Maximinus Thrax (
Musei Capitolini
)
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6.8: Maximinus proclaimed emperor
There was in the Roman army a man
named
Maximinus
whose half-barbarian family lived in a village in the most
remote section of Thrace. They say that as a boy he was a shepherd, but
that in his youthful prime he was drafted into the cavalry because of
his size and strength. After a short time, favored by Fortune, he
advanced through all the military ranks, rising eventually to the
command of armies and the governing of provinces.
Because
of his military experience, which I have noted above,
Alexander
put Maximinus in charge of
training recruits for the entire army; his task was to instruct them in
military duties and prepare them for service in war. By carrying out
his assignments thoroughly and diligently, Maximinus won the affection
of the soldiers. He not only taught them their duties; he also
demonstrated personally to each man what he was to do. As a result, the
recruits imitated his manliness and were both his
pupils and his admirers.
He
won their devotion by giving them all kinds of gifts and rewards.
Consequently, the recruits, who included an especially large number of
Pannonians, praised the masculinity of Maximinus and despised Alexander
as a
mother
's
boy. Their contempt for the emperor was increased by the
fact that the empire was being managed by a woman's authority and a
woman's judgment, and by the fact that Alexander had directed the
campaigns carelessly and timidly. They reminded each other of the
defeats in the East which had resulted from the emperor's negligence
and of his failure to do anything courageous or vigorous when
he faced the Germans.
The
soldiers were therefore ready for a change of emperors. They had
additional reasons for discontent: they considered the current reign
burdensome because of its long duration; they thought it profitless for
them now that all rivalry had been eliminated; and they hoped that the
reign which they intended to institute would be advantageous to them
and that the empire would be much coveted and highly valued by a man
who received it unexpectedly. They plotted now to kill Alexander and
proclaim Maximinus emperor and Augustus, since he was their fellow
soldier and messmate and seemed, because of his experience and courage,
to be the right man to take charge
of the present war.
[February 235]
They
therefore assembled on the drill field for their regular training; when
Maximinus took his position before them, either unaware of what was
happening or having secretly made prior preparations for the event,
the soldiers robed him in the imperial purple and proclaimed
him
emperor.
At
first he refused the
honor and threw off the purple, but when they pressed him and, waving
their swords, threatened to kill him, he preferred the future risk to
the present danger and accepted the empire; often before, he said,
dreams and prophecies had predicted this good fortune. He told the
soldiers, however, that he accepted the honor unwillingly; he did not
really want it and was simply obeying their wish in the matter.
He
then directed the
soldiers to put their thoughts into action, to take up arms and hurry
off to attack Alexander while he was still unaware of what had
happened. By reaching the emperor before the news of their approach
came, they would surprise his soldiers and his bodyguards too. They
would either persuade Alexander's forces to join them, or would
overcome them with no difficulty, since the imperial forces would be
unprepared and anticipating nothing of this nature.
After
arousing great
enthusiasm and good will among the troops, Maximinus doubled their
rations, promised them lavish gifts, and revoked all sentences and
punishments. He then marched out, for his camp was not far from the
headquarters of Alexander and his companions.
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