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The First Millenium

Welcome to 264.

Under the leadership of Odaenathus, the Palmyron Empire restores the entire eastern portion of the Empire to Rome. The Emperor Gallienus did not disdain to hold a triumph with the captives and trophies which Odaenathus had won. Odaenathus himself celebrated his victories in the East sharing with his eldest son Hairan (Herodes) the eastern title "king of kings". However, the Palmyrene Empire remains part of the Roman Empire.

Rome sends a naval force to Egypt to defeat a rebellion by the governor, thus securing Egypt's vital grain supplies to Rome.
 
Welcome to 266.

The rule of High King Cormac mac Airt ends in Ireland. A wise and benevolent king who had ruled for forty years, he is succeeded by Eochaid Gonnat.

Odaenathus and his son Hairan, rulers of the Palmyran Empire, are assassinated by the emperor's second wife Zenobia, so that her son will become the next emperor. But her son is an infant, so Zenobia becomes queen of the empire.

Meanwhile, Rome continues to win victories over the Franks, regaining parts of France for the Empire.
 
Welcome to 267.

The Heruli now appear on the scene. A Germanic tribe who had been driven from their homelands on Sweden and Denmark, they had joined up with the Goths. Deciding to strike out on their own, they sack Byzantium, a major Roman city, Athens, and Corinth.

At the same time, the Goths launch their greatest invasion yet on the Empire.

Victorinus, a brilliant general charged with defending Italy itself, defeats the Gallic Empire in Germany. France and England then proclaim him Emperor, but Spain rejoins the Roman Empire. When his troops also proclaim him Emperor, he heads towards Rome with his army.
 
I'm sorry, Folks. I had posted the article on 268, but apparently it didn't "take," so I'll try again.

268 is a big year of "turn-around." The Germans have siexed most of Greece, destroying Athens, Sparta, Corinth, Byzantium, and other cities. But the defeated Athenians manage to raise a militia, and attacking the Germans, drive them northwards. The Emperor Gallienus, meanwhile, enters northern Greece with an army, and the Germans are trapped between the two forces. The Romans win a smashing victory, but Gallienus has to leave immediately, leaving much of Greece in German hands--The Germans have invaded Italy and have rapidly seized much of northern Italy.

Gallienus and his army rush to Milan, a large city in northern Italy that is under siege. And for some reason that has never been figured out, his troops murder him and declare their general, Claudius II, the new Emperor. A tough, competent general who is a barbarian by birth, Claudius rescues Milan, and then, leading a 35,000 man Roman army, attacks a 100,000 man German army in northern Italy. Claudius kills or captures half the Germans, sending the rest of them fleeing back to Germany.

Meanwhile, the Gallic Empire is having troubles of its own. Spain had returned to Rome, and much of France is now held by the Romans or the Franks. Self-proclaimed Emperor Postumus is murdered by his troop, and the next two successors are also murdered. Victorinus, claiming to be the legitimate Emperor of Rome is now the ruler of the break-away empire.

The day after Christmas, Pope Dionysius dies of natural causes.
 
Welcome to 269.

Felix I becomes Pope. He vigorously opposes Paul of Samosata, Patriarch of Antioch, who is deposed but refuses to leave office.

Zenobia, queen of the Palmyran Empire, declares her empire independent of Rome. She invades and conquers Egypt, defeating a Roman army stationed there.

The Heruli, a large tribe of nomadic Germans, recapture Athens.

Meanwhile, the Emperor Claudius II wins several victories in France and Spain, hastening the collapse of the Gallic Empire. He settles defeated Goths around the Danube, having defeated them so thoroughly that they cannot threaten the Empire for another century. But towards the end of the year, the Emperor catches the plague, possibly smallpox.

Valentine, a pastor in Rome, is executed for conducting Christian marriages. It appears that "Valentine's Day" was originally held in honor of several martyrs with the same name.
 
Welcome to 270

About this time, Anthony the Great becomes the Father of Monasticsm. He wasn’t the first monk, nor did he invent the idea, but he lived a life far more isolated than the other monks. An unscriptural life-style, monasticism eventually became so corrupt that it would provide much of the impetus for the Protestant Reformation.

The Emperor Claudius II dies of the plague, and his brother Quintillus becomes Emperor. Contradictory records record that he reigned briefly before dying, and they contradict as to who killed him. Proclaimed Emperor by his troops General Aurelian takes the throne.

The new Emperor drives the remaining Germans out of northern Italy, but the Romans permanently abandon Utrecht, a fortified city in the Netherlands.
 
Things improve for the Empire in 271.

The Emperor Aurelian drives the Germans back across the Alps and the Danube. Crossing the Danube, Aurelian defeats the Germans in their own territory, killing their leader. But the Emperor has to abandon the entire province of Dacia, in modern Romania, on the German side of the Danube, as he needs the troops for the German frontier. He pulls back to the Danube and turns his attention elsewhere.

Realizing that the population is frightened by Rome's inability to protect itself, the Emperor begins constructing a fifty foot high wall around the city of Rome.

