Gordian III
Marcus Antonius Gordianus Pius Augustus was Roman Emperor from 238-244 CE. He was the grandson of Gordian II and the nephew of Gordian II who were Senate-backed emperors for a short while before being killed by soldiers loyal to Maximinus Thrax.
In the civil war between the Senate and Maximinus Thrax, Gordian III was proclaimed emperor alongside two senior senators, Balbinus and Pupienus. They were wildly unpopular, though, despite nominally defeating Maximinus and after four weeks they were murdered by the Preatorian Guard and Gordian was proclaimed sole emperor. And so, at the age of 13, he became the youngest emperor to rule the united Roman Empire. Due to Gordian's age, the imperial government was initially surrendered to the Senate.
In 241, Gordian was married to Furia Sabinia Tranquillina, daughter of the newly appointed praetorian prefect, Timesitheus. As chief of the Praetorian Guard and father in law of the Emperor, Timesitheus quickly became the de facto ruler of the Roman Empire.
During an otherwise successful campaign against the Sassanid Empire, Gordian III died – either in battle or via treason – and was succeeded by Marcus Julius Philippus, also known as Philip the Arab.
My Coins
I don't have a lot of coins of Gordian III – not because they're rare or anything, in fact they are quite common. But for some reason I don't really find them that appealing.
| # | Reference | Obverse | Reverse | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sear 8612 | Fortvna Redux | |||
| 2 | Sear 8626 | Oriens Avg |