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The Barracks Emperors of Rome, 235 - 284 CE
An infographic illustrating the chaos and volatility in the Roman Empire during the Crisis of the Third Century, known as the time of the Barracks Emperors. Also called “Soldier Emperors,” the term was introduced in the 19th century but made popular by Franz Altheim in the 1940s to mean rulers of Rome who were elevated to power by the army. In a time when the Empire was subjected to outside existential threats and considerable interior problems, the importance and ambition of the military commanders increased and following the assassination of Severus Alexander in 235 CE until the coronation of Diocletian in 284 CE, close to thirty emperors rose and fell (most of them violently and by the same swords that placed them on the throne). Some were uneducated, from simple origins, and didn’t manage to get above the immediate military tasks, while others (e.g., Decius, Valerian, Gallienus) belonged to the senatorial elite.
