Gallienus, << `GAL` ee AY nuhs or `GAL` ih EE nuhs >> (A.D. 218?-268), was a Roman emperor. His full name was Publius Licinius Egnatius Gallienus. He became co-emperor with his father, Valerian, in 253. In 260, he became sole emperor after the Sasanian Persians captured his father.
Gallienus prohibited senators from holding military commands. This policy made him extremely unpopular among the senatorial class in Rome. Gallienus also professionalized the Roman army and emphasized the use of cavalry in the army.
Gallienus’s reign was marked by foreign invasions and domestic revolts. He was unable to prevent rebels from taking control of Britain, Gaul (now mainly France), and Spain. But he defeated the Goths in the Balkans in 268. Later that year, Gallienus was murdered by his own officers. Claudius II, a cavalry general, succeeded him as emperor. Many scholars believe Claudius was involved in the assassination of Gallienus.
