Gordian III
| Gordian III | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bust, 242–244 | |||||||||
| Roman emperor | |||||||||
| Augustus | c. August 238 – c. February 244 | ||||||||
| Predecessor | Pupienus and Balbinus | ||||||||
| Successor | Philip the Arab | ||||||||
| Caesar | c. May – August 238 | ||||||||
| Born | 20 January 225 Rome, Italy | ||||||||
| Died | c. February 244 (aged 19) Zaitha | ||||||||
| Spouse | Tranquillina | ||||||||
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| Dynasty | Gordian | ||||||||
| Father | Junius Balbus (purportedly) | ||||||||
| Mother | Maecia Faustina (purportedly) | ||||||||
| Part of a series on Roman imperial dynasties |
| Year of the Six Emperors |
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| AD 238 |
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Gordian III (Latin: Marcus Antonius Gordianus; 20 January 225 – c. February 244) was Roman emperor from 238 to 244. At the age of 13, he became the youngest sole emperor of the united Roman Empire. Gordian was the son of Maecia Faustina and her husband Junius Balbus, who died before 238. Their names are mentioned in the unreliable Historia Augusta. Maecia was the daughter of Emperor Gordian I and sister of Emperor Gordian II. Very little is known of his early life before his acclamation.