Rise of Emperor Gordian III

Gordian III ascended to the Roman imperial throne following a period of political instability known as the Year of the Six Emperors. At the age of thirteen, he was declared emperor by the Roman Senate after the deaths of Gordian I and Gordian II and the overthrow of Pupienus and Balbinus.

His accession marked a return to a young and relatively uncontroversial ruler, backed largely by the Senate and the Praetorian Guard. Despite his youth, Gordian III's reign initiated several military campaigns aimed at stabilizing the empire's frontiers.