Conflict & Security in the 3rd century

247 sourced entries, 200 CE to 299 CE, oldest first. Also see Conflict & Security across every century or everything else in the 3rd century.

• 200September-November - Battle of Guandu: Chinese warlord Cao Cao defeats his rival Yuan Shao.source
• 200In Jiaozhi (present-day northern Vietnam), a rebellion broke out among the locals, who killed Inspector Zhu Fu due to his corruption.source
• 201Battle of Cangting: Warlord Cao Cao defeats his rival, Yuan Shao.source
• 202Battle of Bowang: Warlord Liu Bei defeats Cao Cao's forces under Xiahou Dun.source
• 202Severus launches a campaign in Africa; Legio III Augusta under Quintus Anicius Faustus fights a guerrilla war against the Garamantes along the Limes Tripolitanus. They capture several settlements such as Cydamus, Gholaia and their capital Garama, 600 km south of Lepcis Magna. The province of Numidia is enlarged: the Romans annex Castellum Dimmidi, Gemellae and Vescera.source
• 202A Roman law bans female gladiators.source
• 203Battle of Xiakou: Warlord Sun Quan battles his rival Huang Zu along the Yangtze River near Wuhan.source
• 203Prince Vijaya becomes king of the Andhra Empire. During his reign, the empire is broken apart into smaller independent principalities.source
• 204Battle of Ye: Warlord Cao Cao lays siege to and captures the military headquarter of Yuan Shao in Ye.source
• 204Gongsun Kang, Chinese warlord of Liaodong, establishes the Daifang Commandery in northern Korea.source
• 205January 22 – Gaius Fulvius Plautianus, a praetorian prefect and father-in-law of Caracalla, is assassinated.source
• 205Battle of Nanpi: Warlord Cao Cao defeats and kills Yuan Tan, the eldest son of his rival Yuan Shao.source
• 205End of the Yellow Turban Rebellionsource
• 206Hadrian's Wall is retaken for the first time, since the Pictish uprising of 180.source
• 207Battle of White Wolf Mountain: Warlord Cao Cao defeats the Wuhuan tribes, sending the Wuhuan into decline.source
• 208Ardashir I, ruler of Istakhr (Persia), revolts against his brother and founds the Sassanid Dynasty.source
• 208King Vologases VI succeeds his father Vologases V to the throne. His brother Artabanus V begins a rebellion against him in the Parthian Empire.source
• 208Warlord Cao Cao marches south with his army, and captures the enemy fleet at Jiangling.source
• 208Spring – Battle of Jiangxia: Sun Quan defeats Huang Zu.source
• 208Britain is divided: in the north, Lower Britain (Britannia Inferior) is administered from the fortress at Eburacum (modern York), and in the south, Upper Britain (Britannia Superior) is controlled by the legions at Deva Victrix (Chester) and Isca Augusta (Caerleon) with its capital at Londinium (London).source
• 208Winter – Zhou Yu and Liu Bei defeat Cao Cao at the Battle of Red Cliffs; along with the Battle of Yamen and Battle of Lake Poyang. This is one of the largest naval battles in China's history.source
• 208Battle of Changban: Warlord Liu Bei escapes from Cao Cao.source
• 209Septimius Severus makes plans to subdue the land to the north of Scotland, ravaging it severely. Road-building and forest-clearing, the Roman army reaches Aber; Scottish tribes begin guerrilla warfare.source
• 210Having suffered heavy losses since invading Scotland in 208, Emperor Septimius Severus sends his son - Caracalla - to systematically wipe out and torture the Scots into submission.source
• 211March – September: Battle of Tong Pass: Cao Cao defeats Ma Chao.source
• 211Eboracum becomes the capital of Britannia Inferior, a northern province of the Roman Empire.source
• 211Ardashir I becomes king of part of Persia.source
• 213Battle of Ruxu: Cao Cao clashes against Sun Quan.source
• 214The Korean kingdom of Baekje attacks the Mohe tribes.source
• 214Battle of Xiaoyao Ford: General Zhang Liao under the command of Cao Cao beats back Sun Quan at Hefei.source
• 214Caracalla's victories in Germany ensure his popularity within the Roman army.source
• 214The defences of Rhaetia are reinforced, in the form of an uninterrupted stone wall.source
• 215Caracalla's troops massacre the population of Alexandria, Egypt, beginning with the leading citizens after the Alexandrian Revolts. The emperor was angry about a satire, produced in Alexandria, mocking his claim that he killed Geta in self-defense.source
• 215Zhang Liao holds off Sun Quan's invasion force at the Battle of Xiaoyao Ford in Hefei, China.source
• 216Caracalla provokes a war with Artabanus V (of Parthia) to imitate his idol Alexander the Great. He crosses the Tigris, destroys towns and spoils the tombs of Arbela. The Roman army annexes Armenia.source
• 216Chinese warlord Cao Cao is made a vassal and ruler of Wei (Former Wei) by Emperor Xian, the last ruler of the Han Dynasty.source
• 216Mithraism, which had begun in Persia, is on course to be adopted by many Roman soldiers serving in Asia.source
• 217April 8 – Caracalla is assassinated by his soldiers near Edessa. Marcus Opellius Macrinus, head of the Praetorian Guard, declares himself Roman emperor.source
