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Caius Pius Esuvius Tetricus was Emperor of the Gallic EmpireGallic EmpireThe Gallic Empire is the modern name for a breakaway realm that existed from 260 to 274. It originated during the Roman Empire's Crisis of the Third Century....

(Imperium Galliarum) from 270/271 to 273, following the murder of VictorinusVictorinusMarcus Piavonius Victorinus was emperor of the secessionist Gallic Empire from 268 to 270 or 271, following the brief reign of Marius.Victorinus, born to a family of great wealth, was a soldier under Postumus, the first of the so-called Gallic emperors...

. Tetricus, who ruled with his son, Tetricus II, was the last of the Gallic emperors.

Biography

Tetricus was born to a noble family and held the administrative rank of praeses provinciae (provincial governor) of Aquitania at the time of Victorinus' death. Victorinus' mother, Victoria, paid the army heavily to declare Tetricus emperor near Burdigalia (BordeauxBordeauxis a port city on the Garonne River in southwest France, with one million inhabitants in its metropolitan area at a 2008 estimate. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture of the Gironde department... , FranceFranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean... ), which was approved in Gaul and Britain. Following his appointment, Tetricus repelled Germanic tribes that took advantage of the confusion following the death of Victorinus to invade.

Tetricus installed his capital at Augusta Treverorum (present TrierTrierTrier is a city in Germany on the banks of the Moselle River. It is the oldest city in Germany, founded in or before 16 BC. Trier is not the only city claiming to be Germany's oldest, but it is the only one that bases this assertion on having the longest history as a city, as opposed to a mere... , GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,... , near the vital Rhine border, hence later seat of a TetrarchTetrarchTetrarch can refer to:* one of the four co-emperors of the Roman Empire under the Tetrarchy.* minor provincial rulers of a territory divided in four parts:... ) and appointed his son, Tetricus IITetricus IICaius Pius Esuvius Tetricus was the son of Tetricus I, Emperor of the Gallic Empire .... , CaesarCaesar (title)Caesar , Latin: Caesar , is a title of imperial character. It derives from the cognomen of Julius Caesar, the Roman dictator...

(273). Tetricus made no attempts to expand the Gallic Empire, other than southward, regaining AquitaniaAquitaniaAquitania may refer to:*the territory of the Aquitani* Gallia Aquitania, a province of the Roman Empire* 387 Aquitania, a fairly large main belt asteroid* Aquitania, Boyacá, Colombia* RMS Aquitania, a Cunard Line ocean liner...
(which had rejoined the Roman empire during the reign of Claudius Gothicus). In late 273 or early 274, FaustinusFaustinusFaustinus was an usurper against Tetricus I, the last emperor of the Gallic Empire. Not much is known about him. Neither his complete name nor the year of his birth are known. Few literary sources mention that Faustinus instigated a mutiny among the troops of Tetricus I. He rebelled in Augusta...

, provincial governor of Gallia BelgicaGallia BelgicaGallia Belgica was a Roman province located in what is now the southern part of the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, northeastern France, and western Germany. The indigenous population of southern Gallia Belgica consisted of a mixture of Celtic and Germanic tribes, often described as the Belgae... , rebelled against him in Augusta Treverorum.

In 273, Emperor AurelianAurelianLucius Domitius Aurelianus , known in English as Aurelian, Roman Emperor , was the second of several highly successful "soldier-emperors" who helped the Roman Empire regain its power during the latter part of the third century and the beginning of the fourth.During his reign, the Empire was...

set out to reconquer the western Roman empire, following his victories in the east. Tetricus took his army southward from Trier to meet Aurelian, who was advancing into northern Gaul. The decisive battleBattle of Chalons (273)The Battle of Châlons was fought in 274 between Roman Emperor Aurelian and Emperor Tetricus I of the Gallic Empire. Fought in what is now Châlons-en-Champagne, France, it was the battle that marked the end of the independent Gallic Empire, and its unification back to the Roman Empire, after...