Herodian of Antioch's History of the Roman Empire is an important source for the AD 180-238 period. Choose one of the emperors from this period (possibilities include Commodus, Pertinax, Didius Julianus, Septimius Severus, Macrinus, Bassianus, and Alexander Severus) and note what Herodian has to say about that emperor. Cite here an example of that emperor's competence (or lack thereof) and an example of the difficulties that emperor faced, looking especially for problems that emperor had with the Roman army.
If you prefer, you might comment on one of the important women leaders, e.g., Julia Maesa or Julia Mamea. You might also like looking at what Herodian has to say about Xenobia, the queen of Palmyra.
You may find the site linked here a bit difficult to navigate. Persevere! Use the "page" button at the top to navigate through the eight *books* of this history looking at the book heading to see which emperors are included in that book. Once you find the right book, click through each of the chapter links to find the material on the emperor you want to talk about.
"Maximinus expected everything to turn out successfully for him without the slightest difficulty."
ReplyDeleteWhile the context here is strictly related to the fact that he was unopposed at this point in time, it is common knowledge within war and battle to never underestimate one's opponent.
In doing so, you could very well end up dead, something that the emperor should have known. Instead of feeling proud that no one was standing up to him, or that he was treking through Italy with ease, he should have been planning out what he would do in the event that someone *did* oppose him occurred.
A ruler, especially a competent one, must be prepared for any possible option that they can think of. Additionally, if they come across a situation they never dealt with before and survive, they would add it to the list of possible scenarios for the future.