Year of the Six Emperors

This was an early symptom of what historians now call the Crisis of the Third Century, also known as Military Anarchy or the Imperial Crisis (AD 235–285), a period in which the Roman Empire nearly collapsed under the combined pressures of foreign invasions and migrations into the Roman territory, plagues, civil wars, peasant rebellions, political instability (with multiple usurpers competing for power), Roman reliance on (and growing influence of) foreign mercenaries known as foederati and commanders nominally working for Rome (but increasingly independent), the devastating social and economic effects of the plague, debasement of currency, and economic depression.

The Historia Augusta states: "The Romans could bear his barbarities no longer—the way in which he called up informers and incited accusers, invented false offences, killed innocent men, condemned all whoever came to trial, reduced the richest men to utter poverty and never sought money anywhere save in some other's ruin, put many generals and many men of consular rank to death for no offence, carried others about in wagons without food and drink, and kept others in confinement, in short neglected nothing which he thought might prove effectual for cruelty—and, unable to suffer these things longer, they rose against him in revolt.

"[1] Some young aristocrats in Africa murdered the imperial tax-collector then approached the regional governor, Gordian, and insisted that he proclaim himself emperor.

Gordian agreed reluctantly, but as he was almost 80 years old, he decided to make his son joint emperor, with equal power.

With no other candidates in view, they elected two elderly senators, Pupienus and Balbinus (who had both been part of a special senatorial commission to deal with Maximinus), as joint emperors.

Soldiers of the II Parthica killed Maximinus in his tent, along with his son Maximus (who had been appointed heir in 236), and surrendered to Pupienus at the end of June.

They were planning an enormous double campaign, Pupienus against the Parthians and Balbinus against the Carpians (Grant says against the Goths and the Persians, respectively), but they quarrelled frequently and could not agree or trust each other.

These indicate the following:[2] News of events in Rome could take a whole month to reach Egypt, so it can be deduced that Gordian III's proclamation took place in August or late July.

[4] However, Richard Burgess considers that the rest of the evidence better matches Maximinus, who did indeed suffer from damnatio memoriae (unlike Gordian).

Eutropius indicates that Maximinus reigned "3 years and a few days", which again gives a date between late March and early April, which likely refers to the accession of the Gordians and not his actual death.