Pupienus & Balbinus - The Senatorial Emperors #28 Roman History Documentary Series

[@Punaeased]

This channel has climbed the Curus Honorum to the imperial throne itself!!

[@TheSPQRHistorian]

Hahaha

[@Hilversumborn]

My guess is that the senate were hoping that Pupienus and Balbinus would be like Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus.

[@TheSPQRHistorian]

Yeah and what a great disappointment they would prove. Atleast Pupienus seems to have had some merit but he was very old when he was proclaimed...

[@enriib4820]

I look forward to you covering the reign of Constantine The Great when he finally disbands and dissolves the treacherous Praetorian Guard. Despicable schemers who caused the downfall of many a good emperor and a few bad ones as well.

[@tempsitch5632]

Pupie and Balbi were made for each other. “Pupienus”. - heh heh he

[@Sarvonis]

Maaan what a mess! I'm sure Caesar is looking down at them all right now and thinking what the f*** are you all doing? Love the videos please keep making more I can't wait to see Emperor Aurelian!

[@TheSPQRHistorian]

Yeah the Empire was a in a right mess at the onset of the crisis. Thanks, glad you enjoy the videos, i'm looking forward to Gallienus and Aurelian :)

[@causantinthescot]

@@TheSPQRHistorian Gallienus, The Junior Julius Caesar

[@generationclash5004]

​@@TheSPQRHistorian Personally, I can't wait for my boy Valentinian I!

[@justinian-the-great]

Pupienus: *was a hardcore veteran, climbing from mere centurion to the imperial rank, has so much authority to just walk up to Thrax's army and order them back to their posts, celebrated as saviour from tyrant by every city in Italy, has a legit good idea to replace Praetorians with more loyal guard, loved by the Senate and the people* Meanwhile, back in Rome: Balbinus: "H-hey....P-p-retorians and you ordinary p-people.......maybe you should like.....um....s-stop killing each other and razing the city to the ground?......P-please???" Praetorians and people: "SHUT THE F UP BALBINUS! NO ONE ASKED YOU ANYTHING!"

[@TheSPQRHistorian]

Pretty accurate, but I believe Pupienus started as a Primus Pila Cenutrion - so probably came from a somewhat wealthy equestrian family, but he advanced through his own merit and ability to the highest position.

[@revanius2213]

Pupienus seems like he had the potential to be a capable Emperor, had he been a few decades younger or been Emperor in an earlier time he probably would have gone down as unremarkable but capable, unfortunately for him he was old and Emperor in the wrong time. Still seems like he did more than Balbinus.

[@alessandrogini5283]

I think that the crisis of the third century crisis could had been avoided if alexander severus survives

[@daveroe4961]

What was Pupienus' wife called? Incontinentia Buttox?

[@michaeldy3157]

No. His name was longer than that too

[@RENATVS_IV]

I adore the edition of your videos! You improved a lot since your first videos. Yoy already have your own style. Congratulations. And also, "gratias tibi" for teaching me more and more about The SPQR

[@StoicHistorian]

Love your videos, very well detailed

[@nunosilvacycling6769]

Your channel is amazing !!! Really like your emperors videos, specially the focus you give to the leas known ones i always liked to see some stuff about them but foind very sparse info, thanks to your channel i now can conclude that some of them actually weren't that bad they just felt victims of the circunstancies, specially Pertinax he was talented and very competent what a shame of what the pretorians did

[@TheSPQRHistorian]

Thank you so much!

[@robbabcock_]

Fantastic video! I can't wait for the next installment, really fascinating topic.

[@TheSPQRHistorian]

Thank you Rob ✌️

[@ActorToreyMichaelAdkins]

Well done! I enjoy learning about these short term rulers of the empire.

[@mr.beatfan8814]

Sadly they (especially Pupienus) were just a skidmark on the underwear of histort

[@esteban-zamora]

A faint fart in of the past...😢

[@georgidimitrov1969]

This channel is epic!

[@michelleandrade303]

Great video! ❤

[@TheSPQRHistorian]

Thank you, glad you liked it!

