Welcome to an exploration of one of Rome’s most intriguing figures, Maximinus Thrax, often referred to as the Barbarian Emperor. His story is a fascinating chapter in the history of the Roman Empire, marked by strength, ambition, and a turbulent reign.
Maximinus Thrax was born around 173 AD in a small village in Thrace, which is why he earned the nickname “Thrax.” His origins were humble, and he was often labeled a barbarian due to his non-Roman background. While historical accounts of his early life are sparse and sometimes exaggerated, it is believed that he worked as a shepherd before rising to prominence.
Thrax’s physical stature was legendary. Descriptions suggest he was over 8 feet tall, with immense strength that made him a formidable figure. His size and strength naturally led him to a military career, where he first served in the cavalry under Emperor Septimius Severus. His prowess in military games caught the emperor’s attention, leading to his appointment as a palace bodyguard.
Maximinus Thrax’s military career flourished under the Severan dynasty, earning him numerous honors. However, political turmoil ensued when the Praetorian Prefect Macrinus assassinated Emperor Caracalla and briefly seized power. Thrax withdrew from the army during this period but returned when the Severan dynasty was restored under Elagabalus.
Under Emperor Severus Alexander, Thrax was appointed to command the Italian Fourth Legion, where he excelled in training new recruits. His popularity among the soldiers grew, setting the stage for his eventual rise to power.
In 235 AD, dissatisfaction with Severus Alexander’s leadership led the army to proclaim Maximinus Thrax as emperor. Despite initial reluctance, Thrax accepted the role, and the Senate confirmed his position. His reign was characterized by a ruthless approach to governance, eliminating those loyal to Alexander and excluding nobles from his inner circle.
Thrax’s strategy was to maintain the loyalty of his soldiers by granting them wealth and launching military campaigns. He led a campaign in Germany to secure Rome’s borders, achieving victories despite significant losses.
By 238 AD, discontent with Thrax’s rule had reached a boiling point. A revolt erupted in the Roman province of Africa, where the people declared Gordian as the new emperor. Although the rebellion was initially successful, it was eventually crushed, and Gordian I and his son met tragic ends.
Despite the rebellion’s failure, the Senate declared Thrax and his son enemies of the state. Thrax attempted to march on Rome, but his own soldiers turned against him, leading to his assassination. His brutal reign came to an end, and the Roman Empire continued to grapple with instability.
Maximinus Thrax’s story is a testament to the complexities of Roman imperial politics and the challenges of maintaining power. His rise from humble beginnings to the throne of Rome is a remarkable tale of ambition and strength, albeit marred by a reign of violence and paranoia. The legacy of Maximinus Thrax serves as a reminder of the turbulent times during the Crisis of the Third Century.
Investigate the Roman military hierarchy during the time of Maximinus Thrax. Prepare a presentation that outlines the roles and responsibilities of different military ranks, focusing on how Thrax’s military career might have influenced his rise to power. Present your findings to the class, highlighting key aspects of Roman military organization.
Engage in a debate with your classmates on whether Maximinus Thrax should be considered a true Roman emperor or a barbarian outsider. Use historical evidence from the article and additional research to support your arguments. Consider his background, actions, and the perceptions of his contemporaries in your discussion.
Write a series of diary entries from the perspective of Maximinus Thrax, covering key moments in his life, such as his rise to power, military campaigns, and eventual downfall. Use historical facts to guide your narrative, but feel free to explore his thoughts and emotions creatively. Share your entries with the class for feedback.
Create a detailed map illustrating the military campaigns led by Maximinus Thrax, particularly his efforts in Germany. Annotate the map with key battles, troop movements, and strategic decisions. Present your map to the class, explaining the significance of each campaign and its impact on the Roman Empire.
Participate in a role-playing exercise where you assume the roles of Roman senators during the reign of Maximinus Thrax. Discuss and decide on actions to address the challenges posed by his rule, such as military loyalty and political instability. Reflect on the complexities of governance during this tumultuous period in Roman history.
**Sanitized Transcript:**
Welcome back to Biographics! I’m your host, Eric Malachite, and today’s protagonist is none other than Maximinus Thrax, the Barbarian Emperor of Rome. Ru Alexander penned the script for this one, so be sure to give him a big thanks in the comments. As always, check out my links in the description if you enjoy my content, and let’s get to it!