• 217King Artabanus V signs a peace treaty with Rome after he receives 200 million sesterces, for the rebuilding of towns destroyed during the war in Parthia.source
• 217Summer – Battle of Nisibis: A Roman army, under the command of Macrinus, is defeated in a three days' battle by the Parthians at Nisibis, in the province of Mesopotamia.source
• 217Battle of Ruxu: Warlord Cao Cao once again clashes with his rival Sun Quan in Yang Province.source
• 218May 16 – Julia Maesa, an aunt of the assassinated Emperor Caracalla, is banished to her home in Syria by the self-proclaimed emperor Macrinus, and declares her grandson Elagabalus, age 14, emperor of Rome.source
• 218June 8 – Battle of Antioch: Elagabalus defeats, with the support of the Syrian legions, the forces of Macrinus. Macrinus flees, but is captured near Chalcedon and later executed in Cappadocia.source
• 218Spring – Ji Ben (or Ji Ping), Chinese court physician, plots a rebellion in the imperial capital Xu (modern-day Xuchang), but the revolt is suppressed and the conspirators are captured and executed.source
• 219The Battle of Mount Dingjun ends with Liu Bei emerging victorious. He declares himself king of Hanzhong afterwards.source
• 219Cao Cao controls the Yellow River basin and northern China. Sun Quan rules southern China. Liu Bei controls Yi Province (covering present-day Sichuan and Chongqing).source
• 219The reign of Pulona, Satavahana king of Andhra, begins in India.source
• 219Guan Yu floods the fortress at Fan (present-day Fancheng District, Xiangyang, Hubei) in the Battle of Fancheng, while Lü Meng captures his base in Jing Province. Guan Yu retreats to Maicheng, falls into an ambush, and gets captured by Sun Quan's forces.source
• 219Legions III Gallica and IV Scythica are disbanded by Elagabalus after their leaders, Verus and Gellius Maximus, rebel.source
• 220The Goths invade Asia Minor and the Balkans.source
• 220King Ardashir I, founder of the Sassanid dynasty, gains support from some Parthian sub-kings and revolts against the rule of Vologases VI. Ardashir, a grandson of Sasan, had ruled Persis since 208 and six years earlier gained control of the region surrounding Persepolis.source
• 222March 13 – Emperor Elagabalus is assassinated, along with his mother, Julia Soaemias, by the Praetorian Guard during a revolt. Their mutilated bodies are dragged through the streets of Rome before being thrown into the Tiber.source
• 222Battle of Xiaoting/Yiling: The Chinese state of Shu Han is defeated by Eastern Wu.source
• 223Battle of Dongkou: The Chinese state of Cao Wei is defeated by Eastern Wu.source
• 224April 28 – Battle of Hormozdgan: King Ardashir I defeats Artabanus V, destroying the Parthian Empire, and establishing the Sassanid Dynasty. Artabanus V's brother Vologases VI will continue to rule, with Armenian and Kushan support, over outlying parts of Parthia.source
• 226Ctesiphon, until now capital of the Parthian Empire, falls into the hands of the Sasanian Empire, who also make it their capital, after putting an end to the Parthian Dynasty in Iran.source
• 228June –October – Battle of Shiting: The Eastern Wu Kingdom defeats the Cao Wei Kingdom.source
• 228c. February – May – Battle of Jieting: The Cao Wei Kingdom decisively defeats the Shu Han Kingdom.source
• 228King Ardashir I, four years after establishing the Sassanid Persian Empire, completes his conquest of Parthia.source
• 229February – May – Battle of Jianwei: The state of Shu Han is victorious over the state of Cao Wei.source
• 230Alexander Severus assembles the Roman army, and establishes his headquarters at Antioch. He attempts a diplomatic solution, but the Persians decline and choose war.source
• 230King Ardashir I of the Persian Empire invades the Roman province of Mesopotamia, and unsuccessfully besieges the fortress town of Nisibis (Turkey). His army threatens the border outposts of Syria and Cappadocia.source
• 231March – August – Battle of Mount Qi: The Chinese state of Shu Han gains a tactical victory, and the state of Cao Wei a strategic victory.source
• 231Emperor Alexander Severus accompanies his mother Julia Mamaea to Syria, and campaigns against the Persians. Military command rests in the hands of his generals, but his presence gives additional weight to the empire's policy.source
• 232Roman–Persian Wars: Emperor Alexander Severus launches a three-pronged counterattack against the Persian forces of King Ardashir I, who have invaded Mesopotamia. However, the Roman army advancing through Armenia is halted. Alexander gives the order to march to the capital at Ctesiphon, but the Romans are defeated, and withdraw to Syria. The result is an acceptance of the status quo, and after heavy losses on both sides, a truce is signed.source
