The Roman Empire Tetricus II Caesar

The loss of the western provinces to the rebel Postumus in 260 is generally viewed as a mournful event in the history of Rome, but for the Gauls it was somewhat of a renaissance compared to the neglect they had become accustomed to receiving from the central government. We can look to coinage for clues: the Gallic emperors issued gold coins of good weight and high purity that were struck with dies engraved by gifted artists allowed to exercise great imagination. They are truly inspired works of art in comparison with most coins of their contemporaries Gallienus, Claudius II and Aurelian.

When the armies of Aurelian and the Tetrici clashed at Châlons-sur-Marne in the spring of 274, the rebel emperors surrendered to Aurelian, allowing him finally to unite his shattered empire. The Tetrici were displayed as spectacles in Aurelian’s triumph in Rome, but afterward their senatorial status was restored and they were taken into Aurelian’s administration. Both seem to have lived into old age, with the senior Tetricus being appointed governor of Lucania and his son serving in the senate with such distinction that apparently no peer of his age was so highly esteemed.