senior to him tried to kill him shortly after he took the
throne, and that one of them (Quartinus) seems to have had some real
support amongst the troops. Otherwise we know that he had serious
finacial trouble (the result of having to bribe the army that was with
him to remain loyal) and that this cost him support at Rome, where his
enemies were able to take advantage of genuineantipathy towards him
and his representatives, to set the revolt of 238 on a serious
footing.
Further Reading
Herodian, History of the Years after the Death of Marcus, 7-8;
Historia Augusta, Life of Maximinus Thrax (virtually complete fantasy);
Historia Augusta, Lives of the Three Gordians (some interesting detail and much fiction);
Zosimus, New History (a sixth century history of varying reliablity, and never very informative);
Eutropius, Short History of Rome; Potter, Prophecy and History in the Crisis of the Roman Empire.