Nothing lasts forever. Today, we remember the might of the Roman Empire, but it could not go on endlessly. When exactly the decline began is a topic for historians to debate, but we can argue that the Empire reached its peak in the 2nd century AD during the reigns of the Five Good Emperors and slowly went downhill afterward. That slow decline fell off a cliff 50 years later when the end of the Severan dynasty brought about a long period of great instability and weakness known as the Crisis of the 3rd Century. This upheaval was triggered by the violent and tumultuous reign of a man known as Maximinus Thrax.
We start off with a quick mention of our sources, which could be better. Roman emperors are usually well-documented, but that’s not the case here, especially regarding the early life of Maximinus Thrax. The historian Herodian is probably the best source on the subject since he was a contemporary, while the Historia Augusta has a detailed account of the Emperor’s life, but it is prone to exaggeration.
Maximinus Thrax was born circa 173 AD in a small village in Thrace, hence his moniker “Thrax.” He was of low birth, which is why he was often referred to as a barbarian. His parents’ identities are debated; Herodian describes Thrax as a half-barbarian who worked as a shepherd as a boy, while the Historia Augusta claims his father was a Goth named Mika and his mother an Alan named Ababa. Thrax himself concealed this fact once he became emperor to downplay his origins, adopting the more Roman name of Gaius Julius Verus Maximinus.
Maximinus Thrax was a mountain of a man, and his feats of strength would put many to shame. Most of these tales have likely been exaggerated, but we can say with a fair degree of confidence that Maximinus Thrax was the largest Roman emperor in history. It is said that he was over 8 feet tall, strong enough to crumble stone, and that he could wear his wife’s bracelet as a ring on his thumb. Besides his Herculean strength, Thrax was also said to be courageous and, in a way, handsome, although he had a fierce temper and rough manners.
Unsurprisingly, a man of his size made a fine addition to the military, enlisting sometime around 190 AD and first serving in the cavalry under Emperor Septimius Severus, the founder of the Severan dynasty. As the story goes, Thrax first came to the attention of the emperor during military games celebrating the birthday of Severus’s son, future Emperor Geta. Wrestling was one of the events, and Thrax wanted to participate. Severus, seeing his size, was eager to have him compete, but since Thrax was not a military man at that point, the emperor considered it improper for a civilian to wrestle his highly trained soldiers. Instead, Severus put Thrax in a gauntlet match against civilian prisoners, and he defeated 16 of them in one go, earning 16 prizes.
Impressed, Severus made Thrax a palace bodyguard. His strength and bravery made him popular with the soldiers, allowing him to advance through the ranks. This continued under Severus’s successors, his sons Caracalla and Geta, and Thrax was awarded multiple military honors. However, this stopped in 217 AD when the Praetorian Prefect Macrinus plotted Caracalla’s assassination and claimed the throne for himself. Thrax wanted nothing to do with this and left the army to live on his estate. Unfortunately for him, Macrinus was only emperor for a year before he was killed, and the Severan dynasty was restored with Elagabalus coming to the throne.
Thrax returned to Rome, eager to rejoin the army, only to discover that Elagabalus was more concerned with his hedonistic desires than military matters. Eventually, Thrax was persuaded to stay and was made a Tribune, although he usually tried to avoid the emperor. Fortunately for him, Elagabalus was not around for long, and he was replaced by the 14-year-old Severus Alexander.
Unlike his predecessors, Alexander welcomed Thrax into his service and put him in charge of the Italian Fourth Legion, tasking him with training new recruits. Despite his young age, Alexander had a lengthy and prosperous reign of 13 years, during which Thrax did an excellent job of preparing his men for battle. However, this made Thrax incredibly popular with the soldiers, while Alexander was often seen as a boy playing emperor.
By 235 AD, the army had had enough of Severus Alexander. The final straw is usually claimed to be his desire to bribe the Germanic tribes instead of fighting them, which the army saw as a sign of weakness. In March 235 AD, while Alexander was meeting with his generals near modern Mainz, Germany, Thrax’s soldiers proclaimed him emperor and were on their way to kill Alexander. Thrax initially accepted the title begrudgingly, but his men insisted, and he ultimately took on the role.
