He was a beast of a man, a giant of Ancient Rome. According to the Augusta Historia, he was eight feet six inches tall. He was said to wear sandals twice the size of regular army issue, ate 40 lbs of meat in one setting, crush rocks with his fists, and once knocked out a mule with his punch. Today it’s his physical traits that are most remembered about him, the trait which gets him consistently listed on clickbait articles on the internet. I feel this is unfortunate since most people remember that one detail about him but have no clue as to the more interesting details of his reign and why he was important in Roman history. Many articles about him completely omit details of his emperorship, neglecting to show why he was an important figure in Roman history. To me, the story of his life and his role in Roman history are far more interesting than tales of him being a 8+ foot tall giant. Plus, its doubtful that Thrax was actually over 8 feet tall. Sounds to me like a load of humbuggery and ancient tall tales, no pun intended.
Maximinus Thrax was born on 173 AD in the province of Thrace to a Gothic father and Alan mother. Throughout history going back before the days of Alexander the Great Thrace was looked upon as a country filled with people who were a bit rough around the edges. As a result, Maximinus was often looked upon by his contemporaries as an uncivilized illiterate barbarian. Throughout most of Roman history, emperors typically had patrician roots, being descended from wealthy and powerful families and growing up in a culture of privilege, wealth, and ambition. Typically the children of Roman patrician families were groomed to eventually take careers as powerful politicians or military leaders. Not so with Maximinus, who was born a nobody and joined the Roman Army as a common foot soldier. Maximinus stood out as a soldier, and while legends of him being 8 feet tall are certainly tall tales, he probably was a larger than usual man. He was also very accomplished in his soldiering skills. He could out run, out swim, out box, and out wrestle any man in the Roman Army. He was exceptionally disciplined, his courage was exemplary, and in battle he was very deadly. Over time Maximinus climbed the ranks, going from a common foot soldier to a decanus (squad leader), a decanus to an optio (2nd in command below a centurion), and an optio to a centurion. Eventually Maximinus became a legate, commander of the 6th Legion, a rank typically reserved for politicians with patrician backgrounds. Maximinus was one of the few military officers in Roman history who had risen the ranks from a plebeian background.
In 235 AD Maximinus Thrax was a legion commander under the reign of Emperor Severus Alexander. Alexander was seen as a weak emperor. He had led a disastrous military campaign in Parthia, after which most of his military policy was to pay off Rome’s enemies with large sums of cash. Most Roman’s saw this policy of appeasement as a stain on Roman honor, and it was clear that Alexander had to go. In that year the legions revolted against the rule of Alexander, murdering him during a meeting with his generals and electing Maximinus as the new emperor. It was no surprise they chose him to be emperor. He was a loved and respected soldier in the army, an everyman who understood the plight of the common Roman. While he had little to no support from the Roman Senate, he was a favorite of the plebeians, who were tired of being ruled by snobbish aristocrats and who believed that for once someone was in power who would do something to help out the average joe.
Maximinus immediately moved to secure his position by eliminating the many political leaders who posed a threat, or who he perceived as a threat to his power. The Roman Senate held Maximinus with an attitude of hostile contempt and were determined to do away with the barbarian hayseed who had undermined their authority. They organized a counter-revolt centered in Carthage, led by the North African prefect Gordian I and his son Gordian II. The Gordians were determined but lacked necessary troops, relying upon an army of poorly trained and equipped Carthaginian militia Maximinus was able to easily put down the revolt, resulting in the death of Gordian II in battle and subsequent suicide of Gordian I. Maximinus then sought to secure the Roman frontier by invading Germany, earning a number of subsequent victories which ensured that for at least a while the Germanic tribes would leave Rome alone.
Once Maximinus’ position as emperor was secure, he sought a military first policy that would ultimately prove to be disastrous for his reign. While he may have been a great soldier, he had no skills as a politician and administrator, and had little understanding of the need to satisfy the various interest groups which kept the Roman state ticking. Maximinus planned to expand the military and strengthen the defenses of the empire to the point that no foreign power would ever again dare to challenge Roman might. He also doubled the pay of the soldier. Unfortunately denarii don’t grow on trees and the coffers of Rome lacked the funds needed to accomplish Maximinus’ plans. He hated the Roman aristocracy and they hated him, so it seemed simple to merely take the wealth from the wealthy. He began a program where the state seized the properties and wealth of powerful patrician families to fund his military objectives. While the Roman aristocracy was certainly discontent with Maximinus’ rule before, now they were super duper pissed off. However, the wealth of the aristocracy was not enough, so then Maximinus went after the plebeian class. He rose taxes on the common Roman, so much so that the economy crashed and it became impossible for the average pleb to eke out a living. Then he cut the grain dole, a form of welfare that often kept the impoverished Roman masses from violently rioting in the streets. As a result, the Roman masses began to violently riot in the streets.
Maximinus had quickly managed to alienate his broadest base of support, but he still had the military. Throughout Roman history it was always a good idea for an emperor to go out of his way to ensure that the legions were happy. After all an emperor who didn’t make the legions happy ran the risk of having his decapitated head fixed to a pike. Maximinus believed that discipline in the Roman Army was becoming too lax, so he instituted a reformation of the army with discipline in mind. To say Maximinus’ discipline program was harsh is an understatement, even the most minor or mundane infractions could result in cruel punishments such as beatings, floggings, or even death. Instead of instilling discipline, Roman soldiers became disgruntled and morale plummeted. Strike three for Maximinus Thrax.
In 238, the Roman Senate organized a second rebellion against Maximinus, who responded by marching his army from the German border to Italy. He crossed the Alps with plans to use the city of Emmona as a resupply base. However, when the army reached Emmona, they found the city empty and devoid of all supplies and food. The starving army marched on, laying siege to the heavily fortified city of Aquilleia. The groaning stomachs of the soldiers were bad enough, but having Maximinus roaming the army camp micromanaging everything and doling out harsh punishments for chickenshit infractions was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
On the morning of May 10th, 238 the defenders of Aquilleia awoke to an approaching envoy from Maximinus’ army marching towards the city under a banner of truce. At the front of the envoy was a Praetorian Guard holding a pike upon which was fixed the decapitated head of Maximinus Thrax, former Emperor of Rome.
The story of Maximinus Thrax does not end with a happy story for the Roman Empire. Maximinus was the first of what historians call the “barracks emperors”, basically emperors who were military commanders who used their position to seize the throne. The beginning of Maximinus Thrax’s reign began a 50 year long period known as the Crises of the Third Century, a period where every two bit Roman general claimed the title of emperor to the point that there were over 26 claimants to the throne. During this period, the empire nearly collapsed from civil war, economic depression, barbarian invasion, revolts,rebellions, and plague. The reign of Maximinus Thrax would signify the beginning of the end of Rome. Sure, there were bright points like Diocletian’s reforms and the rise of Constantine the Great, however it is quite clear that the golden age of the empire had come and gone, and that the rest of Roman history involved stagnation and decline leading to Rome’s inevitable fall.
amandla
s-u-f-j-a-n-s-t-e-v-e-n-s
germansingergirl
