ABSTRACT
Until 235 the army was content to be led by emperors from the senatorial class no matter what their military abilities were.1 However, following the accession of Maximinus Thrax, most emperors were career soldiers, usually equestrians but sometimes of even humbler origins. The army’s perception of the emperorship had clearly changed. Considerations of class gave way to the new geopolitical reality in which Rome was forced to take a more defensive military posture.2 This deteriorating climate was reflected in the growing mobility of the emperor, who now had to spend far more time on campaign or at the very least in urban centres closer to potential avenues of enemy incursion. Out of necessity their responsibilities as supreme commander of the army (imperator) dwarfed all other functions of their role.3