Severus Alexander found out about the treachery in time to rally his troops, but they were not eager to sacrifice themselves for him. Some soldiers joined Thrax, while others left the battlefield. A few centurions entered the royal quarters and killed Alexander, his mother, and his friends. With his death, the Severan dynasty ended, and the Senate confirmed Maximinus Thrax as Augustus.
The Senate was wary of a lowly Thracian becoming emperor, but they had no choice. Thrax ruled with a bloody iron fist, putting to death many who were still loyal to Alexander or who had offended him. He would not allow anyone of noble birth in his inner circle, clearly sensitive about his origins. Early in his reign, Thrax uncovered an assassination plot orchestrated by a nobleman named Magnus and executed everyone involved, making him more paranoid and bloodthirsty.
Thrax’s strategy was to treat all administrative matters of the Empire like military affairs. He believed he could kill noblemen and oppress common people as long as he kept his soldiers happy. To maintain their respect, he granted them riches and launched a campaign in Germany to protect Rome’s borders. He started with a war against the elements, leading to a deadly battle in a swamp, which he won despite heavy casualties.
However, the people of the Roman Empire had had enough of Thrax’s rule. In 238 AD, while he was in Pannonia pursuing military glory, a revolt broke out in the Roman province of Africa. The procurator was a man after the emperor’s own heart, but the people were fed up with the extortions and abuses. An angry mob killed him and proclaimed the African governor, Gordian, as the new emperor.
Gordian was initially reluctant to accept the title, but eventually agreed, provided his son was made co-emperor. They traveled to Rome to announce their intentions, promising to undo the evils done by Thrax. The Senate proclaimed the two as Augusti and declared Thrax and his son enemies of the state.
Thrax, hearing of the rebellion, tried to downplay it but ultimately rallied his soldiers to march on Rome. However, the rebellion was crushed by the governor of Numidia, who was loyal to Thrax. Gordian I was killed in battle, and his father hanged himself upon hearing the news.
With the Gordian dynasty ended, the Senate was in a difficult position. They named two new emperors from their ranks, but this did not go as planned. Thrax’s army crossed the Empire unimpeded, and when they attempted to lay siege to the city of Aquila, they were met with resistance. Ultimately, Thrax was assassinated by his own soldiers, ending his brutal reign.
Later that year, the two new emperors were also assassinated, leaving Gordian III as the sole ruler.
I hope you enjoyed this video and found it entertaining and educational. If you did, be sure to do all that algorithmic jazz. I’m Eric Malachite, and I’ll see you next time!
Maximinus – Maximinus, also known as Maximinus Thrax, was a Roman emperor who ruled from 235 to 238 AD, known for his military background and the challenges he faced during his reign. – Maximinus’s rise to power marked a period of instability in the Roman Empire, characterized by military upheaval and political strife.
Thrax – Thrax refers to the Thracian origin of Maximinus, highlighting his background and the perception of him as a barbarian by the Roman elite. – The epithet “Thrax” emphasized Maximinus’s non-Roman origins, which were often used to question his legitimacy as an emperor.
Roman – Roman pertains to the ancient civilization of Rome, known for its influential culture, politics, and military conquests. – The Roman Empire’s extensive network of roads facilitated the movement of troops and goods across vast distances.
Empire – An empire is a large political unit or state, usually under a single leader, that controls many peoples or territories. – The Roman Empire at its height encompassed territories across Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East.
Military – Military refers to the armed forces of a country, responsible for defending it against external threats and maintaining internal order. – The Roman military was a key factor in the expansion and maintenance of the empire’s vast territories.
Politics – Politics involves the activities associated with governance, decision-making, and the distribution of power within a society. – The politics of the Roman Senate often involved complex negotiations and alliances among powerful families.
Rebellion – Rebellion is an act of violent or open resistance to an established government or ruler. – The rebellion against Maximinus Thrax was fueled by dissatisfaction with his harsh military rule and heavy taxation.
Senate – The Senate was a political institution in ancient Rome, composed of leaders from Rome’s aristocratic families, which played a significant role in governance. – The Roman Senate was instrumental in shaping the policies and direction of the Republic and later the Empire.
Leadership – Leadership is the action of leading a group of people or an organization, often involving decision-making and guiding others. – The leadership of Augustus was pivotal in transitioning Rome from a republic to an empire.
Legacy – Legacy refers to something handed down by a predecessor, often in terms of cultural or historical impact. – The legacy of the Roman legal system continues to influence modern legal frameworks around the world.
