Antonia Gordiana
| Part of a series on Roman imperial dynasties |
| Year of the Six Emperors |
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| AD 238 |
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Antonia Gordiana (born 201) was a prominent, wealthy, and noble Roman woman who lived in the troubled and unstable 3rd century.[1] She was the daughter of Roman emperor Gordian I, sister of Roman emperor Gordian II, and mother of Roman emperor Gordian III.[2][3] The Augustan History names her as Maecia Faustina; however, modern historians dismiss this name as false.[4] She was most probably born in Rome. Along with her elder brother, she was raised and spent her childhood in the house that Roman Republican general Pompey had built in Rome. Previous owners included Roman triumvir Mark Antony and Roman emperor Tiberius.
After 214, Gordiana married a Roman senator whose name is unknown. The Augustan History names her husband as Junius Balbus, however modern historians dismiss this name as being incorrect. She bore her husband a son on 20 January 225, the future emperor Marcus Antonius Gordianus Pius, or Gordian III. The birth name and birthplace of Gordian III are unknown, the name of Gordian was assumed by Gordiana's son when he became emperor. Gordiana's husband died before 238.
After the brief reigns of her father and brother, the Roman Senate in April appointed two senators, Balbinus and Pupienus, as joint emperors. During their brief reign, Gordiana's son became popular with Roman citizens and the joint emperors were forced to adopt the child as their heir. On 29 July 238, Balbinus and Pupienus were both murdered by the Praetorian Guard; later that day her son became the new emperor. There is a possibility that Gordiana might have bribed the Guards to murder the joint emperors, so that her son could become emperor.[citation needed]
To maintain the goodwill of the Senate, Gordian III assumed the name of his maternal grandfather and uncle. The political factions that supported Gordiana's father and brother also supported her son. Through them, she was able to assist her son in directing affairs and together they sought to reform policies covering administration, fiscal affairs, and the Roman army. Efforts were made to limit the taxes on wealthy and notable Romans. Attention was directed to strengthening defences along the empire's borders and Roman governors were prosecuted if they abused Roman taxes and their powers in governing the provinces.
In 241, her son appointed the able and efficient Timesitheus as prefect of the Praetorian Guard. Later, in May of that year, Gordian married Timesitheus’ daughter Tranquillina, who became Roman empress. Timesitheus died in 243, and Gordian appointed the ambitious Philip the Arab as the new prefect. In February 244, Gordian died of unknown causes. Gordian either died in battle or was possibly murdered on the orders of Philip. Philip was then proclaimed the new emperor. Gordian III's wife and daughter survived him. The fate of Gordiana after her son's death is unknown.
Family tree
| previous Maximinus Thrax Roman Emperor 235–238 | Pupienus Roman Emperor 238 |  Gordian I Roman Emperor 238 ∞ (?) Fabia Orestilla | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Balbinus Roman Emperor 238 | Gordian II co-emperor 238 | Antonia Gordiana | (doubted) Junius Licinius Balbus consul suffectus | Gaius Furius Sabinius Aquila Timesitheus praetorian prefect | next Philip the Arab Roman Emperor 244–249 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Gordian III Roman Emperor 238 | Furia Sabinia Tranquillina | Philip II Roman Emperor co-emperor 247–249 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Nerva–Antonine family tree
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| Notes:
Except where otherwise noted, the notes below indicate that an individual's parentage is as shown in the above family tree.
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References:
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References
- ^ Verhaart, Floris (2022-07-03). "Jean-Baptiste Du Bos and the Réflexions critiques sur la poésie et sur la peinture within the context of contemporary philology and antiquarianism". Intellectual History Review. 32 (3): 411–428. doi:10.1080/17496977.2022.2097401.
- ^ D’Amato, Raffaele (2020-01-23). Roman Standards & Standard-Bearers (2): AD 192–500. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4728-3650-2.
- ^ Navarra, James (2018-08-17). A Compendium of the Earth, and of the People of the Earth, and of the Wars They Fought. Balboa Press. ISBN 978-1-9822-0990-2.
- ^ Syme, Ronald (1971). Emperors and Biography: Studies in the 'Historia Augusta'. Clarendon Press. ISBN 978-0-19-814357-4.