Emperor Maximinus
Gaius Valerius Galerius Maximinus was a Roman emperor who reigned for a period of five years, from the year 308 AD to 313 AD. Born on the 20th of November in the year 270 AD, his birthplace is officially recorded as the Danubian region, near the newly re-established Roman province of Dacia Aureliana. Dacia Aureliana was later subordinated to the Prefecture of Illyricum along with Macedonia.
Maximinus was actually of peasant stock at birth, with the name of Daia given to him by his parents. His mother was in fact the sister of Galerius, making the emperor his uncle by blood.
It was only upon Maximinus' induction into the army that he was finally able to rise above his humble family beginnings. He made a name for himself within the military organization with his exemplary performance on the battlefield.
This may have been an influential factor in the decision of Galerius to adopt him in the year 305 AD. The emperor saw fit to elevate Maximinus to the rank of caesar and further awarded him with the power of jurisdiction over both Aegyptus and Syria.
By the year 308 AD, Licinius was accorded the title of Augustus and Maximinus and Constantine were themselves pronounced filii Augustorum or "sons of the Augusti". It would take the campaign versus the Sassanids in 310 AD however, before Maximinus would style himself after Augustus.
The death of Galerius in 311 AD would bring about Maximinus' decision to divide the Eastern Empire between himself and Licinius. By this time, Licinius and Constantine had started to work towards an alliance between each other while Maximinus for his part was secretly seeking an accord with the usurper Caesar Maxentius. Maxentius at this time was in command of virtually all of Italy.
A conflict began to brew between Maximinus and Licinius, with matters quickly coming to a head. A battle was obviously in the offing and it finally broke out in the year 313 AD, when Maximinus' forces were severely overwhelmed at the Battle of Tzirallum. In the face of this defeat, he fled to Tarsus where he died, some say by poisoning, in August of that same year.
Original Authors: Doods Pangburn
Edit Update Authors: M.A.Harris
Updated On: 15/05/2008
