Year 238 (CCXXXVIII) was a common year of the Julian calendar that began on a Monday. It is best known in Roman history as the "Year of the Six Emperors" — a brief interval of extreme political turmoil in which several claimants rose and fell within months. The events of 238 illustrate the struggle between imperial armies, provincial elites and the Roman Senate during the broader Crisis of the Third Century.

Major events and claimants

Revolt erupted in the African provinces when Gordian I, an elderly senator and provincial governor, and his son Gordian II were proclaimed emperors in opposition to the reigning emperor, Maximinus Thrax. Their rule was short: Gordian II died in battle and Gordian I took his own life not long after. In Rome the Senate rejected Maximinus and appointed two senators, Pupienus and Balbinus, as joint emperors while a young relative of Gordian I, later known as Gordian III, was elevated as Caesar.

Sequence and military actions

Maximinus reacted by marching against Italy, provoking open warfare. His campaign ran into stiff resistance at northern Italian strongholds and logistical problems. Frustrated and isolated, Maximinus and his son were murdered by their own troops during the campaign. Back in Rome the two senatorial emperors proved unpopular and soon fell victim to the Praetorian Guard, who killed them in a palace coup. The surviving compromise candidate, Gordian III, then became sole emperor.

List of rulers commonly counted for 238

  • Maximinus Thrax
  • Gordian I
  • Gordian II
  • Pupienus (Marcus Pupienus Maximus)
  • Balbinus (Decimus Caelius Calvinus Balbinus)
  • Gordian III

Significance and context

Although brief, the sequence of events in 238 exposed the fragility of imperial succession when the army and provincial power brokers acted independently of Rome. The Senate's attempt to assert authority by naming co-emperors was a notable, if short-lived, effort to restore senatorial influence. The accession of Gordian III, a teenager, also foreshadowed the pattern of child and puppet rulers who depended on military and court factions for legitimacy.

For more on chronology and calendar notation see Julian calendar references, discussions of how years were recorded in antiquity at ancient dating systems, and summaries of the Crisis of the Third Century at third-century Roman history.