Victorinus, emperor of the Gallic Empire, is assassinated. His replacement only lasts a few weeks, issuing coins in his own honor, when he is replaced by Tetricus I. A competent politician, he reconquers a French city that had returned to Rome.

In China, the magnetic compass is invented.
 
Welcome to 272 AD!

The Emperor Aurelian has a great year. He invades the Palmyran Empire, which had seized the entire eastern shore of the Mediterranean, including Egypt. Offering forgiveness to cities that surrender, he is amazed at how rapidly he re-conquers former Roman territories. Queen Zenobia and her young son flee to the Persian Empire. Entering Egypt, Emperor Aurelian defeats a brief rebellion by a usurper and returns Egypt to the Empire.It's all over in a matter of months; the Palmyran Empire disappears forever, and the Roman Empire has regained all of its eastern territory.

The Emperor Aurelian forms a treaty with the kingdom of Axum, in modern Ethiopia.

Dometius was bishop of Byzantium about the period 272–284.
He was a brother of the future Roman Emperor Probus. Later, his two sons became bishops under his authority.

Shapur I, the great king of the Persian Empire who had seized much of the eastern Roman Empire and then lost much of his territory to the Palmyran Empire dies. His son reigns for one year after him.

Alarmed by his large numbers of converts, the Druids behead Denis, bishop of Paris, along with others, on the highest hill in Paris.
 
And now it is the year 273.

The city of Palmyra, formerly the head of the Palmyran Empire rebels. The Emperor Aurelian quickly defeats the rebels and orders his troops to sack the city.

Using diplomacy, Aurelian begins a secret deal with the rulers of the Gallic Empire. If they will resign, he will give them high positions in the Roman Empire.

The Emperor Aurelian had stopped persecuting Christians, but had adopted a policy of requiring everybody to support the sun god, without requiring them to abandon their own gods. Having a single religion, under the control of the government, would help unify the Empire.

A delegation from India arrives in Rome and is received by the Emperor.

Bahram I becomes ruler of the Persian Empire. He begins a thorough persecution of Manichaeism, helping the Zoroastrian priests execute their leaders, including Mani himself. He sends an embassy to Rome, bringing gifts and desiring peace.
 
Sorry, Folks, but our modem died on Friday and it took me until Monday to get it replaced.

Here we are in 274.

He had to cheat, but Emperor Aurelian does it: he regains control of the entire Roman Empire. He makes a secret deal with Tetricus, ruler of what's left of the Gallic Empire. Tetricus brings out an army to fight Aurelian, Tetricus defects to the Romans, Aurelian easily defeats the leaderless army, and Tetricus gets a high position in Italy. The Thirty Years' Crisis is drawing to a close.

But while Rome is re-united, much of it has been devastated. The Germans take advantage of Rome's exhaustion, and the Franks pillage much of France, including Paris. They settle permanently in parts of the Netherlands, Germany, and France, and the modern nation of "France" is named after them.

Aksum, the kingdom in northern Ethiopia, enters a period of prosperity as it gains control over the Red Sea trade routes.

Pope Felix I dies. Conflicting historical records confuse him with others of the same name, but he apparently died of natural causes.

On December 25, the Emperor Aurelian dedicates a temple to the "Unconquered Sun," the official, monotheistic god of the Roman Empire, and makes it the state religion. Romans had worshipped the sun god for centuries, and "Sol Invictus" was a blending of various sun gods into one. Later, Christians will celebrate Christmas as a substitute on this day.

China is still divided into three kingdoms. Having conquered Shu (the smallest of the three kingdoms), Wu is beginning to collapse under incompetent leadership, and Jin begins preparations for a massive invasion of Wu.
 
Welcome to 275.

Eutychian (275-283) becomes pope. Almost nothing is known about him, and it is possible that he only reigned for 10 months, rather than eight years. But persecution of Christianity has ended at this period of time.

The Emperor Aurelian personally leads an army to invade the Persian Empire. On the way, he defeats a minor uprising in Gaul, and defeats a few Germans. Very strict in his punishments for corruption, the Emperor is framed by a crooked secretary, who convinces several high-ranking officials that Aurelian plans to execute them on false charges. Fearing for their lives, the officials form a conspiracy, and Aurelian is murdered by his own troops before he reaches Persia.

With the Emperor dead, German mercenaries in his army begin sacking Roman cities in the east.

Meanwhile, the Franks and other Germans are running almost unrestrained through France, sacking cities and seizing territory.

The Senate appoints 750 year old Tacitus as Emperor. Honest and competent, the new Emperor quickly defeats the renegade German mercenaries in the east.

In southern India, the small Pallava Dynasty comes into power. It will expand for the next six hundred years before being destroyed.
 
Welcome to 276!

The 75-year-old Emperor Tacitus dies. Honest and competent, he had only reigned for nine months.Troops in the west declare his half-brother Florian the new Emperor, while troops in the east elect General Probus. There's a short battle, Probus wins, Florian's troops assassinate him, and Probus is now the Emperor.

The new Emperor leads his troops into France, which has been devastated by the Franks and other Germans.

Bahram II becomes king of the Persian Empire. He starts out as a tyrant, estranging the nobles from himself.
 
