CLAUDIUS II (Marcus Aurelius Claudius Gothicus)

• Claudius was born 10th May 214 in Illyricum. He was an army on the Illyrian border of the empire during the reigns of Emperors Decius, Valerian, and Gallienus.
• On the murder of Gallienus at Milan, Claudius was proclaimed emperor by his soldiers, September 268.
• He immediately marched against Aureolus, Gallienus's rebel commander. Milan was taken, and Aureolus was executed.
• Claudius went to meet the Alemanni, who had invaded Roman territory, crossing the Alps to threaten Italy itself. In late autumn of 268 he defeated them in the vicinity of Lake Garda.
• He successfully fought two German tribes, the Alamanni and the Goths, that were threatening Roman provinces. For these successes, he became known as Gothicus.
• Unfortunately, some of the wandering survivors of the Gothic host contracted plague, which spread to the Roman army and claimed the life of Claudius.
• In 269, he campaigned against the Goths, for which he received the title 'Gothicus Maximus'.
• In 270, the Goths won a partial victory at Mount Haemus in Thrace, and it was only the outbreak of severe plague that saved the Romans.
• The same plague killed Claudius, at Sirmium, in August 270.
• He was succeeded by his brother, Quintillus.