Roman emperor (2705), born of humble origins in Dacia or Pannonia. Enlisting early as a common soldier he rose rapidly to the highest military offices. On the death of Claudius II (270), he was elected emperor by the army. By restoring good discipline in the army, order in domestic affairs, and political unity to the Roman dominions, he merited the title awarded him by the Senate, Restitutor Orbis (Restorer of the World). He was assassinated by his own officers during a campaign against the Persians.
| Aurelian | ||
|---|---|---|
| Emperor of the Roman Empire | ||
| Reign | September 9, 270–September 275 | |
| Full name | Lucius Domitius Aurelianus | |
| Born | 214 | |
| Dacia or possibly Sirmium | ||
| Died | September 275 | |
| Caenophrurium, Thrace | ||
| Predecessor | Quintillus | |
| Successor | Marcus Claudius Tacitus | |
| Wife/wives | Ulpia Severina | |
Lucius Domitius Aurelianus (September 9, 214–September 275), known in English as Aurelian, Roman Emperor (270–275), was the second of several highly successful "soldier-emperors" who helped the Roman Empire regain its power during the latter part of the third century and the beginning of the fourth.
During his reign, the Empire was reunited in its entirety, following fifteen years of rebellion, the loss of two-thirds of its territory to break-away empires (the Palmyrene Empire in the east and the Gallic Empire in the west) and devastating barbarian invasions.
Rise to power
Aurelian was born in Dacia ripensis or Sirmium (Pannonia), to an obscure provincial family; Aurelian served as a general in several wars, and his success ultimately made him the right-hand man and dux equitum (cavalry commander) of the army of Emperor Gallienus. According to one source, Aurelian participated in the assassination of Gallienus (268), and supported Claudius II for the purple. With an act typical of the Crisis of the Third Century, the army did not recognized the new emperor, preferring to support one of its own commanders: Aurelian was proclaimed emperor in September 270 by the legions in Sirmium. Aurelian defeated Quintillus' troops, and was recognized emperor by the Senate after Quintillus' death. later, probably in 272, Aurelian put his own dies imperii the day of Claudius' death, thus implicitly considering Quintillus a usurper.
Conqueror and reformer
In 248, Emperor Philip had celebrated the millennium of the city of Rome with great and expensive ceremonies and games, and the empire had given a tremendous proof of self-confidence. The end
result was that the empire did not endured the blow of the capture of Emperor Valerian in 260: the eastern provinces found their protectors in the rulers of the city of Palmyra, in Syria, whose
authonomy grew until the formation of the Palmyrene Empire, a separate entity from the Roman Empire, successful against the Persian threat; the western provinces, those facing the limes
of the Rhine seceded, forming a third, authonomous state within the territories of the Roman Empire, which is now known as Gallic Empire; This was the situation faced by Gallienus and Claudius,
and the problems Aurelian had to deal with at the beginning of his rule.
Reunification of the empire
The first actions of the new emperor were aimed at strenghtening his own position in his territories. Late in 270, Aurelian campaigned in northern Italia against the Vandals, Juthungi, and Sarmatians, expelling them from Roman territory.
The authority of the emperor was challenged by several usurpers — Septimius, Urbanus, Domitianus, and the rebellion of Felicissimus —, who tried to exploit the sense of insecurity of the empire and the overhelming influence of the armies in Roman politics. Aurelian, being an experienced commander, was aware of the importance of the army, and his propaganda, known through his coinage, shows he wanted the support of the legions. Aurelian, who was in Pannonia to control Vandals's withdrawal, quickly entered Italia, but his army was defeated in an ambush near Placentia (January 271). But Aurelian attacked the Alamanni camping near the Metaurus River, defeating them in the Battle of Fano, and forcing them to re-cross the Po river; However, the menace of the German people remained high as perceived by the Romans, so Aurelian resolved to build the walls that became known as the Aurelian Walls around Rome.
Conquest of the Palmyrene Empire
In 272, Aurelian turned his attention to the lost eastern provinces of the empire, the so-called "Palmyrene Empire" ruled by Queen Zenobia from the city of Palmyra. In the beginning, Aurelian had been recognized as emperor, while Vaballathus, the son of Zenobia, hold the title of rex and imperator ("king" and "supreme military commander"), but Aurelian decided to invade the eastern provinces as soon as he felt strong enough. Aurelian to that point had destroyed every city that resisted him, but he spared Tyana after having a vision of the great 1st century philosopher Apollonius of Tyana, whom he respected greatly, in a dream. This time, Aurelian allowed his soldiers to sack the city, and Palmyra never recovered from this.
Conquest of the Gallic Empire
In 274, the victorious emperor turned his attention to the west, and the "Gallic Empire" which had already been reduced in size by Claudius II. the "Gallic Emperor" Tetricus was willing to abandon his throne and allow Gaul and Britain to return to the empire, but could not openly submit to Aurelian. Instead, the two seem to have conspired so that when the armies met at Châlons-en-Champagne that fall, Tetricus simply deserted to the Roman camp and Aurelian easily defeated the Gallic army facing him.
Aurelian returned to Rome and won his last honorific from the Senate — Restitutor Orbis ("Restorer of the World"). In four years, he had secured the frontiers of the empire and reunified it, effectively giving the empire a new lease on life that lasted 200 years.
Reformations
Aurelian was a reformer, and settled many important functions of the imperial apparatus, including the economy and the religion.
Religious reform
Aurelian strengthened the position of the Sun god, Sol or Oriens, and the main divinity of the Roman pantheon.
Aurelian did not persecute other religions.
Felicissimus' rebellion and coinage reform
Aurelian's reign records the only uprising of mint workers. The rationalis Felicissimus, mintmaster at Rome, revolted against Aurelian. This rebellion also had the support of some senators, probably those who had supported the election of Quintillus, and thus had something to fear from Aurelian. Aurelian ordered the urban cohorts, reinforced by some regular troops of the imperial army, to attack the rebelling mob: the resulting battle, fought on the Caelian hill, marked the end of the revolt, even if at an high price (some sources give the figure, probably exagerated, of 7,000 casualities). Considering that this was an improvement over the previous situation gives an idea of the severity of the economic situation Aurelian faced.
Death
In 275, Aurelian marched towards Asia Minor, preparing another campaign against the Sassanids: the deaths of Kings Shapur I (272) and Hormizd I (273) in quick succession, and the rise to power of a weakened ruler (Bahram I), set the possibility to attack the Sassanid Empire.
However, Aurelian never reached Persia, as he was murdered while waiting in Thrace to cross into Asia Minor. In fear of what the emperor might do, he forged a document listing the names of high officials marked by the emperor for execution, and showed it to Aurelian collaborators.
Aurelian's enemies in the Senate briefly succeeded in passing damnatio memoriae on the emperor, but this was reversed before the end of the year and Aurelian, like his predecessor Claudius, was deified as Divus Aurelianus.
Ulpia Severina, wife of Aurelian and Augusta since 274, is said to have held the imperial role during the short interregnum before the election of Marcus Claudius Tacitus to the
purple.
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