• 233Emperor Alexander Severus celebrates a triumph in Rome to observe his "victory" the previous year over the Persians (in reality, Severus Alexander advanced towards Ctesiphon in 233, but as corroborated by Herodian, his armies suffered a humiliating defeat against Ardashir I). He is soon summoned to the Rhine frontier, where the Alamanni invade what is now modern-day Swabia. German tribes destroy Roman forts, and plunder the countryside at the Limes Germanicus.source
• 234Battle of Wuzhang Plains between the Chinese states of Shu Han and Cao Wei: The army of Shu Han retreats, following an inconclusive result.source
• 234Saban becomes king of the Korean kingdom of Baekje. He is succeeded by Goi of Baekje later in the same year.source
• 236Maximinus campaigns against Dacians and Sarmatians from his supply depot at Sirmium.source
• 237King Ardashir I of Persia renews his attacks on the Roman province of Mesopotamia.source
• 238c. March – Roman subjects in Africa revolt against Maximinus. The elderly Gordian yields to public demand that he succeed Maximinus and rules jointly with his 46-year-old son Gordian II.source
• 238Emperor Maximinus Thrax campaigns against the Carpians on the Danube in Moesia (Balkans). In spite of the payment of a tribute, the Romans fail to persuade the Goths and the Germanic tribes.source
• 238The Goths, coming from Ukraine, cross the Danube and devastate the Roman Empire up to the border with Anatolia.source
• 238c. April – Battle of Carthage: Numidian forces loyal to Maximinus invade Africa with support of Legio III Augusta. Gordian II is killed and after a siege, Gordian I commits suicide by hanging himself with his belt.source
• 238Sima Yi, a Chinese general of the Cao Wei state, destroys the outlying northeastern warlord Gongsun Yuan in the Liaodong campaign.source
• 238c. August – The Praetorian Guard storms the palace and captures Pupienus and Balbinus. They are dragged naked through the streets of Rome and executed. On the same day Gordian III, age 13, is proclaimed the new emperor. Timesitheus becomes his tutor and advisor.source
• 238In North Africa, Legio III Augusta is dissolved. Until its reconstitution in 253, Africa is defended by auxiliary forces only.source
• 240The Roman Empire is threatened on several fronts at the same time. Africa revolts and tribes in northwest Germania, under the name of the Franks, are raiding the Rhine frontier.source
• 240Siege of Hatra: The Sasanians besiege the capital of the Kingdom of Hatra ruled by Sanatruq II.source
• 241November 1 – The Battle of Samhain is fought in Ireland (approximate date).source
• 241Winter – Emperor Gordian III reaches Antioch and, with his army, prepares an offensive against the Sassanids.source
• 241Shapur I annexes parts of the Kushan Empire. The ancient city of Bagram (modern Afghanistan) is abandoned.source
• 241Fall of Hatra: Shapur I captures Hatra, the capital of the Kingdom of Hatra. The city is destroyed by the Sassanids.source
• 242Emperor Gordian III begins a campaign against King Shapur I, and leads victories at Antioch, Carrhae, Nisibis, and Resaina.source
• 242Gordian III evacuates the Cimmerian cities in the Bosphorus (Crimea), as the territory is now controlled by the Goths.source
• 242Shapur I makes a pre-emptive attack on Antioch to drive out the Romans. Gordian's father-in-law, Timesitheus, leads a Roman army to defeat the Sassanids at Carrhae and Nisibis.source
• 243Battle of Resaena: A Roman army under Timesitheus defeats the Sassanids at Resaena (modern Syria); King Shapur I is forced to flee to the Euphrates.source
• 243Cohors I Ubiorum, the garrison at Capidava in Scythia Minor, is replaced by Cohors I Germanorum Civium Romanorum, until the end of the 3rd century AD.source
• 244February 11 – Emperor Gordian III is murdered by mutinous soldiers in Zaitha (Mesopotamia). A mound is raised at Carchemish in his memory.source
• 244Philip the Arab (Marcus Julius Philippus) declares himself co-emperor, and makes a controversial peace with the Sassanian Empire, withdrawing from their territory and giving Shapur 500,000 gold pieces. The Sassanians occupy Armenia.source
• 244Battle of Xingshi: Shu Han defeats the Chinese state of Cao Wei.source
• 244Around February 11 – Battle of Misiche: King Shapur I and his Iranian army defeats the Roman army.source
• 244The vassal Upper Mesopotamian kingdom of Osroene is absorbed into the Roman Empire, its last ruler being Abgar (XI) Farhat Bar Ma’nu.source
• 244The Goguryeo–Wei War is fought between the Korean kingdom Goguryeo and the Chinese state Cao Wei.source
• 245Lady Triệu, a Vietnamese warrior, begins her 3-year resistance against the invading Chinese.source
• 246Baekje Kingdom under King Goi of Baekje attacks the Chinese commandery of Daifang.source
• 246Emperor Philip the Arab fights the Germans along the Danube River.source
• 247The Goths appear on the lower Danube frontier; they invade Ukraine and Romania.source
• 247Himiko of Yamataikoku, in Japan, begins a war against King Himikoku of Kunukoku.source
