Post hunc Maximīnus ex corpore mīlitārī prīmus ad imperium accessit sōlā mīlitum voluntāte, cum nūlla senātūs intercessisset auctōritās neque ipse senātor esset. Is, bellō adversus Germānōs fēlīciter gestō, cum ā mīlitibus imperātor esset appellātus, ā Pupiēnō Aquilēiae occīsus est, dēserentibus eum mīlitibus suīs, cum fīliō adhūc puerō, cum quō imperāverat trienniō et paucīs diēbus.
notes
Maximinus Emperor, 235–237 CE
Post hunc: referring to the previous Emperor, Severus Alexander
Maximīnus: his full name was Gaius Iulius Verus Maximinus (Maximinus Thrax). He was famous for his gigantic size and his marvelous feats of strength. His government was characterized by oppression and excesses (Hazzard).
corpore: "ranks"
sōlā mīlitum voluntāte: Eutropius uses this ablative of cause with the following cum clause to highlight the unusual nature of Maximinus Thrax's ascension (AG 404).
auctōritās: "decree"
Is: subject of ocissus est
bellō adversus Germānōs fēlīciter gestō: ablative absolute using a perfect passive participle (AG 419). According to the biography in Historia Augusta,
ā Pupiēnō: Pupienus will later rule, but Eutropius mistakenly alleges that he was involved in Maximinus' death (H.A. Max. Duo 24.5; H.A. Max. Balb. 11.1) (Bird).
Aquilēiae: "at Aquileia," a city in Northern Italy (locative case, AG 427.3)
dēserentibus eum mīlitibus suīs: ablative absolute using a present active participle (AG 419)
cum fīliō adhūc puerō: Maximinus' son, Gaius Julius Verus Maximus, is referred to as "incredibly beautiful," by the author of the Historia Augusta (HA Max. Duo. 22.7). Both authors emphasize the son's age to classify his death as collateral damage.
imperāverat trienniō et paucīs diēbus: 235–238 CE
vocabulary
Core Vocabulary | Numbers | Dates
|
Māximīnus, ī, m. |
(C. Iūlius Verus) Māximīnus, Roman emperor 235–238 A.D. |
|
mīlitāris, e [mīles], adj. |
military; as subst., a soldier; rēs mīlitāris, the art of war, military operations |
|
intercēdō, ere, cessī, cessus |
to go between; intervene; occur |
|
senātor, ōris [senātus], m. |
a senator |
|
Germānī, ōrum, pl. m. |
the Germans |
|
fēlīciter [fēlīx], adv., comp. fēlicius, sup. fēlicissimē |
luckily, happily |
|
Pupiēnus, ī, m. |
(M. Clōdius) Pupiēnus (Māximus), Roman emperor 238 A.D. |
|
Aquilēia, ae, f. |
a city in northern Italy on the Adriatic Sea |
|
triennium, ī [trēs + annus], n. |
the space of three years, three years |