Gordian II

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Template:Infobox Roman emperor Template:Year of Six Emperors

Marcus Antonius Gordianus Sempronianus Romanus Africanus (c. 192 - April 12 238), known in English as Gordian II, was Roman Emperor during the year 238.

Gordian was the son of Emperor Gordian I. Gordian's mother may be the granddaughter of Greek Sophist, consul and tutor Herodes Atticus. His younger sister was Antonia Gordiana, who was the mother of Emperor Gordian III. The official history of the Roman emperors provides the only account of Gordian's early career. Since his memory was cherished after his death, the information is questionable and remains unproven. According to this source, Gordian served as quaestor in Elagabalus' reign and as praetor and consul suffect with Alexander Severus as emperor. In 237, Gordian went to the Africa Roman province under his father's command as a governor.

Early in 235, emperor Alexander Severus and his mother Julia Avita Mamaea were assassinated by mutinous troops in Germania Inferior. The leader of the rebellion, Maximinus Thrax, became emperor, despite his popular background and the disapproval of the Roman Senate. Pushed by the local politicians, Gordian's father began a revolt against Maximinus in 238 and became Augustus on March 22. Due to Gordian I's advanced age, the younger Gordian was attached to the imperial throne and acclaimed Augustus too. Father and son saw their pretensions ratified both by the senate and most of the other provinces, due to Maximinus' unpopularity.

Opposition would come from the neighbouring province of Numidia. Capelianus, governor of Numidia and a loyal supporter of Maximinus Thrax, renewed his alliance to the former emperor and invaded Africa province with the only legion stationing in the region III Augusta, and other veteran units. Gordian II, at the head of a militia army of untrained soldiers, lost the Battle of Carthage and was killed, and Gordian I took his own life. This first rebellion against Maximinus Thrax was unsuccessful but, by the end of 238, Gordian II's nephew would be recognised emperor by the whole Roman world as Gordian III.

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Gordian II coinage

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<tr><th style="white-space:nowrap;background:#ddddff;text-align:right;">Principate
27 BC - 235 AD</th><td colspan="1" style="text-align:left;width:100%;font-size:95%;">Augustus ·Tiberius ·Caligula ·Claudius I ·Nero ·Galba ·Otho ·Vitellius ·Vespasian ·Titus ·Domitian ·Nerva ·Trajan ·Hadrian ·Antoninus Pius ·Marcus Aurelius ·Lucius Verus ·Commodus ·Pertinax ·Didius Julianus ·Septimius Severus ·Caracalla ·Geta ·Macrinus ·Elagabalus ·Alexander Severus</td></tr><tr><th style="white-space:nowrap;background:#ddddff;text-align:right;">Crisis
235 AD - 284 AD</th><td colspan="1" style="text-align:left;width:100%;font-size:95%;background:#f7f7f7;">

Template:Nowrap begin Maximinus I Thrax Template:·wrap Gordian I and Template:WrapGordian IITemplate:·wrap Pupienus and Template:Wrap Balbinus Template:·wrap Gordian III Template:·wrap Philip the Arab Template:·wrap Decius Template:·wrap Herennius Etruscus Template:·wrap Trebonianus Gallus Template:·wrap Hostilian Template:·wrap Volusianus Template:·wrap Aemilianus Template:·wrap Valerian Template:·wrap Gallienus Template:·wrap Claudius II Template:·wrap Quintillus Template:·wrap Aurelian Template:·wrap Tacitus Template:·wrap Florianus Template:·wrap Probus Template:·wrap Carus Template:·wrap Carinus Template:·wrap Numerian Template:Nowrap end

</td></tr><tr><th style="white-space:nowrap;background:#ddddff;text-align:right;">Dominate
284 AD - 1453 AD</th><td colspan="1" style="text-align:left;width:100%;font-size:95%;">Template:Navbox subgroup</td></tr>