• 249February 5 – Incident at Gaoping Tombs: In the Chinese state of Cao Wei, regent Sima Yi, in a coup d'état, forces his co-regent Cao Shuang to relinquish his power, after taking control of the capital city of Luoyang. Sima Yi issues a memorial, which lists the various crimes he and his associates has committed.source
• 249Battle of Verona: Decius defeats and kills Emperor Philip the Arab.source
• 250Cniva lays siege to Philippopolis (modern Plovdiv). After a long resistance, Cniva conquers the city and slays its one hundred thousand inhabitants.source
• 250The Goths under King Cniva invade Moesia. They cross the Danube and lay siege to Novae and Marcianopolis.source
• 250Battle of Augusta Traiana: The Romans lose the battle against the Goths.source
• 250A group of Franks penetrate as far as Tarragona in Spain (approximate date).source
• 251July 1 – Battle of Abritus: The Goths defeat Emperor Decius and his son Herennius Etruscus, on swampy ground in the Dobruja (Moesia).source
• 251Sassanid King Shapur I orders an invasion of Syria, with the intent of finally capturing the city of Antioch during the campaign of 251–254.source
• 251Wang Ling's rebellion against the Wei regent Sima Yi is quelled.source
• 251The prosperity of Roman Britain declines during this period, as the Germanic tribes of the Franks and Saxons, whose homelands are in Friesland and the Low Countries, make raids around the southeast coast.source
• 252Shapur I invades Armenia, and appoints Artavazd VI as the new Armenian king.source
• 252Shapur I puts down the revolt in Khorasan (Iran and Turkmenistan), and rejoins his army.source
• 252Battle of Barbalissos: King Shapur I defeats the Roman army (some 70,000 men) at Barbalissos in Syria (approximate date).source
• 252Georgia submits peacefully to Shapur I, and becomes a vassal of the Sassanid Empire.source
• 253Aemilianus rules the Roman Empire for three months; he promises to fight in Thrace and goes to war against Persia. The Senate gives him the rank of Pontifex Maximus.source
• 253Valerian reforms Legio III Augusta to fight the "five peoples", a dangerous coalition of Berber tribes in Africa.source
• 253Aemilianus is murdered at Spoletium and Publius Valerianus, age 60, is recognised as the new emperor by the Rhine legions. He gives his son Publius Licinius Egnatius Gallienus the title Augustus. Valerianus I dispatches him to the Danube where the Goths have violated the treaty signed with Rome and invaded Moesia.source
• 253The legions who have campaigned against the Goths on the Danube elect Marcus Aemilius Aemilianus as new emperor. He advances on Rome along the Flaminian Way, to meet his opponent emperor Trebonianus Gallus and his son Volusianus. For the most part, generals in the border regions are proclaimed emperor by their armies to halt the invasion of Germanic tribes.source
• 253Battle of Barbalissos: King Shapur I, defeats a Roman field army at Barbalissos in Syria.source
• 253Valerianus I splits the Roman Empire in two; Gallienus taking control of the West and his father ruling the East, where he faces the Persian threat.source
• 255Sima Zhao, Sima Shi's younger brother, inherits his brother's authority.source
• 255Sima Shi quells Guanqiu Jian and Wen Qin's rebellion.source
• 256The Goths invade Asia Minor. Dacia is lost for the Roman Empire, and the Goths appear at the walls of Thessalonica.source
• 256In Africa, the Berbers massacre Roman colonists.source
• 256King Shapur I of the Sasanian Empire invades Mesopotamia and Syria. He conquers and plunders Antioch, destroys Dura-Europos, and sacks the Anatolian city of Zeugma on the Euphrates. A devastating fire and an earthquake soon follow, causing Zeugma to be abandoned.source
• 256Cities in the Roman Empire begin to build walls, as the defense of the frontiers begins to crumble; future emperor Aurelian inspects along the Rhine.source
• 256Peace and unity are finally restored in China, with the victories of the Wei Kingdom in the north. The ruling dynasty is worn out by war, and the kingdom is ruled by ministers on their behalf.source
• 256The Franks cross the Rhine; the Alemanni reach Mediolanum (Milan) (disputed date).source
• 257Emperor Valerian recovers Antioch, Syria from King Shapur I of Persia.source
• 257Future emperor Aurelian defeats the Goths and brings many prisoners back to Rome.source
• 258The Goths ravage Asia Minor and Trapezus.source
• 258Sima Zhao quells Zhuge Dan's rebellion, thereby also ending what are known as the Three Rebellions in Shouchun.source
• 258Sun Xiu succeeds his brother Sun Liang as emperor of the Chinese state of Eastern Wu.source
• 259The Franks, who invaded the Roman Empire near Cologne in 257, reach Tarraco in Hispania.source
• 259Mesopotamia: Odaenathus, the ruler of the kingdom of Palmyra, sacks the city of Nehardea, destroying its great yeshiva.source
• 259Battle of Mediolanum: A Germanic confederation, the Alamanni (300,000 warriors), who crossed the Alps, are defeated by Roman legions under Gallienus, near Mediolanum (modern Milan).source
