Maximinus rose to power via the army where he served as legion commander during a turbulent period of battles against the Germanic tribes. The soldiers under his command, displeased with the wishy-washy way of their current emperor (Severus Alexander), voted with their swords and proclaimed Maximinus emperor. Although he scored a number of successes against the barbarians his dealings in civilian matters were another story entirely. He terrorized the Senate and raised taxes drastically. His tyranical ways, which included a seething contempt for aristocracy, the arts and religion, soon became known throughout the empire. In desperation, the Senate brought the Balbinus-Pupienus duo to a joint emperorship while Maximinus was still approaching Rome. Pupienus's army was smaller than Maximinus's but they followed a scorched-earth policy in calculated retreats and guerilla strikes. This so wore down Maximinus's soldiers that they got fed up and killed him just three years into his reign.
The reign of Maximinus also signals the first time during the imperial period that a man of barbarian birth assumed the throne (Caracalla's edict of extending Roman citizenship to the provincials made him, technically, a Roman). Of him it was said that he was taller than eight feet and could eat thirty to forty pounds of meat and eight gallons of wine daily. Notwithstanding this likely exaggeration it still should give one pause as to his physical attributions.
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