Comrade | Guevara
In the Western world, the Roman Empire, which lasted for nearly 1500 years, was undoubtedly a symbol of glory and greatness, so much so that the United States, which now dominates the world, also likes to call itself "New Rome". However, looking through the history books shows that the period when the Roman Empire could really be called great and glorious was not too long, and most of the time it was actually accompanied by humiliation and chaos, and even the emperors often encountered bad luck. For example, as the shortest-lived emperor in the history of the Roman Empire, Gordian I is exemplary.
01 The experience before the emperor
Gordian I, full name Marcus Antonius Goldianus Sempronianus Romanus Afrighanus, was born circa 159. From the available historical data, it is likely that Gordian was born into a wealthy Roman knightly family, studied rhetoric and literature, and was appreciated by some great figures because of his talent, and thus entered politics. Gordian's political career was quite successful, and he served as commander of the Syrian provinces, governor of the British provinces, consuls, and Roman municipal officials.
Statue of Gordian I
During era era of Elabagalus as emperor (218-222), he imposed a brutal rule, including the former consul Bassus, the senator Messara, the governor of Cappadocia, Sulla, the commander of the Second Parthian Army, Trikchianus, and many other heavyweights, all of whom were executed under various pretexts, and the number of middle and lower-ranking officials who were killed was difficult to count. In this case, Gordian, who was already a year old, chose to retire and save his life, returning to his manor to watch the situation. However, although Gordian withdrew from politics, he still maintained great wealth and political influence, thus providing conditions for his comeback.
Elagabalus's absurd actions aroused the anger of the Roman senate and the populace, and the army stationed in the capital was extremely dissatisfied with him. Under the leadership of the Janissary commander Antiochyanus, the soldiers staged a coup d'état on 11 March 222 to hunt down the tyrant, and then installed his cousin Alexander Severus as emperor. During Alexander's reign, a large number of retired high-ranking officials were selected to serve in various places, including Gordian, whose new position was governor of the province of Afrika.
Statue of Alexander Severus
Although Gordian is old, he is still energetic and enterprising, and is determined to achieve something more in the final stages of his life. It was under Gordian's rule that the province of Afrika was protected from harassment by the nomadic Moors, maintained a stable, prosperous scene, and was economically richer than ever in the empire. Because of his successful governance achievements, Gordian was loved not only by the people of the province of Afrikaner, but also by Emperor Alexander and the Roman Senate.
02 Elected emperor
Although loved by the people and respected by the powerful, the elderly Gordian did not initially have a non-division of the imperial throne, but a series of unexpected changes eventually pushed him into the dragon chair, and the "fuse" was undoubtedly the murder of Emperor Alexander. On 18 March 235, when Alexander was preparing to launch a war against the Germans in the former Rhine-front city of Mainz, the soldiers mutinied, killing the emperor on the grounds that he was greedy for life and trying to make peace with the Germans, and then installed the barbarian general Maximinus as emperor.
Statue of Maximinus
After Becoming Emperor, Maximinus did not immediately return to the capital Rome, but continued to engage in Alexander's unfinished business, fighting the Germans on the Danube and Rhine lines. Maximinus was a strong man, often leading the way in battle, and under his command, the Roman legions crossed the border many times to destroy all enemy strongholds. After that, the Germanic people were far away from the Roman border and did not dare to invade the south easily. However, the protracted war also made the Roman Empire's finances tight, and if it wanted to expand the results of the war, it was necessary to find another way to open up financial resources.
In March 238, Maximinus, in order to finance the army, sent a treasurer to the wealthy province of Afrikaners to collect a special tax. Due to the high tax rate and the arrogant attitude of the treasurer, the result was a siege by the local farmers, and the treasurer was killed on the spot. Afterwards, the farmers led their armed peasants to the capital of Carthage and asked governor Gordian to defend their interests. Soon, the petition campaign turned into a pro-boo drama, and Gordian was elected emperor by the people.
Roman Senate
At the instigation of the people, the hot-headed Gordian accepted the push and sent a letter to the Senate requesting formal recognition. According to common sense, Gordian's actions were tantamount to rebellion, but since the Senate had great respect for him, coupled with the great dislike of Maximinus, who was of barbarian origin, humble family, and rough style, he successfully passed the resolution to recognize Gordian as emperor. However, the Roman Senate, considering that Gordian I was old and frail and did not have enough energy to govern the country and fight wars, made his son Gordian II the Co-Emperor (Note: the Co-Emperor was equivalent to a vice-monarch, and his status was slightly lower than that of the Zheng Emperor).
03 Defeated and committed suicide
The Senate, out of hatred for the barbarian emperor, while installing Gordian I as emperor, also issued an edict condemning Maximinus as the "enemy of the state" and rewarding him with a heavy reward for his head. Things have reached such a point that the two sides have lost any possibility of reconciliation and have resorted only to war. Sure enough, when Maximinus heard the news, he immediately signed an armistice with the Germans, and then personally led a large army to Rome, and the civil war broke out.
Map of the heyday of the Roman Empire
According to the plan, Maximinus first led an army into Rome, and after taking control of the capital and executing the senators who opposed him, he crossed the sea to destroy Gordian I's father and son. However, while Maximinus was still on his way to Rome, his loyal follower, Caperianus, governor of the province of Numidia, responded to the lord and led his army to attack the province of Afrikaner. Due to the small number of regular troops stationed in the province of Afrika, Gordian I, upon learning the news, had to temporarily gather a large number of militiamen to fight the enemy.
On 12 April 238, the battle began near Carthage, the capital of the province of Afrikaners, and the miscellaneous army led by Gordian II was defeated on the battlefield, and even the Emperor himself was killed on the battlefield. After the news reached Carthage, Gordian I, knowing that the tide was gone, and mourning the death of his son, chose to hang himself on the same day. From his reign to his death, Gordian I reigned for only 22 days (22 March – 12 April), making him the shortest-lived emperor in the history of the Roman Empire.
Imperial Guards of the Roman Empire
When the news of the death of Gordian I's father and son reached the army, Maximinus was very excited, confident that he would definitely win the civil war. However, Maximinus's fantasies lasted less than a month before they were shattered by the harsh reality. On 10 May of the same year, the Second Parthian Legion, bought off by the Senate, mutinied in Aquileia and attacked while the Emperor was asleep at night, killing Maximinus. As a result, Rome was saved, and the Senate became the final winner of the civil war.
bibliography
Edward Gibbon: A History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Peking University Press, 2015.
J· R. Martinell, A History of the Late Roman Empire, Cambridge University Press, 1992.
Shiono Shinobu (Japanese): The Story of the Romans, CITIC Publishing House, 2011.