• 260June 2 – Cao Mao is killed in a coup d'état against Sima Zhao. The 14-year-old Cao Huan becomes ruler of Former Wei, but the Sima clan controls the state.source
• 260King Shapur I captures Valerian.source
• 260Battle of Edessa: With a large army, said to number 70,000 men, Valerian attempts to drive the Persians back from Edessa. The Roman army is surrounded and most of its troops are killed or captured. Valerian is taken prisoner for the remainder of his life.source
• 260The Roman fort of Wiesbaden (Germany) is captured by the Alamanni.source
• 260Postumus, Roman usurper, forms the Gallic Empire and protects the Rhine against an invasion of Germanic tribes.source
• 260Persian king Shapur I destroys Caesarea Mazaca in Asia Minor.source
• 260Emperor Cao Mao of Former Wei state attempts to lead a coup against the powerful regent Sima Zhao, but he himself is killed before it comes to a confrontation.source
• 260Gallienus evacuates the fortifications (limes) in the Agri Decumates (Germania Superior), covering the Black Forest area in the face of invading Alamanni.source
• 261Roman–Persian Wars: Balista, Roman usurper, collects ships from Cilician ports and defeats a Persian raiding force near Pompeiopolis.source
• 261Emperor Gallienus crushes the Alemanni at Milan (approximate date).source
• 261Gallienus usurpers: The rebellion of Macrianus Major, Macrianus Minor, and Quietus against Gallienus comes to an end. They march from Asia to Europe but they are defeated in Thrace by Gallienus' general Aureolus, and both Macrianus Major and Macrianus Minor are killed. Quietus flees to Emesa, where he is killed by Odaenathus of Palmyra.source
• 262The Goths invade Asia Minor and destroy the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus.source
• 263Conquest of Shu by Wei: The Chinese state of Cao Wei conquers Shu Han, one of its two rival states.source
• 264March 1–3 – Zhong Hui's Rebellion in China is quelled.source
• 264Sima Zhao, regent of the Chinese state of Cao Wei, styles himself the "King of Jin", the penultimate step before usurpation.source
• 265Gallienus repels the invasion of the Goths in the Balkans.source
• 265Gallienus gives the order to fortify Milan and Verona.source
• 265Emperor Gallienus tries twice to crush the usurper Postumus, but on the first occasion Aureolus, commander of the elite cavalry, carelessly lets him escape. The second time, Gallienus sustains an arrow wound and has to break off his siege of a Gallic town where Postumus has holed up. He makes no other serious attempt to overcome his rival, instead devoting his attention to the political and military problems in the Danube and eastern parts of the Roman Empire.source
• 265A general of Gallienus' army, Victorinus, defects to Postumus.source
• 266King Odaenathus of Palmyra invades Persia to conquer the capital, Ctesiphon, and twice comes as far as the walls of the Persian capital, but fails to take it. After his victories in the East, he pronounces himself with the title "king of kings".source
• 267Aureolus, charged with defending Italy, defeats Victorinus (co-emperor of Gaul), is proclaimed emperor by his troops, and begins his march on Rome.source
• 267First Gothic invasion: The Goths, originally from Scandinavia, with the Sarmatians (from modern Iran), invade the Balkans and Greece. They ravage Moesia and Thrace.source
• 267The Heruli invade the Black Sea coast; they unsuccessfully attack Byzantium and Cyzicus. The Roman fleet defeats the Herulian fleet (500 ships) but allows them to escape into the Aegean Sea, where they raid the islands of Lemnos and Skyros.source
• 267The Goths sack several cities of southern Greece including Athens, Corinth, Argos and Sparta. After the Sack of Athens, an Athenian militia force (2,000 men), under the historian Dexippus, pushes the invaders to the north where they are intercepted by the Roman army under emperor Gallienus. He wins an important victory near the Nestos River, on the boundary between Macedonia and Thrace.source
• 267King Septimius Odaenathus of Palmyra makes plans for a campaign in Cappadocia against the Goths. He is assassinated, along with his eldest son, most probably by his nephew due to a previous altercation between him and Odaenathus. His wife Zenobia succeeds him, and rules Vaballathus (the Palmyrene Empire) with her young son.source
• 268September – Battle of Naissus: Emperor Gallienus, aided by Aurelian, defeats a Gothic coalition (50,000 warriors) near Naissus (Niš, modern Serbia).source
• 268November – Battle of Lake Benacus: A Roman army (35,000 men) under emperor Claudius II defeats the Germanic tribes of the Alamanni along the banks of Lake Garda.source
• 268The Alamanni invade Italy north of the Po River.source
• 269The Heruli capture Athens and raid the Aegean Islands as far as Crete and Rhodes.source
