WI: Maximinus Thrax Takes Rome and Crushes Senate?

[hasdrubal barca]

What if Maximinus Thrax Takes Rome and Crushes Senate?

In OTL Maximius Thrax invaded Italy but was killed by his own troops while besieging Aquileia. I'm curious what would have happened had he taken Rome? What would of befallen the Senate? Would the empire have stabilized? Could the Crisis of the Third Century be averted?

 

[hasdrubal barca]

Any ideas?

 

[Planet of Hats]

You'd need a Maximinus Thrax who isn't despised by basically everyone of any significant station in Roman society. He's just too much of a lower-class galoot ever to win the love of the senatorial faction, and his base of support is fairly limited, so actually defeating the senatorial factions would be almost beyond the realm of possibility.

 

[Rdffigueira]

If he does it, it will be another factor that accelerates his undoing, IMHO.

Even if the emperors since Septimius Severus were aware that the support of the army was the real base to support their claim, the formal legitimacy came from the Senate, as a representative of the Roman people. If he outright punishes/persecutes/massacres the senatorial nobles, the next usurper who dethrones him will most certainly restore the Senate as a means of self-attributing its own legitimacy, so in the long-run we return to the status quo ante bellum.

 

[SlyDessertFox]

Given how readily his own soldiers were willing to get rid of him at the first major obstacle he ever encountered in his reign, his base of support seems incredibly week, even by 3rd century standards.

 

[hasdrubal barca]

Given how readily his own soldiers were willing to get rid of him at the first major obstacle he ever encountered in his reign, his base of support seems incredibly week, even by 3rd century standards.

From what I've read he seems to have support of the Pannonia troops but the Eastern soldiers, including the legion that murdered him, not so much.

 

[hasdrubal barca]

Isn't Thrax in a similar position to Severus? Senate is against him and he's supported by Danube legions. I do think Servus is a craftier political leader then Thrax.