Florianus 276 AD Half-brother of Tacitus Marcus Annins Florianus is said to have been the half-brother of Tacitus, and upon his death, Florianus, Prefect of the Praetorian Guard at the time, assumed the throne with the support of the Senate. Florianus immediately set out to deal with the troublesome tribe of the Heruli. While on […]

Tacitus 275-276 AD There is little reliable information about Marcus Claudius Tacitus. It does appear that after the murder of Aurelian, the soldiers of the Illyrian army, wishing to dissociate themselves from the assassins, sent a request to Rome that the Senate should nominate the new ruler and pledged themselves to support their choice. After […]

Lucius Julius Aurelius Setptimius Vabalathus Antoninianus Vabalathus & Aurelian 267-272 AD Lucius Julius Aurelius Setptimius Vaballathus (sometimes called Athenodorus) was the son of the ambitious Zenobia born in 259 AD. He became joint ruler of Palmyra with his mother following the assassination of Odenathus, his father. Gallienus refused to grant him the titles conferred upon […]

Septimia Zenobia (271-272AD) Æ Antoninianus as Augusta Queen of Palmyra Mother of Vabalathus Eastern Usurper of Rome Septimia Zenobia was the second wife of Odenathus, king of Palmyra. Zenobia had taken over the government of Palmyra following her husband’s assassination in 267 AD. She successfully defeated the attempts of Emperor Gallienus (253-268AD) to retake the lost […]

Severina Empress 270-275 AD Wife of Aurelian Little has come down to us throughout the ages about Severina other than her fairly extensive series of coinage. The evidence suggests that she was a major influence in her husband’s life particularly so since she was honored by Aurelian on almost every denomination issued by the mints […]

Lucius Domitius Aurelianus was born to humble parents at Sirmium sometime between 207 and 215 AD, most likely on September 9th, 214 AD. Aurelian adopted a military career, and by his skill, courage, and bodily strength, he ultimately became one of the Empire’s greatest generals of the 3rd century. Aurelian’s reputation as a cavalry commander was perhaps […]

Quintillus Brother of Claudius II Emperor 270 AD Marcus Aurelius Claudius Quintillus was the younger brother of the famous Claudius II Gothicus. Following the death of his brother due to the plague, Quintillus was proclaimed Emperor by his troops at Aquileia. After only a brief period of undisputed power, he was challenged by the ambitious […]

Domitianus Gallic Usurper circa 268 AD Gaius Domitianus was a usurper known from several sources. He is said to have been the victor over the Emperor Macrianus. However, it has also been suggested that Macrianus was defeated by Aureolus, the rebel general of the siege of Milan (see Gallienus). After his victory (over someone), Domitianus […]

Claudius Gothicus II Emperor 268-270 AD   Born 214 Died 270 AD Marcus Aurelius Valerius Claudius Gothicus II was most likely from Upper Moesia. Claudius appears to have been an accomplished soldier originally serving as a tribune under Trajanus Decius and Valerian I. Under Valerian, Claudius rose to the highest rank of supreme commander of […]

TETRICUS II Caesar 270 – 273AD Son of the Last Usurper of Gaul Gaius Pius Esuvius Tetricus II was the son of Tetricus I. He was raised to the rank of Caesar at the time of his father’s accession. Aurelian was determined to retake the Gallo-Roman Empire that Postumus had established. Upon Aurelian’s invasion of […]