Aurelianus, Lucius Domitius

Japanese: アウレリアヌス（英語表記）Aurelianus, Lucius Domitius

[Birth] Around 215
[Died] 275. Roman emperor near Byzantium (reigned 270-275). Born of Dacian commoner origins. He established himself as a professional soldier, and played a central role in the military uprising that overthrew Emperor Gallienus in 268, placing Claudius II Gothicus on the throne. Claudius gave him overall command of the cavalry, and he fought the Goths with great distinction. After Claudius' death, he took over the throne, replacing his brother Quintillus, who ruled for three months. He first dealt with the invasion of barbarians from the north, defeating the Vandals and Sarmatians in Pannonia, and repelling the Yutungi who had invaded Italy, pursuing them to the other side of the Danube. He then visited Rome, where he built the Aurelian Walls, 6 meters high and about 20 km long, to strengthen the defense of the capital. He also attempted to recover the eastern provinces that had been under Palmyra's control for about ten years, and defeated Zenobia, who held real power in Palmyra as regent for her youngest son Vabaratus, near Antioch in Syria and at Emesa in the autumn of 272, taking Palmyra. When Palmyra rebelled again in 273, he captured and destroyed it. In 274, he returned to the West and set out to defeat the rival emperor Tetricus, who ruled Gaul, Spain, and Britain. However, Tetricus surrendered, and his betrayed army was annihilated at the Battle of Chalons, and the so-called Gallic Empire was restored to the Roman Empire. In 275, he marched on an expedition to Persia, but was killed in a military riot. He was a capable general and a strict ruler, and restored unity to the empire that had been in disarray for 40 years, earning him the title of "restitutor orbis" (restorer of the world). He increased the amount of grain given to the common people, reformed the currency system, and made the worship of the ever-victorious Sun God (→Sun God) the highest religion of all. His death prevented his plan to persecute Christians from being carried out.

Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia About Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia Information

Japanese:

[生]215頃
[没]275. ビザンチオン近郊
ローマ皇帝（在位 270～275）。ダキアの庶民出身。職業軍人として身を立て，268年ガリエヌス帝を倒した軍隊蜂起で中心的役割を演じ，クラウディウス2世ゴティクスを帝位につけた。クラウディウスによって騎兵の総指揮をゆだねられ，ゴート人と戦って偉功を立て，クラウディウスの死後，その弟クインチルスの 3ヵ月支配に取って代わり即位。まず北方からの蛮族の侵入に対処し，パンノニアでバンダル族とサルマチア人を破り，イタリアに来襲したユツンギ族を撃退してドナウ川対岸まで追跡した。その後，ローマを訪れ，高さ 6m，延長約 20kmのアウレリアヌス城壁を構築して首都の防衛を固めた。また約 10年間パルミラの領有下に置かれていた東方属州の回復をはかり，年少の息子ウァバラツスの女摂政としてパルミラの実権を握っていたゼノビアを 272年秋，シリアのアンチオキア付近とエメサで破り，パルミラを陥落させた。翌 273年パルミラが再び反乱を起こすと，これを攻略，壊滅させた。274年西方に帰り，ガリア，ヒスパニア，ブリタニアを支配していた対立皇帝テトリクスの討伐に向かった。しかしテトリクスが帰順したため，裏切られた軍隊はシャロンの戦いで全滅し，いわゆるガリア帝国はローマ帝国に還元された。275年ペルシア遠征に赴いたが，軍隊の暴動によって殺された。有能な将軍，厳正な統治者で，40年間乱れた帝国の統一を回復し，「世界の回復者」restitutor orbisとたたえられた。庶民への穀物給与の増額，幣制改革を行ない，諸宗教の上位に常勝太陽神（→太陽神）の礼拝を国教とした。キリスト教迫害の企図はその死によって実行されなかった。

出典　ブリタニカ国際大百科事典小項目事典ブリタニカ国際大百科事典小項目事典について　情報

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