[@michelleandrade303]

@@TheSPQRHistorian I’ve seen them all and learned a lot from them 🙂

[@mcstaford1431]

Thank you!

[@KAZVorpal]

Someday in the distant future, he would be known as Emperor Poopy Anus.

[@aslanlovett4059]

Gordian III. What could have been...

[@TheSPQRHistorian]

Yeah he had the misfortune of being born during the third century crisis

[@causantinthescot]

@@TheSPQRHistorian He was a fairly competent leader. He had good qualities, determined, charismatic, brave, and kind-hearted. What a shame that he died in a battle*. Same as Decius later. *I don't subscribe to the theory that Philip The Arab murdered him.

[@mism847]

So if the German guards had defeated the Praetorian Guard, history could've been very, very different... interesting.

[@HerculesMays]

And they probably *would* have curb stomped the Praetorian guard considering how infamous they were for debauchery and comfy living, whereas the German guard would likely have been far more hardened by war.

[@nothisispatrick4644]

I always thought that, aside from their weapons, the Praetorian equipment were all essentially just for show to flaunt their status as the emperors bodyguards. Can’t really back my belief up with a source, but if so, the germans would absolutely annihilate them.

[@rorschach1985ify]

@@nothisispatrick4644 By this time in Roman history? Very much yes, remember that they struggled with a just a Roman mob so they would have fared far worse against a battle hardened unit that had served on the front lines with at least two emperors. The old Praetorian Guards from back in the very late Republic and early Imperial era was the only one that would have had any chance because they were known to fight on the front lines like any other legion but as early as even the later Julio-Claudian dynasty they were just an over glorified police force.

[@warlorddavid8290]

Hi love the vid

[@TheSPQRHistorian]

Thank you!

[@causantinthescot]

15 years later, the Junior Julius Caesar would ascend to the throne alongside with his father, Valerian. He was so great that he basically allowed the empire to survive throughout the chaotic decade of the 260s... He was GALLIENVS, and better than DIOCLETIANVS AND VALENTINIANVS.

[@generationclash5004]

Better than VALENTINIANVS? No. Just no.

[@MarchionessDarby62]

Pupienus was an old-ass emperor.

[@daveroe4961]

"There was however, one tiny flaw in the plan. It was bollocks." Roanus Atcinius Blaccadicus.

[@KAZVorpal]

Rome's 1,000th anniversary was, officially, in 247 AD, during the span of this video. But they were so effed up in their petty conflicts that they seem to have barely noticed. Wait, I guess this video ends before 247. I'll copy this to the next video, then.

[@LegIIAVGCA]

I have that double denarius saying of pupienus “AMOR MVTVVS AVGG”. “Mutual/reciprocal love of the emperors”. Imagine if the USA has two presidents like Trump and Harris…. What could go wrong?

[@causantinthescot]

Balbinus: The (Total) Failure of The Empire

[@TheSPQRHistorian]

Yeah, Pupienus seems atleast somewhat competent but Balbinus...yikes

[@causantinthescot]

@@TheSPQRHistorian And I Balbinus and Pupienus into Li Jue and Guo Si respectively in Thersite's channel. Really similar figures because both of them had played lame jokes in their government.

[@michaeleiswerth1044]

It seems pupienus left his mark on History. It is sad that he was wiped away from common history. Pupienus must have stunk as an emperor if he only ruled for 99 days.

[@causantinthescot]

So, here's the meme: (Mr Incredible Survived In the Year 238 AD) Maximinus Thrax ( Phase 3 Uncanny) Gordian I (Phase 5.5 Uncanny) Gordian II (Phase 7 Uncanny) Pupienus (Phase 2.5 Uncanny) Balbinus (Phase 13/20 Uncanny) Gordian III (Phase 1 Uncanny)

[@alessandrogini5283]

Ahaha

[@theicepickthatkilledtrotsk658]

Pupienus & Balbinus bickering shows that Maximinus Thax really was the best guy for the job at that time.

