Gordian II

Gordian II was the son and co-emperor of Gordian I during the African revolt of AD 238. A senator with literary and administrative experience, he shared his father’s claim against Maximinus Thrax but had little opportunity to establish authority. He led the poorly trained Carthaginian forces against Capelianus, governor of Numidia, and was killed in battle. His death caused Gordian I’s suicide, although their family name soon returned through the elevation of Gordian III.

Gordian II appears alongside his father in Harry Sidebottom’s Throne of the Caesars novels. His rapid defeat allows historical fiction to contrast senatorial prestige and urban enthusiasm with the disciplined power of a single experienced legion. Because the ancient sources preserve little reliable personality, novelists tend to define him through family loyalty, culture and the fatal decision to command an improvised army.

In Harry Sidebottom’s Blood and Steel, Landowners and officials in Roman Africa proclaim the elderly Gordian I and his son Gordian II as emperors, forcing the Senate to decide whether to support them or submit to the soldier-emperor marching towards Italy.