Aurelian was Roman emperor from 270-275 AD. He was the second in a succession of emperors who were originally soldiers. These ‘soldier-emperors’ helped the Roman Empire regain its power, which had waned considerably during the latter part of the third century, and towards the beginning of the fourth century.
Aurelian was a highly regarded general, who saw action in many wars. One of his most noteworthy victories occurred in the year 268 AD, when he successfully fought back the well equipped and well trained Gothic cavalry force in the much celebrated Battle of Naissus. When the Emperor Claudius died, the army supported Aurelian as Emperor. At that time, external enemies from almost all sides threatened the Roman Empire. There was the constant threat of rebellious uprisings from within its own walls. The economic state of the empire was also quite bad at that time, with the agricultural and the commercial sectors in particular, suffering under the general political instability.
One of the first acts Aurelian undertook was to recover the huge territories that the empire had lost in the previous years. After fifteen years of uprisings, and the devastating losses of Rome’s territories, it was under Aurelian’s rule, that the empire was finally fully united. History will forever remember Aurelian as the emperor, who brought an end to the crisis in Rome during the third century.