Aurelian reclaims the balance of the western…

Aurelian, turning east, next repels an invasion of Raetia by the Juthungi.

Aurelian, in officially ceding control of Dacia to the Goths in 274, has secured a long-lasting peace.

The Romans now construct a series of new forts on the south bank of the Danube, resettling soldiers and colonists here.

Moesia is a prosperous province, since surplus wheat from the Black Sea area is always assured of a market in the Roman Empire.

In the province's interior, agriculture and fruit growing flourish, and there is mineral wealth in the Balkan Mountains.

The province has suffered heavily from the barbarian invasions of the third century CE, and when the neighboring province of Dacia is abandoned in about 274, its inhabitants are largely transferred to Moesia.

The Romans have gradually evacuated Dacia over the past four years, abandoning the province to the Goths and Gepids.

Aurelian understands that defensible boundaries are essential for the long-term survival of the empire.

In 274, with the empire temporarily united, Aurelian concludes that Dacia is overexposed to invasion and makes the momentous decision to withdraw Roman troops from Dacia and resettle soldiers and settlers south of the Danube.

Virtually all the colonists, soldiers, imperial officials, and merchants depart (scholars, however, presume that many peasants remained).

Those Dacians who depart spread throughout the Balkans.

The Dacians apparently disperse as far as Macedonia and …

…the Peloponnesus (where their descendants still live). (These immigrants, who will call themselves Aromuni, i.e., “Romans,” are known to their present Slav and Greek neighbors as Tzintzars, denoting their inability to pronounce the Romanian cincl (five), or the somewhat insulting Kutzovlachs, meaning "lame Vlachs." Their native tongue, now still spoken by some five hundred thousand people in various Balkan countries, is Aromanian, an Eastern Romance language related most closely to Romanian but with strong Greek influences.)

Aurelian first deals with disorder at Lugdunum (Lyon) in late 274.

The Battle of Châlons (274 CE): Aurelian’s Victory Over the Gallic Empire

In 274 CE, the forces of Emperor Aurelian met those of the Gallic Empire, led nominally by Tetricus I, at the Campi Catalaunii (modern Châlons-sur-Marne, France). This battle was the culmination of Aurelian’s campaign to reunify the Western Roman Empire, following the breakaway of the Gallic Empire in 260 CE.

The Betrayal of Tetricus and the Collapse of the Gallic Army

• Tetricus I, ruler of the Gallic Empire, had already lost support among his own troops and faced internal unrest.
• In a prearranged secret act of betrayal, Tetricus deserted to Aurelian’s side during the battle, leaving his leaderless troops to be slaughtered.
• With their command structure broken, the Gallic forces collapsed, suffering a decisive defeat at the hands of the Romans.

Aftermath: The End of the Gallic Empire

• With Tetricus in Roman hands, Aurelian formally reintegrated the Gallic provinces into the Roman Empire, marking the end of the Gallic Empire after fourteen years of independence (260–274 CE).
• Aurelian pardoned Tetricus, allowing him to live peacefully as a Roman senator and governor, rather than executing him.
• The victory reestablished Roman unity in the West, further securing Aurelian’s legacy as the "Restorer of the World" (Restitutor Orbis).

Significance of the Battle

• The Battle of Châlons (274 CE) was a turning point in Rome’s efforts to recover from the Crisis of the Third Century.
• Aurelian’s success stabilized Gaul, allowing for economic and military recovery.
• However, the fractures exposed by the Gallic Empire would resurface in later centuries, foreshadowing the eventual collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century.

By defeating the Gallic usurpers and reclaiming the lost western provinces, Aurelian temporarily restored the strength of the Roman Empire, paving the way for the reforms of Diocletian and the transition to Late Antiquity.

Aurelian marches to open a campaign against Persia early in 275, gathering an army as he continues eastwards.

In the autumn, after Aurelian's private secretary, charged with extortion, allegedly misleads a group of officers to mistakenly believe that they are marked for execution, the conspirators murder the emperor at Caenophrurium, a small Thracian town between Perinthus and Byzantium.