Gordian III (20 January 225-11 February 244) was Roman emperor from 29 July 238 to 11 February 244, succeeding Pupienus/Balbinus and preceding Philip the Arab. He was the last ruler of the Year of the Six Emperors, and he was killed at the Battle of Misiche by the Sassanids.
Biography[]
Marcus Antonius Gordianus was born on 20 January 225, the son of a Roman senator and Antonia Gordiana, making him the grandson of Gordian I and nephew of Gordian II. The Gordians had been proclaimed emperors by the Roman Senate, and the Praetorian Guard murdered the Gordians' elected successors Pupienus and Balbinus in favor of the young Gordian in 238. Gordian became "Gordian III" on 29 July 238, succeeding the two murdered co-emperors, and he appointed Gaius Julius Priscus and his brother Philip the Arab as the prefects of the Praetorian Guard. The young Gordian embarked on his only campaign in 244, leading an army into Mesopotamia to fight against the Sassanids of Persia. Gordian was slain at the Battle of Misiche on 11 February 244, sacrificing his life to save his soldiers.