• 269Second Gothic invasion: The Goths and other German tribes attack Bosphorean towns on the coast of the Black Sea. Some 2,000 ships and 320,000 men from the Danube enter Roman territory. Emperor Claudius II defeats the invaders and receives the title Gothicus for his triumph. Many of the prisoners will serve in the Roman legions and settle in vacant lands in the Danubian provinces.source
• 269Queen Zenobia conquers Syria, Palestine, Lebanon, parts of Mesopotamia and Anatolia and Egypt, giving her control of Rome's grain supply. The library at Alexandria is partly burned during a raid by Zabdas, general of Zenobia.source
• 270Lucius Domitius Aurelianus (or Aurelian), the cavalry commander who distinguished himself in the previous year at the Battle of Naissus (Serbia), usurps power in Sirmium and marches against Quintillus in Aquileia. Quintillus commits suicide.source
• 270Victorinus besieges and sacks the city of Autun, which had declared allegiance to Claudius.source
• 270Zenobia seizes control of Roman Arabia and Egypt.source
• 270Fan Hsiung, a.k.a. Pham Hung, comes to power in Champa and raids the Chinese-occupied territory of Tonkin.source
• 270Aurelius defeats an incursion by the Iuthungi into Raetia, defeating them as they attempted to re-cross the Danube.source
• 271After an indecisive battle, Emperor Aurelian defeats the Vandals, and forces them from Pannonia, and across the Danube.source
• 271Aurelian defeats a Gothic raid into the Balkans and then invades the Gothic homeland. Here he defeats the Goths again, killing one of their leaders, Cannabas, who may be Cniva, the Goth who had won the battle of Abritus, at which Emperor Decius was killed.source
• 271Battle of Placentia: The Iuthungi invade Italy and sack the city of Piacenza. A Roman army under Emperor Aurelian is ambushed and defeated.source
• 271Following Aurelian's execution of Felicissimus, the financial minister of the state treasury, on the charge of corruption, the mint workers of the city of Rome, with senatorial support, lead an uprising against Aurelian. In bitter street-fighting on the Caelian Hill the rebels are defeated. The revolt is followed by a purge of Aurelian's senatorial opponents, including Urbanus.source
• 271Battle of Fano: The Iuthungi move towards a defenseless Rome. Aurelian rallies his men and defeats the Germanic tribes on the Metauro River, just inland of Fano.source
• 271Victorinus, Emperor of the Gallic Empire, is assassinated by one of his officers, Attitianus, reportedly for reasons of personal revenge. He is succeeded by Tetricus I, who is elevated with the help of Victorinus' mother Victoria.source
• 271Zenobia invades Asia Minor and seizes control of Cilicia and Galatia before being stalled in Bithynia.source
• 271Around this time, generals loyal to Aurelian defeat the usurpers Septimius in Dalmatia and Domitian II in southern Gaul. The Iuthungian invasion may have encouraged the spate of revolts.source
• 271Battle of Pavia: The Roman army pursues the Alamanni in Lombardy. Aurelian closes the passes in the Alps and encircles the invaders near Pavia. The Alamanni are destroyed and Aurelian receives the title Germanicus Maximus.source
• 272Emperor Aurelian launches a two-pronged invasion of the Palmyrene Empire, sending his commander Marcus Aurelius Probus to restore Roman rule in Egypt while he marches into Asia Minor.source
• 272As part of a strategy of clemency, Aurelian spares Tyana after capturing the city. This strategy encourages units under Zenobia to defect to Aurelian.source
• 272Battle of Immae: Aurelian defeats the Palmyrene heavy cavalry (clibanarii) near Antioch. Queen Zenobia flees under cover of darkness to Emesa (Syria).source
• 272Aurelian besieges Palmyra. Zenobia attempts to escape to Persia but is captured on the Euphrates. Palmyra surrenders soon after.source
• 272Battle of Emesa: Aurelian decisively defeats the Palmyrene army.source
• 273In bitter street-fighting, Aurelian crushes a rebellion in Alexandria by Firmus, a sympathizer of Palmyra. Firmus is strangled to death.source
• 273Aurelian sacks the city of Palmyra, after putting down a second revolt.source
• 273Emperor Aurelian defeats an incursion by the Carpi into Moesia and Thrace.source
• 274Battle of Châlons: The Emperor Aurelian invades Gaul to campaign against the Gallic Empire (Gaul and Britain). In the Catalaunian Plains, the Romano-Gallic Emperor Tetricus I surrenders to Aurelian and leaves his army without an emperor. The Gallic army is then crushed by Aurelian in a major battle. With the conquests of the Palmyrene Empire and the Gallic Empire, the Roman Empire is united again. However, the heavy losses incurred by the Gallic forces compromises the Rhine frontier.source
• 274Germanic tribes take advantage of the destroyed Roman forces of the Rhine to raid Gaul.source
• 275Emperor Aurelian puts down unrest in Gaul, and defeats Germanic incursions into Gaul and Raetia (these problems had been caused by Aurelian's defeat and overthrow of the Gallic Empire).source
