Gordian I

Gordian I
Coin of Gordian I
Gordian I on a denarius. Inscription: IMP. CAES. M. ANT. GORDIANVS AFR. AVG.
Roman emperor
Reignc. March – April 238[1]
PredecessorMaximinus Thrax
SuccessorPupienus and Balbinus
Co-emperorGordian II
Bornc. 158
possibly Phrygia
DiedApril 238 (aged about 80)
Carthage, Africa Proconsularis
SpouseUnknown, possibly Fabia Orestilla[2]
Issue
Names
Marcus Antonius Gordianus Sempronianus Romanus[3]
Regnal name
Imperator Caesar Marcus Antonius Gordianus Sempronianus Romanus Africanus Augustus[4]
DynastyGordian
FatherUnknown, possibly Maecius Marullus[5] or Marcus Antonius[6]
MotherUnknown, possibly Ulpia Gordiana[5] or Sempronia Romana[6]

Gordian I (Latin: Marcus Antonius Gordianus Sempronianus Romanus; c. 158 – April 238 AD) was Roman emperor for 22 days with his son Gordian II in 238, the Year of the Six Emperors. Caught up in a rebellion against the Emperor Maximinus Thrax, he was defeated in battle and committed suicide after the death of his son, having had the shortest reign in imperial history.

  1. ^ The exact chronology of events is unknown. See: Rea, J. (1972). "O. Leid. 144 and the Chronology of A.D. 238". ZPE 9, 1-19.
  2. ^ Historia Augusta, The Three Gordians, 17:4
  3. ^ Southern, p. 86.
  4. ^ Cooley, Alison E. (2012). The Cambridge Manual of Latin Epigraphy. Cambridge University Press. p. 497. ISBN 978-0-521-84026-2.
  5. ^ a b Historia Augusta, The Three Gordians, 2:2
  6. ^ a b Settipani (2001), Continuité gentilice et continuité sénatoriale dans les familles sénatoriales romaines à l'époque impériale