Emperor Maximinus Thrax
Gaius Julius Verus Maximinus, surnamed Thrax (AD 173-238), Roman Emperor, 235-38.
Originally a Thracian shepherd, he was of gigantic size and enormous physical strength.
Alexander Severus gave him the command of a new legion raised in Pannonia, at the head of which he followed the emperor in his campaign against the Germans on the Rhine. There he induced some of his companions to murder Alexander and his mother, Julia Mamaea.
He was proclaimed emperor; but his cruelty and rapacity, which were the accompaniment of undeniable ability, aroused enemies against him in various parts of the empire.
He was killed by his own soldiers while besieging Aquileia.
