Maximinus Thrax

From Common Soldier to Emperor of Rome

Paul N. Pearson

• Publisher: Skyhorse
• Year: 2017
• Print ISBN:
  9781510708631
• eBook ISBN:
  9781510708754
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: Historical Biographies
• Index: History

The first full-length biography of the half-barbarian emperor. Maximinus was a Thracian tribesman "of frightening appearance and colossal size" who could smash stones with his bare hands and pull fully laden wagons unaided. Such feats impressed the emperor Severus who enlisted Maximinus into the imperial bodyguard whereupon he embarked on a distinguished military career. Eventually he achieved senior command in the massive Roman invasion of Persia in 232 AD, and three years later he became emperor himself in a military coup—the first common soldier ever to assume the imperial throne.Supposedly more than seven feet tall (it is likely he had a pituitary disorder), Maximinus was surely one of Rome's most extraordinary emperors. He campaigned across the Rhine and Danube for three years until a rebellion erupted in Africa and the snobbish senate engaged in civil war against him.This is a narrative account of the life and times of the Thracian giant, from his humble origins up to and beyond the civil war of 238 AD. Replete with accounts of treachery, assassination, and civil war, Maximinus Thrax is written for enthusiasts of Roman history and warfare.Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Arcade imprint, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in history--books about World War II, the Third Reich, Hitler and his henchmen, the JFK assassination, conspiracies, the American Civil War, the American Revolution, gladiators, Vikings, ancient Rome, medieval times, the old West, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contents
• Acknowledgements
• List of Illustrations
• Introduction
• Prologue
• Chapter I: Nurs’d in Blood and War
• Chapter II: Cursus Maximini
• Chapter III: Regime Change
• Chapter IV: Duke of the Riverbank
• Chapter V: Empire’s Edge
• Chapter VI: Soldier-Emperor
• Chapter VII: Echoes in Eternity
• Chapter VIII: Maximinus Augustus
• Photos
• Chapter IX: Provok’d Rebellion
• Chapter X: The Noble and the Brave
• Chapter XI: Bellum Civile
• Chapter XII: A New Start
• Chapter XIII: Empire of Fortune
• Chapter XIV: The Giant’s Legacy
• Chapter XV: Postscript: The Ogre in the Met
• Appendix I: Sources
• Appendix II: Chronology of 238
• Endnotes
• Literature Cited
• Index