Claudius II Gothicus

Claudius II Gothicus (268-270 CE) was a Roman Emperor during the Crisis of the Third Century (235-284 CE).
He inflicted a major defeat on the Goths at the Battle of Naissus (c.269 CE), for which he received the title ‘Gothicus Maximus’. This saved the Roman Empire for another 150 years.

1. BIOGRAPHICAL DETAILS

NAME:
- Marcus Aurelius Valerius Claudius also known as:
- Claudius Gothicus
- Claudius II
CLAUDIUS II GOTHICUS’ DATES OF REIGN AS EMPEROR:
- September 268 CE to January 270 CE.
DATE OF BIRTH AND DEATH:
- Born: 10 May 210 CE. Died in January 270 CE. Aged 59.
PLACE OF BIRTH AND DEATH:
- Born in Sirmium, Pannonia Inferior. Died in Sirmium, Pannonia Inferior
CLAUDIUS II GOTHICUS’ PREDECESSOR:
- Gallienus
CLAUDIUS II GOTHICUS’ SUCCESSOR:
- Quintillus his brother very briefly, then:
- Aurelian
HEIR TO THE THRONE BECAUSE:
- The Army besieging Aureolanus in Milan under Gallienus, declared Claudius Gothicus Emperor as soon as Gallienus had been assassinated.
DIED PEACEFULLY OR ASSASSINATED:
- He died from the Plague of Cyprian.
WHERE BURIED:
- Possibly in Sirmium.
CLAUDIUS II GOTHICUS WAS FAMOUS BECAUSE:
- He was one of the Illyrian Emperors who all came from Sirmium.
- Claudius inflicted a major defeat on the Goths at the Battle of Naissus (c.269 CE), saving the Roman Empire for another 150 years. For this action he received the title ‘Gothicus Maximus’ and was deified after his death.
- He is thought by the Christian Church to be the Emperor who ordered the beating and beheading of St. Valentine on the 14th February in 270 CE.

In 268 CE, He was besieging Milan under Gallienus against the Revolt by Aureolus, when Gallienus was assassinated. The troops immediately declared Claudius Gothicus Emperor. The siege of Milan was successful and Aureolis surrendered to Claudius, but was assassinated by Claudius’ Praetorian Guard.

Taking advantage of the chaos in 268 CE, the Alemanni invaded Raetia and crossed the Alps into Italy.
Claudius raced to meet them with his army and defeated the Alemanni at Lake Garda in the Battle of Lake Benacus. The future Emperor Aurelian took part in this battle. The Alemanni sustained great losses and withdrew, not returning to Italy until 271 CE.
The Senate awarded him the title ‘Germanicus Maximus’.

Claudius was further helped when the Gallic Empire split apart after Laelian challenged Postumus. both were assassinated, and in the ensuing debacle, Spain left the Gallic Empire and declared for Claudius.
Claudius sent an army into Gaul against Victorinus, commanded by Placidianus, the Prefect of the Vigiles. Augustodunum (Autun) declared for Claudius, but Placidianus, for reasons unknown, possibly due to the Gothic Invasion, failed to arrive. Autun was destroyed by Victorinus.

In c. 268 CE, a 500 vessel combined Fleet of the Goths and Heruli, with the Heruli (from Scandinavia) in command, ravaged Byzantium, Cyzicus and Heraclea Pontica. The Roman Navy confronted the Fleet, but was outmanoeuvred by them and they sailed through the Sea of Marmara, into the Aegean.
Here they sacked the Islands of Lemnos and Scyros, and in Achaea, the cities of Athens, Corinth, Argos, Olympia and Sparta.

The same year, a huge combined Fleet of the Goths, Gepids, Peucini and Heruli, again with the Heruli in command, assembled in the estuary of the Dniester, next to the Crimean Peninsular, with an estimated 325,000 men.
After minor attacks along the western Black sea coast, they sacked Byzantium and Chrysopolis.
After losing part of the fleet in the Sea of Marmara, possibly due to bad weather or action by the Roman Navy, they entered the Aegean and sacked the islands of Crete, Rhodes and Cyprus and probably the cities of Troy and Ephesus.

In 269 CE the Goths, aware that the Emperor Claudius II Gothicus was bringing his Legions to Greece, besieged Thessalonica with the subsequent intention of invading Italia.
In 270 CE They were finally defeated at the Battle of Naissus, Nis in Serbia, by a Roman Army led by Claudius II Gothicus. 50,000 were killed and the rest taken prisoner. This defeat helped save the Roman Empire for another 150 years.
The Senate awarded him the title ‘Gothicus Maximus’.

Aware that the East was breaking away, Claudius was helpless to intervene as a series of raids by the Vandals threatened the Danube.
Claudius moved to Sirmium and prepared to counter the Vandals who were raiding Pannonia.

In 266-7 CE Lucius Septimius Odaenathus, the King of Palmyra was assassinated. His son Vaballathus became King but was too young to rule, so his wife Zenobia became Queen and de facto Ruler.
270-274 CE Queen Zenobia conquered Egypt, Syria, Syria Palaestina and Asia Minor as far as Ankara.
Queen Zenobia ruled the Empire from her Capital at Palmyra, and ended any hopes Parthia may have had of retaking the Eastern Mediterranean. Any attempts at invasion were quickly seen off.
In 272 CE Aurelian finally defeated Queen Zenobia at the Battle of Immae and again at the Battle of Emesa (Homs).

He was taken ill by the Plague of Cyprian and died soon after.
After his death the Roman Senate acknowledged his great defeat of the Goths at the Battle of Naissus, by deifying Claudius with the title ‘Divius Claudius Gothicus’.