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	Topics Barracks emperor Topic Home A Barracks emperor was a Roman EmperorRoman Emperor "Roman Emperor" is the term historians use to refer to rulers of the Roman Empire, after the epoch conventionally named the ... who seized power by virtue of his command of the army. Barracks emperors were especially common in the period from 235235 Events... through 284284 Events... , during the Crisis of the Third CenturyCrisis of the Third Century Crisis of the Third Century is a commonly applied name for the crumbling and near collapse of the Roman Empire between 235 ... . There were approximately fourteen barracks emperors in 33 years, producing an average reign of a little over two years apiece. The resulting instability in the imperial office and the near constant state of civil war and insurrection threatened to destroy the Roman Empire from within and left it vulnerable to attack from without. Style of the 3rd century barracks emperors Unlike previous emperors who had seized power in military coups d'état\|Equestrian]] stock), the barracks emperors tended to be low-class commoners (often from disreputable parts of the empire); the first barracks emperor, Maximinus ThraxMaximinus Thrax Gaius Iulius Verus Maximinus , also known as Maximinus Thrax and Maximinus I, was a Roman Emperor .... , had begun his military career as an enlisted soldier. A barracks emperor could not boast of a distinguished family name or a successful career as a statesman or public servant; rather, he had only his military career to recommend himself, and his only influence the points of his soldiers' swords. Because the barracks emperors were frequently border commanders, the act of overthrowing the reigning emperor and seizing power for themselves left large gaps in the empire's border defenses, gaps that could be exploited by the Romans' enemies, such as a Germanic incursion into imperial territory in the 260s260s Summary Centuries: 2nd century - 3rd century - 4th century... , resulting in the construction of the Aurelian WallsAurelian Walls The Aurelian Walls were built between 270 and 273, by Roman Emperor Aurelian.... around RomeRome Rome is the capital of Italy and of its region, called Latium.... . The barracks emperors also used state money to pay their troops — no emperor who had come into power by force of arms could afford to allow his soldiers to fall into dissatisfaction or disaffectation, as those who live by the sword die by the sword — and public works and infrastructure fell into ruin. To accommodate the vast demands of buying off their soldiers, the state often simply seized private property, damaging the economy and driving up inflation. Transition to the Dominate era The imperial system was on the verge of total collapse in 284284 Events... when yet another barracks emperor, a cavalry commander named DiocletianDiocletian Gaius Aurelius Valerius Diocletianus , born ??????? and known in English as Diocletian, was Roman Emperor fro... , seized power and donned the purple. Diocletian instituted a number of reforms designed to stabilize the empire and the imperial office, including a collegial system of emperors called the TetrarchyTetrarchy Tetrarchy can be applied to any system of government where power is divided between four individuals but is rarely used.... , bringing an end to the Third Century Crisis and inaugurating the DominateDominate The Dominate was the 'despotic' last of the two phases of government in the ancient Roman Empire between its establishment i... era of Roman history. Although further Emperors would don the purple on the basis of military power (e.g., Constantine IConstantine I Gaius Flavius Valerius Aurelius Constantinusantine is best remembered in modern times for the Edict of Milan in 313, which f... , Valentinian IValentinian I Flavius Valentinianus, known in English as Valentinian I, was a Roman Emperor.... , and Theodosius ITheodosius I Flavius Theodosius , also called Theodosius I and Theodosius the Great, was Roman Emperor from 379 until his dea... ), the phenomenon of the barracks emperors died out, to be replaced in the late imperial era by shadow emperors like StilichoStilicho Flavius Stilicho was a high-ranking general and Patrician of the Western Roman Empire, notably of semi-barbarian birth.... , Constantius IIIConstantius III Summary Flavius Constantius, whose name is traditionally anglicized as Constantius III, was a late Roman general, politician, ... , Flavius AëtiusFlavius Aëtius Flavius Atius or simply Aetius,, was a Roman general of the closing period of the Western Roman Empire.... , AvitusAvitus Marcus Maecilius Flavius Eparchius Avitus was Western Roman Emperor.... , RicimerRicimer Ricimer was master of the Western Roman Empire during part of the fifth century.... , GundobadGundobad Gundobad, Patrician of the Western Roman Empire also became King of the Burgundians, after his father Gundioc of Burgundy, t... , Flavius Orestes, and OdoacerOdoacer Overview Odoacer , also known as Odovacar was the half Hunnish, half Scirian chieftain of the Germanic Heruli.... , military strongmen who effectually ruled the empire as imperial generalissimos controlling weak-willed puppet emperors rather than by donning the purple themselves. 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