Balbinus had an equal share of consular status and political clout. As with Pupienus, he belonged to a special senatorial commission to deal with the problem of Maximinus Thrax. The usurper emperor had been declared a public enemy and, after the defeat in Africa of the senate's candidates, Gordian I and Gordian II, was marching on Rome. Without other candidates in view, the senate elected Pupienus and Balbinus joint emperors. Marcus Antonius Gordianus Pius, the thirteen-year-old grandson of Gordian I, was nominated as Caesar to appease the population of capital, which was still loyal to the Gordian family. Pupienus was sent at the head of an army to face Maximinus, and Balbinus stayed in Rome.
Meanwhile, Maximinus' situation was not easy. Discontent due to lack of supplies and the strong opposition of the senate, forced his legionaries to rethink their allegiance. Soldiers of the II Parthica killed the usurper and surrendered to Pupienus in the end of June. The co-emperor then returned to Rome, only to find the city in riot. Balbinus had not managed to control the situation and the city had burned in a fire resulting in mutiny. With both emperors present, the situation calmed down but the unease remained.
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