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Crisis Marks A Turning Point
- The assassination of Alexander Severus ended an era and revealed deep systemic decay in Rome's political, economic, and social bonds.
- That breakdown set the stage for fifty years of rapid military turnovers and crises that reshaped the empire.
Soldier Pay Created Long-Term Strain
- Maximinus's immediate doubling of soldier pay and aggressive frontier campaigns secured short-term loyalty but created lasting fiscal and political strains.
- His policies centralized plunder and tax extraction, undermining elites and provoking widespread resentment.
Maximinus' Purges And Frontier Rule
- Maximinus compiled lists of suspected senators and elites to be exiled, killed, or stripped of wealth and gave the spoils to his troops.
- He ruled from the frontiers, distrusted Rome, and never set foot in the capital during his reign.