Today is Sunday, May 31st, 2020.

On this day in 455, CE, Emperor Petronius Maximus tried to escape Germanic vandals.

However, his own subjects murdered him before the invaders got the chance. Welcome to today in True Crime, a parcast original.

Due to the graphic nature of today's crimes,

listener discretion is advised. Extreme caution is advised for listeners under 13.

Today we're covering the brutal death of Emperor Petronius Maximus at the hands of a vicious

horde of Roman citizens. Let's go back to Rome on the evening of May 31st, 455. As Emperor Patronius Maximus perched on his throne, the Imperial Diadem weighed heavily on his head,

he ruminated on the sword of Damocles, a cautionary tale about the courtier who was

allowed to be king for a day, but forced to sit beneath a sharp blade hanging by a single hair. Far from pitying the man, Maximus envied him.

Reportedly he complained to a friend,

Ah, happy Damocles! It was only for one banquet space that you had to endure the

necessity of raining.

In contrast, Maximus's unhappy rule had stretched for 77 days, a relative eternity of anxiety and paranoia.

Maximus had arrived on the throne after a long respectable career in politics.

He secured his first role in the Imperial Council by the tender age of 19.

Then in 433 CE, when Maximus was 37, he was selected as Consul, one of the highest positions in Roman politics.

Ten years later, Maximus reached truly rarified air when he was chosen his console for a second time,

and shortly afterward earned the highest title of Petrician.

Petronius Maximus had a stellar career, and he would have done well to quit while he was ahead,

but alas he did not.

In the wake of Emperor Valentinians' untimely death,

Maximus wasted no time in securing the emperorship for himself.

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