6 moments

1. Birth in Rome

   0178-01-01 · Rome, Italy

   

   Balbinus was born in Rome around 178. The year is approximate. The source gives an approximate birth year (c. 178); coordinates represent Rome generally.

2. At the imperial palace after Pupienus's return

   0238-01-01 · Imperial Palace, Palatine Hill, Rome, Italy

   

   Following Maximinus's death, Pupienus returned to Rome; Balbinus, Pupienus, and Gordian III withdrew to the imperial palace as renewed disorder developed in the city. The source does not provide a precise date for the return; coordinates represent the Palatine imperial palace complex.

3. Public intervention during unrest

   0238-01-01 · Rome, Italy

   

   During violent conflict between the populace and the guard, Balbinus appeared publicly in an unsuccessful effort to calm the disturbance. The Historia Augusta places this episode at Rome but does not securely date it more narrowly than Balbinus's reign in 238.

4. Civil administration during Pupienus's departure

   0238-04-01 · Rome, Italy

   

   After Pupienus left for Ravenna late in April, Balbinus remained in Rome with responsibility for civil administration and public order. The source supports late-April precision but does not identify a more exact site within Rome.

5. Election as co-emperor on the Capitoline

   0238-04-22 · Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus, Capitoline Hill, Rome, Italy

   

   The Senate named Balbinus and Pupienus co-emperors amid the crisis caused by Maximinus. This was the beginning of Balbinus's brief imperial reign. The ancient temple no longer survives; coordinates mark its accepted site on the Capitoline Hill.

6. Murder at the Praetorian barracks

   0238-07-29 · Castra Praetoria, Rome, Italy

   

   Praetorians seized Balbinus and Pupienus during the Capitoline Games, dragged them from the palace through Rome, and killed them at their camp. The date follows a common modern reconstruction; the chronology of events in 238 is disputed in the surviving evidence.