• 275Tacitus marches into Asia Minor to fight the Goths and track down the faction responsible for assassinating Aurelian.source
• 275The Goths begin to raid Thrace and Asia Minor. Aurelian begins a campaign against the Goths in Thrace.source
• 275c. November – Aurelian is assassinated near Byzantium (Turkey). Aurelian had developed a reputation for punishing corruption with severity, and his secretary Eros was under suspicion. As a result, Eros, fearing for his life, forged a list of high-ranking officers marked for execution. In this way, the secretary tricked the officers into assassinating Aurelian. They then flee into Asia Minor to avoid the wrath of the soldiers.source
• 275Approximate date – Himyar king Shammar Yahri'sh conquers Hadhramaut, Najran and Tihamah, unifying the territory later known as Yemen.source
• 276Tacitus campaigns successfully against the Goths who have invaded Asia Minor, and his half-brother, the praetorian prefect Marcus Annius Florianus, continues the campaign.source
• 276Florianus becomes Roman Emperor with the support of the Senate, but a general in the east, Marcus Aurelius Probus, usurps power against him. Florianus breaks off his campaign against the Goths and marches east from the Bosporus with support from the Roman legions in Britain, Gaul, Spain and Italy.source
• 276Tacitus' cousin Maximinus administers Syria in a harsh manner, and is assassinated by local men of power, who are joined in the conspiracy by the faction responsible for having assassinated Aurelian in the previous year.source
• 276Florianus holds power for some weeks and fights indecisively against Probus in Cilicia, but his soldiers, many of whom are from the colder Rhine and Danube frontiers, suffer from heat and disease. He is overthrown and then assassinated by his own troops near Tarsus (Turkey), in collusion with Probus. Probus, age 44, is proclaimed new Emperor of Rome.source
• 278Emperor Probus defeats the Alamanni, advancing through the Neckar Valley. He expels the Franks from Gaul, and reorganizes the Roman defenses on the Rhine.source
• 280Probus defeats the army under Bonosus. Bonosus sees no way out and hangs himself. His family is treated with honours.source
• 280Julius Saturninus, governor of Syria, is in Alexandria, charged with the defense of the East. He is declared emperor and withdraws to Apamea. Probus besieges the city and puts him to death.source
• 280Roman usurper Proculus starts a rebellion at Lugdunum (Lyon, France), and proclaims himself emperor.source
• 280Roman territory is under constant threat of raids from Franks. The cities in Gaul are reinforced with defensive walls.source
• 281Emperor Probus returns to Rome, where he celebrates his triumph over the Vandals and the usurpers (Bonosus, Julius Saturninus and Proculus).source
• 281The tombs of King Zhao of Zhou and King Mu of Zhou were "rifled".source
• 283The officer Diocles, the future Emperor Diocletian, distinguishes himself in the war against the Persians.source
• 283Exploiting the Persian civil war, Carus leaves Carinus in charge of much of the Roman Empire and, accompanied by his younger son Numerian, invades the Sassanid Empire. They sack Seleucia and Ctesiphon, the capital of the Persian kingdom, and they press on beyond the Tigris. For his victories, Carus receives the title of Persicus Maximus.source
• 283Carinus and Numerian succeed their father Carus. Numerian, who had accompanied his father into the Persian Empire, leads the army back to Roman territory.source
• 283The King of Kings Bahram II fights a civil war against his brother Hormizd, the king of Sakastan.source
• 285Spring – Emperor Carinus marches from Britain to northern Italy, and defeats the army of usurper Sabinus Julianus at Verona.source
• 285Summer – Battle of the Margus: Emperor Diocletian defeats the forces of Carinus in the valley of the Margus (Serbia). Numerous soldiers desert Carinus during the battle. Carinus then flees to the Pannonian fort of Cornacum, but he is soon slain by his officers.source
• 285Maximian is sent to pacify Gaul, where the Bagaudae, a band of peasants, are revolting against the Roman Empire.source
• 286Tuoba Chuo succeeds his brother Tuoba Xilu as chieftain of the Tuoba clan.source
• 286Emperor Diocletian campaigns successfully against Sarmatian raids. The future emperor Constantius defeats the 'Bosporian Sarmatians'.source
• 286Chaekgye becomes king of the Korean kingdom of Baekje.source
• 286Winter/Spring: The Caesar Maximian defeats the Bagaudae rebellion in Gaul. He then defeats a Germanic invasion into Gaul, defeating an army of Burgundians and Alemanni and another army of Chaibones and Heruli.source
• 287Around this time, the future emperor Constantius defeats and captures a Germanic king, the latter having prepared an ambush against the Romans.source
• 287On the same day that he is made consul, Maximian launches a campaign against an invasion of Gaul by the Alemanni. After defeating this invasion, he then invades Alemannia itself, entering across the Upper Rhine and returning to Roman territory via the Upper Danube.source
