This article is about the Roman emperor. For other uses, see Aurelian (disambiguation).
Aurelian
Bust of Aurelian[1] formerly identified as Claudius Gothicus.[2]
Roman emperor
Reign
270–275
Predecessor
Quintillus
Successor
Tacitus
Born
9 September 214 (?) Dacia Ripensis or Sirmium (Pannonia)
Died
c. November (?) 275 (aged ~61) Caenophrurium, Thracia
Spouse
Ulpia Severina
Issue
1 daughter
Names
Lucius Domitius Aurelianus[a]
Regnal name
Imperator Caesar Lucius Domitius Aurelianus Augustus
Religion
Henotheist of Sol Invictus
v
t
e
Battles of Aurelian
Under Gallienus and Claudius II
Lake Benacus
Naissus
Italian Campaign
Placentia
Fano
Pavia
Palmyrene War
Tyana
Immae
Emesa
Gallic Campaign
Châlons
Aurelian (Latin: Lucius Domitius Aurelianus; 9 September c. 214 – c. November 275) was a Roman emperor who reigned from 270 to 275 during the Crisis of the Third Century. As emperor, he won an unprecedented series of military victories which reunited the Roman Empire after it had nearly disintegrated under the pressure of barbarian invasions and internal revolts. Born in modest circumstances, most likely in Moesia Superior, he entered the Roman army in 235 and climbed up the ranks. He went on to lead the cavalry of the emperor Gallienus, until Gallienus' assassination in 268. Following that, Claudius Gothicus became emperor until his own death in 270. Claudius' brother Quintillus then ruled for three months, before Aurelian took the empire for himself.
During his reign, he defeated the Alamanni after a devastating war. He also defeated the Goths, Vandals, Juthungi, Sarmatians, and Carpi. Aurelian restored the Empire's eastern provinces after his conquest of the Palmyrene Empire in 273. The following year he conquered the Gallic Empire in the west, reuniting the Empire in its entirety. He was also responsible for the construction of the Aurelian Walls in Rome, the abandonment of the province of Dacia, and monetary reforms attempting to curb the devaluation of the Roman currency.
Although Domitian, two centuries earlier, was the first emperor who had demanded to be officially hailed as dominus et deus ("master and god"), these titles never occurred in written form on official documents until the reign of Aurelian.[4] His successes were instrumental in ending the crisis, earning him the title Restitutor Orbis ("Restorer of the World").
^Kleiner, Diana E. E. (1992). Roman sculpture. Yale University Press. pp. 375–376. ISBN 0-300-04631-6. OCLC 25050500.
^White 2015, p. 139.
^Groag, col. 157.
^Halsberghe, G.H. (1972). The Cult of Sol Invictus. Etudes préliminaires aux religions orientales dans l'Empire romain. Brill. p. 152. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
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