Gordian III
Gordian III (Marcus Antonius Gordianus),grandson of Gordian I by a daughter, was forced on Balbinus and Pupienus as their Caesar and, after their murder (mid AD 238), saluted emperor by the praetorians at the age of 13. The conduct of affairs was at first in the hands of his backers but, as fiscal and military difficulties increased, it passed to the praetorian prefect Gaius Furius Sabinius Aquila Timesitheus (241). Timesitheus prepared a major campaign against Persia which, beginning in 242, achieved substantial success before his death, by illness, in 243. Gordian replaced Timesitheus with one of the latter's protégés, Marcus Iulius Philippus, who continued the war. However, the Roman army suffered defeat near Ctesiphon in Mesopotamia, and shortly afterwards Gordian died of his wounds (early 244). He was succeeded by Philippus.
Though the period of the Gordians shows some of the characteristics of the 3rd-cent. ‘crisis’, it is best...
[The entire page is 169 words long]
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
Oxford University Press Titles
