Maxime Pupien

Maxime Pupien ( Marcus Clodius Pupienus Maximus ) was Roman Emperor from February to May 238, jointly with Balbin.

It was born in the current one from years 170. Resulting from an old patrician family, he exerted the function of Gouverneur in various provinces of the Empire, and was several times consul.

In 234, Maxime Pupien exerts the function of prefect of the town of Rome. Considered austere and severe, it showed a baited authority, attracting to him the permanent hostility of the small people of the city.

With beginning of the year 238, Maximin Thrace, rather unpopular emperor and violent one, was prone to a revolt in Numidie. Land great landowners took the weapons against a tax official, massacring it him as well as the soldiers in charge of his protection. They acclaimed Gordien, an old senator octogenarian, emperor, who indicated once crowned his son Gordien II as Co-emperor. They seized Carthage miraculeusement. However Capelianus, legate of Numidie, faithful to the Maximin emperor, went to crush the revolt and liquidated the usurpers.

However the senate and the Roman people, filled with enthusiasm to be able to déchoir the Maximin emperor, had adopted the cause of Gordian. With the news of the failure of the revolt, a panic fear seized the unit of the population, fearing a very unquestionable bloody repression of the usurped emperor.

It is in this climate which was named emperors Maxime Pupien, with the head of the armies, and Balbin, charged with maintains order with Rome. The unpopularity of Maxime Pupien, and the protests of the people, forced the senate to raise the nephews from Gordian II, the future Gordien III, with the row of César, and heir to the two emperors.

Maximin learned all these events calmly whereas it was on banks of the Danube. It decided, although not taking for serious the threat, to go on Rome with its troops. It crosses the the Alps without encumbers, penetrated in Italy, and arrived at the ramparts of the town of Aquilée, that Maxime Pupien had transformed into true fortress, largely provided as men and vivres. As the seat lasted, the moral one of the troops of Maximin dropped, seeing besieged to feast under their nose whereas they had only the hunger for meal. The grogne being done sharper, Maximin undertook to punish its generals, showing them to sabotage moral troop, and made some carry out some for the example. This unjustified brutality caused the loss of Maximin, a conspiracy of its soldiers have reason of him and its son, the latter sending their head to the Senate as a sign of tender to the new emperors.

Maxime Pupien and Balbin hardly got along, but it is the Praetorian guard, put at the variation since the beginning of the events, which decided to act. Whereas the victory over Maximin was celebrated, the Praetorian ones passed abruptly to the action, being seized of the two emperors, tortured them in a baited way, then trailing them in all the city to their barracks, where they completed them.

Gordian III, acclaimed by everyone, succeeded to them.

Successive names

Towards 170, is born Marcus Clodius Pupienus Maximus
February 238, reaches the Empire: Imperator Caesar Marcus Clodius Pupienus Maximus Augustus

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