[@TheSPQRHistorian]

Yeah perhaps or Gallienus, who literally held the empire together when it was bursting at the seams

[@theicepickthatkilledtrotsk658]

@@TheSPQRHistorian I am not talking about the 3rd-century crisis as a whole. I am talking between the Gordians/senate and Thrax

[@TheSPQRHistorian]

It was a massive mistake by the Senate to proclaim the Gordians before making sure Thrax was dead, Pupienus and Balbinus were just plan B. Thrax was a military man but seems to have lacked many of the qualities that make for a great emperor, decent at best.

[@theicepickthatkilledtrotsk658]

@@TheSPQRHistorian Yeah, he was a bit barbaric pun intended. But there are dark times when a decent emperor with a long, relatively stable reign is one of the best things you can hope for.

[@causantinthescot]

@@TheSPQRHistorian I think Maximinus Thrax was similar to Pupienus, but they were on the opposite side. But I think Thrax was a better one.

[@BkerBker]

Big fan, great video, but how the hell did you make a video about a guy called Pupienus without making a single joke?

[@theodorevogiatzis874]

Of course the pratorians were surprised when one of them was killed by a senator. They're used to doing all the killing, not the other way around. So unroman of the senators 😂😂

[@mikepastor.k6233]

I would love the name Bulbous. Not so much Poopy 😮

[@Mizzdr111]

I think if I could go back in time and live in Rome, I would do it during the reign of Antoninus Pius. I believe it was one of the most prosperous and peaceful of the empire. That way, I can hang around the baths, eating and partying without having to worry about barbarians or cruel emperors. Or would I be dead? What's your take on that?

[@TheSPQRHistorian]

Yeah, I agree, Antoninus Pius's reign seems to be the peak of Roman power, peace and prosperity. That would've been one of the best times to live in the empire

[@thefrenchkiwi9435]

Living during Hadrian's time must have been a bop as well. In addition to a time of great property and peace, Hadrian would travel around the Empire. So if you lived in one of the provinces which had specific problems, the emperor would be there himself at least at some point to deal with them.

[@rorschach1985ify]

Yeah as others commented in the video on him, his reign was so good and peaceful it was boring to talk about lol.

[@soapmaker2263]

Some say Pupienus was the crappiest emperor.

[@TheSPQRHistorian]

He was the Puupiest

[@KAZVorpal]

It should be pronounced MaxeeMEEnus. In Classical languages like Greek and Latin, the "i" was pronounced EE. And, as an artifact of Latin inflection, the emphasis on the penultimate.

[@youvebeengreeked]

*X...*

[@austinng1137]

Anyone read Harry Sidebottom’s Throne of the Caesars novels? Pupienus was my favorite PoV character in them and he viewed Balbinus as a privileged fat freeloader the entire time lmao

[@TheSPQRHistorian]

I haven't read that series of books, are they any good? That description of Balbinus alone makes me want to read them lol

[@austinng1137]

@@TheSPQRHistorian I enjoyed them. Sidebottom’s writing style is hard to follow at times and can be repetitive, but the characters are good and he’s one of the few authors writing about the Crisis of the Third Century. As for Balbinus, my favorite description of him by Pupienus is “repulsive compound of low cunning and privilege”.

[@enderknight39]

Hehe Pupienus

[@johaarup]

Sharing power is just a bad idea. Has it ever worked in Rome?

[@TheSPQRHistorian]

Most of the time it just results in civil war but some notable successes; Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus Antoninus Pius and Marcus Aurelius Vespasian and Titus Valerian and Gallienus

[@brianaguila6925]

​@@TheSPQRHistorian Maybe the combination of Pius x Aurelius, Valerian x Gallienus along with Vespasian x Titus worked because they're were bound by adoption (Pius x Aurelius) and by blood (Vespasian x Titus and Valerian x Gallienus).

[@Kalahridudex]

Wait, it's actually pronounced poopy anus? 🤣🤣

[@Francis_0120]

Tbh, these two emperors are competent, but the Army itself, were one of the reasons of Roman Empire's downfall

[@RagnaCloud13]

The Incompetent Senatorial Emperors