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Unlike the majority of the usurpers of the crisis of the third century, Valerian was of a noble and traditional senatorial family. Details of his early life are elusive, but his marriage known to Egnatia Mariniana who gave him two sons: Publius Licinius Egnatius Gallienus and Valerianus Minor.
In 238 he was princeps senatus, and Gordian I negotiated through him for Senatorial acknowledgement for his claim as Emperor. In 251, when Decius revived the censorship with legislative and executive powers so extensive that it practically embraced the civil authority of the emperor, Valerian was chosen censor by the senate. Under Decius he was nominated governor of the RhineAt 1,320 km (820 miles), the Rhine River ( German Rhein French Rhin Dutch Rijn is one of the longest rivers in Europe. Its name is derived from the Celtic word renos (meaning "raging flow"). Together with the Danube it formed most of the northern frontier provinces of Noricum120 AD Noricum in ancient geography was a province of the Roman Empire. It was bounded on the north by the Danube, on the west by Raetia and Vindelicia, on the east by Pannonia, on the south by Pannonia, Italia and Dalmatia. It roughly corresponds to the and RaetiaThe Roman Empire ca. 120 AD Raetia (so always in inscriptions; classical manuscripts usually use the form Rhaetia , in ancient geography, a province of the Roman Empire, bounded on the west by the country of the Helvetii, on the east by Noricum, on the no and retained the confidence of his successor, Trebonianus GallusGaius Vibius Trebonianus Gallus ( 206 253), was Roman emperor from 251 to 253, in a joint rule with his son Volusianus. Gallus was born in Italy, in a family with respected ancestry and a senatorial background. He had two children in his marriage with Afi, who asked him for reinforcements to quell the rebellion of AemilianusMarcus Aemilius Aemilianus (ca. 207 253), was Roman emperor for about three months in 253. Aemilianus was born into an obscure family from the Roman province of Africa. He was married to a Cornelia Supra but other details of his early life are unknown. in 253. Valerian headed south, but was too late: Gallus' own troops killed him and joined Aemilianus before his arrival. The Raetian soldiers then proclaimed Valerian emperor and continued their march towards Rome. At the time of his arrival in September, Aemilianus' legions defected, killing him and proclaiming Valerian emperor. In Rome, the Senate quickly acknowledged him, not only for fear of reprisals, but also because he was one of their own.
Valerian's first act as emperor was to make his son Gallienus colleague. In the beginning of his reign the affairs in Europe went from bad to worse and the whole West fell into disorder. On the East, AntiochThis is about one of the cities called Antioch in Asia Minor, now Turkey. See Antioch (disambiguation) for other places called Antioch. The city of Antioch-on-the-Orontes (modern Antakya is located in what is now Turkey. It was founded near the end of the had fallen into the hands of a PersiaPersia is the historical name for the state of Iran. The name was used in the West due to the ancient Greek name for Iran, Persis''. Persia is used to describe the nation of Iran, its people, or its ancient empire. The name Persia comes from a province inn vassal, ArmeniaArmenia ( Armenian: ''Hayastan is a landlocked country in southern Transcaucasia, between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia to the north, Azerbaijan in the east and Iran and the Naxcivan exclave of Azerbaijan in th was occupied by Shapur I (Sapor). Valerian and Gallienus split the problems of the empire between the two, with the son taking the West and the father heading East to face the Persian threat.
By 257, Valerian had already recovered Antioch and the Syria province to Roman control but in the following year, the Goths ravaged Asia Minor. Later in 259, he moved to Edessa, but an outbreak of plague killed a critical number of legionaries, weakening the Roman position. Valerian was then forced to seek terms with Shapur I. Sometime towards the end of 259, or at the beginning of 260, Valerian was caught and made prisoner by the Persians. It is said that he was subjected to the greatest insults by his captors and later executed. After his death his skin was stuffed with straw and preserved as a trophy in the chief Persian temple. Despite several usurpation attempts, Gallienus secured the throne until his own assassination in 268.
Owing to imperfect and often contradictory sources, the chronology and details of this reign are very uncertain.
Valerian and Gallienus' joint rule was threatened several times by usurpers. See Gallienus usurpers for the full account.
This article incorporates text from the public domain 1911 Encyclopędia Britannica. 1911 Britannica
| Preceded by Aemilianus | Roman Emperor | Succeeded by Gallienus |
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