Wow, already it is 277.

Probus, the new Emperor, personally leads troops into France, expellng the Franks and the Alamanni from the province. Ruling over a devastated Empire, Probus puts his troops to work in the vineyards and farmlands of France as he struggles to restore the economy. He continues this policy, creating discontent in the military.

There is widespread discontent as certain areas do not like having to support other areas. Probus re-organizes defenses along the Rhine. There are minor food shortages as Egypt, which normally supplies Rome with food, has been devastated.

Although Probus is a competent ruler, the widespread problems from Rome's massive wars are setting the stage for a variety of revolts.
 
And here we are in the year 278. Not much happens, though.

The Emperor Probus heads east to fight a new menace: the Vandals. Centered in eastern Germany, away from Rome, they were no more destructive than anyone else. But now they have begun expanding to the southeast, threatening the eastern parts of the Roman Empire. Centuries earlier, they had migrated from Scandinavia into modern Poland, settling there for about five centuries before beginning their attacks on the Roman Empire.

And, south of Egypt, the Blemmyes become a problem. Possibly a blend of Ethiopians, Nubians, and various Black tribes south of the Empire, they had become united and were beginning to expand. They had helped the Palmyran Empire, lost a couple of minor wars with Rome, and were generally peaceful. But their population is growing, and they can't help noticing that the depopulated Roman Empire has a lot of empty land
 
Let's see what happens in 279.

Leading an army into south-eastern Europe, Emperor Probus defeats the Vandals and the Burgundians. The Burgundians are a minor tribe of Germans who expanded from an island off Europe's northern coast. Neither tribe is much of a challenge to Rome at this time.

But the governor of Syria revolts and declares himself Emperor. Probus races to Syria, and, seeing the size of his army, troops loyal to the governor kill him and return to Probus.

Other Roman armies defeat the Blemmyes in Egypt. After studying reports, the Emperor orders a massive re-building of canals and bridges, in order to restore Egypt's ability to supply the city of Rome with food.

Now, Probus heads towards the Persian Empire, determined to conquer it. But reports of more trouble with the Germans and various small revolts force him to change his mind. He makes peace with Persia and heads back to Europe.

In China, the kingdom of Jin launches a five-front attack on the kingdom of Wu, along with river-based naval attacks. Jin is victorious in every area, and Wu begins to collapse under the strain.
 
It’s 280, and Keiko has become Emperor of Japan.

The kingdom of Jin defeats the kingdom of Wu, and China is re-united as one nation. But decades of rebellions are still ahead. The Period of the Three Kingdoms is over, and a devastated and heavily depopulated China is one nation once again. But rival warlords and governors continue to claim to be the Emperor, and China remains racked by civil war as various dynasties rise and fall.

In Rome, the Emperor Probus is kept busy defeating three usurpers who claim to be Emperor. He quickly defeats two, and Roman troops quickly defeat the third. Probus even finds time to drive the Alani (an Iranian people) out of Asia Minor.

The Thuringii appear in central Germany. A blend of Alamanni remains, minor German tribes, and immigrants from other German areas, they found a kingdom that expands for another century before being conquered by the Franks.

The Golden Age of India begins. The new Gupta Empire expands for the next two centuries, eventually covering most of modern India. The Gupta bring in a period of peace and prosperity, during which scientific research thrives.
 
Welcome to the year 281.

Proculus, an extremely wealthy noble, had seized Lyons, France, declaring himself co-Emperor with another rebel. A competent general, he defeated the Germans, clearing large parts of France of German invaders. Relying heavily on raids, rather than direct battle, he had been defeated by Roman armies under command of the Emperor Probus. Retreating north, he fails to make an alliance with the Franks.

Now, the Franks betray him to the Romans, and Probus has him executed, but spares his family. The Emperor is favoring a new policy of reconciliation with the Germans. If they will submit to Rome, he will give them land is depopulated areas.

Jin Wu, the Emperor of re-unified China, practices extravagance for himself, and kindness to others. Wanting to strengthen his own Jin Dynasty, he grants wealth and military power to his relatives, while ignoring their corruption. This eventually destabilizes the government, as greedy, powerful, and incompetent members of the Jin family fight among themselves. Living a sensuous life, the formerly successful Emperor generally ignores important matters of state.
 
Welcome to 282.

The Emperor Probus is eager to get out of Rome and win battles in the East. With everything finally under control, he leads an army towards Asia, when word reaches him that Carus, commander of the Praetorian Guard, has declared himself Emperor. Probus hurries back to Rome, but his troops assassinate him and go over to Carus, who is now the Emperor.

How did this happen? Probus became Emperor during a time of economic chaos, with large parts of the re-unified Empire under German control. His frequent minor wars were all successful, but his troops resented being put to farm labor between battles. Unable to defeat every group of Germans at once, Probus was resented in parts of the Empire that he didn't help right away.

The new Emperor Carus leaves the western part of the Empire under one of his sons, and takes his other son with him as he leads an army eastward. After defeating some more Germans, he invades the Persian Empire, winning a series of victories that almost collapse the Persians.
 
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