GORDIAN III (caesar, 238)

"The People's Choice" The unexpected deaths of the Gordians in Carthage in March 238 CE, coupled with Maximinus Thrax marching on Rome at the head of the Danubian legions, forced the Senate into swift action to appoint successors to the slain emperors. The choice fell on Pupienus and Balbinus, who were to rule jointly with equal authority.

As the new rulers made their way to the Capitoline Hill to offer the customary sacrifices to the gods, they encountered a hostile crowd blocking their path. Armed escorts proved ineffective as stones were hurled. Then someone in the crowd pointed out that a grandson of Gordian I was in the city, and elevating a member of such a distinguished family could improve the public perception of the new regime. To defuse the tense situation, the emperors agreed to appoint the boy as co-ruler and proclaimed Gordian III as Caesar.