GORDIAN
III Roman Emperor 238AD Biography and Authentic Ancient Roman Coins for
Sale
Buy GORDIAN III Africanus Roman Emperor coins from a
trusted ancient coin dealer. Marcus Antonius Gordianus Pius was
Roman Emperor from 238 to 244. Gordian
was the son of
Antonia Gordiana and his father was an
unnamed Roman Senator who died before 238. Antonia Gordiana was the
daughter of Emperor
Gordian I and younger sister of Emperor
Gordian II. Very little is known on his
early life before becoming Roman Emperor. Gordian had assumed the name
of his maternal grandfather in 238.
You can find more about Gordian III watching the vide below
All coins you purchase from the store are professionally researched,
photographed and provided with a lifetime guarantee of authenticity.
Marcus Antonius Gordianus Pius (January
20,
225
February 11,
244), known in
English as Gordian III,
 was
Roman Emperor from 238 to 244. Gordian
was the son of
Antonia Gordiana and his father was an
unnamed Roman Senator who died before 238. Antonia Gordiana was the
daughter of Emperor
Gordian I and younger sister of Emperor
Gordian II. Very little is known on his
early life before becoming Roman Emperor. Gordian had assumed the name
of his maternal grandfather in 238.
Following the murder of emperor
Alexander Severus in Moguntiacum
(modern
Mainz), the capital of the
Roman province
Germania Inferior,
Maximinus Thrax was acclaimed emperor,
despite strong opposition of the
Roman senate and the majority of the
population. In response to what was considered in Rome as a rebellion,
Gordian's grandfather and uncle, Gordian I and II, were proclaimed joint
emperors in the
Africa Province. Their revolt was
suppressed within a month by Cappellianus, governor of
Numidia and a loyal supporter of
Maximinus Thrax. The elder Gordians died, but public opinion cherished
their memory as peace loving and literate men, victims of Maximinus'
oppression.
Meanwhile, Maximinus was on the verge of marching on
Rome and the Senate elected
Pupienus and
Balbinus as joint emperors. These
senators were not popular men and the population of Rome was still
shocked by the elder Gordian's fate, so that the Senate decided to take
the teenager Gordian, rename him Marcus Antonius Gordianus as his
grandfather, and raise him to the rank of
Caesar and imperial heir.
Pupienus and
Balbinus defeated Maximinus, mainly due
to the defection of several
legions, namely the
II Parthica
who assassinated Maximinus. But their joint reign was doomed from the
start with popular riots, military discontent and even an enormous fire
that consumed Rome in June 238. On
July 29, Pupienus and Balbinus
were killed by the
Praetorian guard and Gordian proclaimed
sole emperor.
Rule
Due to Gordian's age, the imperial government was
surrendered to the aristocratic families, who controlled the affairs of
Rome through the senate. In 240,
Sabinianus revolted in the African
province, but the situation was dealt quickly. 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.
In the 3rd century, the Roman frontiers weakened
against the Germanic tribes across the
Rhine and
Danube, and the
Sassanid kingdom across the
Euphrates increased its own attacks.
When the Persians under
Shapur I invaded
Mesopotamia, the young emperor opened
the doors of the
Temple of Janus for the last time in
Roman history, and sent a huge army to the East. The Sassanids were
driven back over the Euphrates and defeated in the
Battle of Resaena (243). The campaign
was a success and Gordian, who had joined the army, was planning an
invasion of the enemy's territory, when his father-in-law died in
unclear circumstances. Without Timesitheus, the campaign, and the
emperor's security, were at risk.
Marcus Julius Philippus, also known as
Philip the Arab, stepped in at this
moment as the new Praetorian Prefect and the campaign proceeded. In the
beginning of 244, the Persians counter-attacked. Persian sources claim
that a battle was fought (Battle
of Misiche) near modern
Fallujah (Iraq)
and resulted in a major Roman defeat and the death of Gordian III[1].
Roman sources do not mention this battle and suggest that Gordian died
far away, upstream of the Euphrates. Although ancient sources often
described Philip, who succeeded Gordian as emperor, as having murdered
Gordian at Zaitha (Qalat es Salihiyah), the cause of Gordian's death is
unknown.
Gordian's youth and good nature, along with the
deaths of his grandfather and uncle and his own tragic fate at the hands
of another usurper, granted him the everlasting esteem of the Romans.
Despite the opposition of the new emperor, Gordian was deified by the
Senate after his death, in order to appease the population and avoid
riots. | 