• 288Around this time, an army loyal to Maximian, probably led by the future emperor Constantius, defeats the usurper Carausius or his Frankish allies in northern Gaul. In this or the following year, Carausius withdraws his military forces and administrative presence from Gaul, confining himself to Roman Britain.source
• 289In this or the following year, Emperor Diocletian campaigns with success against the Sarmatians. The future emperor Galerius may have distinguished himself during this campaign.source
• 289In this or the following year, Maximian attempts to reconquer Britain from the usurper Carausius but is defeated at sea.source
• 290Following his victory over Emperor Maximian's fleet, the usurper Carausius invades the European mainland and re-establishes his military and administrative presence in northern Gaul.source
• 290Emperor Diocletian campaigns with success against Arabic enemies.source
• 291A force of Goths defeat the Burgundians.source
• 291The Tervingian Goths and Taifali fight the Vandals and Gepids.source
• 291The Alemanni, having been expelled from part of their territory by the Burgundians, seek to regain their lost lands. These peoples had unsuccessfully invaded Gaul in tandem in 285/6, and the Alemanni had likely been weakened by the Roman counter-invasions of 287 and 288.source
• 291King Bahram II fights against a coalition consisting of his brother Hormizd of Sakastan, the Kushano-Sasanians, and the Gilans.source
• 291The Blemmyes invade the Kingdom of Kush.source
• 292The Upper Egypt revolts of (292–293) outbreak in Egypt, centralized in the city of Thebes, primarily involving other Egyptian cities such as Busiris and Coptos. A precursor to the much larger national Egyptian rebellion that followed a few years later.source
• 293In this or the following year, Constantius defeats the Franks in Batavia (Netherlands).source
• 293Galerius begins a series of two campaigns in Upper Egypt against the rebel cities of Coptos and Boresis as well as the Blemmyes and Meroitic Nubians.source
• 293Tuoba Fu succeeds his uncle Tuoba Chuo, as chieftain of the Chinese Tuoba Clan.source
• 295Emperor Diocletian defeats the Carpi.source
• 295Caesar Galerius completes a series of two campaigns in Upper Egypt, against the rebel cities of Coptos and Boresis, as well as the Blemmyes and Meroitic Nubians.source
• 296Having supervised the Rhine frontier during Constantius' invasion of Britain, Maximian then marches into Spain, where he fights Frankish pirates. He then crosses into North Africa to contend with the rebellion of the Quinquegentiani.source
• 296The Persian king Narseh invades Roman-held Upper Mesopotamia and Arsacid western Armenia, the latter territory being under the leadership of the pro-Roman king Tiridates III. With only a small army, Caesar Galerius fights three holding actions against Narseh's army in Mesopotamia. Somewhere in the open plains between Carrhae and Callinicum, Galerius' army suffers a defeat against the Persian army, which is both more numerous and contains superior numbers of high-quality cavalry. Nevertheless, Galerius succeeds in blunting the Persian offensive.source
• 297Battle of Satala: Galerius launches a surprise attack against Narseh's camp in western Armenia. The Romans sack the camp and capture Narseh's wives, sisters and daughters, including his Queen of Queens Arsane. Narseh is wounded and escapes to his empire.source
• 297Diocletian watches over the Syrian provinces while Caesar Galerius makes preparations for a campaign against the Persian king Narseh. He recruits veterans from Illyria and Moesia, recruits new soldiers, and strengthens his army with Gothic mercenaries and the Armenian units of Tiridates III.source
• 297Autumn: Diocletian besieges the rebels in Alexandria, Egypt.source
• 298Spring: Emperor Diocletian retakes Alexandria and crushes the usurpation of Aurelius Achilleus.source
• 298Caesar Galerius restores Tiridates III to the throne of Armenia and invades the Sassanid Empire. His army marches through Adiabene, Atropatene, Susiana and Lower Mesopotamia. He then retakes the strategically important city of Nisibis in Upper Mesopotamia.source
• 298Bunseo becomes king of the Korean kingdom of Baekje.source
• 299Empress Jia Nanfeng frames Crown Prince Yu for treason and has him deposed.source
• 299Having first crossed into Africa in 296, Emperor Maximian concludes his campaigns against the Quinquegentiani and other Berbers. His campaigns had ranged as far as Mauretania in the west and Tripolitania in the east. Julianus, a rebel leader in Africa, throws himself into a fire after the Romans breach the walls of his stronghold.source
• 299In this or the following year, Galerius campaigns with success against Sarmatians and the Marcomanni, attacking through a swamp to defeat a Sarmatian army.source
• 299Diocletian expels Christians from the Roman army.source