The arms of Rome fall off, yet she is able to reattach them.
This was the best map I could find that wouldn’t stretch the page for the Gallic Empire, but it lacks Raetia, which was also under its control.
The Gallic Empire
The Roman Empire during the mid 3rd century was a mess. Besides the various usurpations throughout the Empire that Valerian, Gallienus, and Valerian the Younger had to face, there was also the problem of foreign incursions. The Franks invaded in 257, and all three men had to be present to repulse them, showing the drastic trouble they caused. Valerian then proceeded to persecute Christians, and he had St. Cyprian, one of the few sources during this time period, executed in 258. He went eastward to face the threats of the Sassanian Emperor Shapur, while leaving behind the other two to face an usurpation attempt in Illyricum, along with incursions from the Goths and Alemanni. Valerian the younger was slain during this period, and Gallienus set up his younger son Saloninus as Caesar at Cologne. To make the situation even better, Valerian was captured by Shapur in 260. Not long after the news went out, many men were proclaimed Emperor by their troops, one of the more notable ones being the governor of Lower Germany, Postumus.
Marcus Cassianus Latinius Postumus
The capture of Valerian only confirmed the fears of the soldiers on the Rhine that the Emperor was not good enough to defend that region, so when they received the news they ultimately brought up Postumus as Emperor. It is said that “the two Germanies, the whole of Gaul with the possible exception of Narbonensis, then Britain and Spain joined him” (Southern, p.98). Saloninus was murdered, but it cannot be said by whom because the entire of Gaul doubted his or his father’s ability. Postumus’ first task was to repair the badly battered defenses along the Rhine, and he was able to fix them up to a stage not previously seen for the past years. His priority was only to defend the regions he was in control of, and he never opted to take the struggle to Rome and make a bid for the title of Imperator. Gallienus made two attempts in 261 and 266 to retake the lost provinces in the west, but he was unsuccessful in doing so.
The Palmyrene Empire
In the East, after Valerian’s capture, Macrianus, an equestrian, took control and placed a son, Quietus, in command of the East while he took his other son, Macrianus, with him to make a move on Rome. His bid failed, and Quietus was overthrown by a Palmyrene named Odenathus, who went as far as attacking Shapur while he left with the stolen goods he had won.
The ruins of Palmyra
Palmyra was stationed along the trade routes to the east, and was thus able to put a levy on passing caravans to maintain wealth. The city already had an established nobility, and Odenathus found himself among the wealthy. He was given the title ornamenta consularia by the Emperors Valerian and Gallienus, showing that he already had recognition prior to his command. Gallienus, although he disliked the idea of a “foreign barbarian” working for Rome, gave him the title dux Romanorum, allowing him military control. Odennthus had a few campaigns against the Persians and began to act as if he were in control, as opposed to Gallienus, who even gave himself the title Parthicus Maximus. He repulsed invasions by the Goths in Asia Minor and may have even planned to stage a coup against Gallienus when he was assassinated around 267. Although his untimely death kept the fate of the Palmyrene Empire unknown, somebody else stepped in to take his spot.
A painting depicting Zenobia's final look over Palmyra
Zenobia, Odenathus’ ambitious wife, took over his position and beat back the Praetorian Prefect Heraclianus sent by Gallienus to take control of the East. Gallienus’ failed efforts to suppress non-Romans who took control of parts of the Empire would be brandied against him by Aurelian, who was able to assert his own victories in a way that overshadowed his loss. He was murdered in 268 when he was besieging Aureolus in Milan. A man named Marcus Aurelius Claudius, or Claudius II Gothicus, took over, but he only reigned until 270 when he died from the plague. His brother Quintillus took over after him, but his reign was even shorter, and he was replaced by Aurelian in 270.
Regaining the lost arms
Aurelian was busy with conflicts on the Danube and in Rome, so he allowed for Vaballathus, Zenobia’s son, to be recognized as having a “shared rule” with him. He fought with the Goths under Cannabas (who may even be Cniva) and won a victory against them. Egypt was back under Imperial control by 271. Aurelian moved into Asia Minor and proceeded to take cities, mostly by their own accord. He faced Zenobia at Immae and Emesa, both of which resulted in him victorious. In 272 she was imprisoned by him and was being taken to Rome to de displayed when a man named Septimius Apsaeus decided to take control of Palmyra and redo what the family of Odenathus had. Just after this occasion a man named Firmus led a revolt in Egypt, probably backed by Apsaeus himself. Aurelian received news of these inauspicious events and returned to Palmyra, burning it to the ground so that it would never have a chance again to revolt.
In the west the situation was worsening. Postumus was murdered by his own soldiers when he refused them from sacking Mainz, a city that had rebelled under his rule. He was replaced with Victorinus, who was also murdered shortly after his proclamation. His mother, Victoria, and the governer of Aquitania, Esuvius Tetricus, took over and were able to pay the soldiers, thus keeping them under control. Aurelian mobilized against them in 273, and he had taken back the Gallic Empire by 274. The Roman Empire was finally one again, but the events would not get any better as Aurelian was faced with more revolts. Aurelian was also forced to leave Dacia in 272, losing that Roman province forever.
The Roman Empire in 300 A.D.
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Sources:
The Penguin Historical Atlas of Ancient Rome by Chris Scarre
The Roman Empire from Severus to Constantine by Pat Southern
Pictures randomly were randomly found on google, but the sites where they were taken from can be found under their properties.
I haven't made a topic about something in history that interested me in a while, and I felt that it was the time to do so.
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Originally Posted by COTLOD
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