251-300 (Abrittus)

251
Roman Empire: Roman legions triumph over invasion troops led by Visigoth King Criva at Abrittus. Consequent military successes north of the Danube lead to an utter defeat of Visigoths and their allies (Carpi, Hasdinga, several Sarmatian tribes). Visigothic aristocracy captured.

Emperor Decius founds the first Academia Martiana in Rome, a university for military strategy.

252
Roman Empire: Decius intensifies persecution of Christians. Several thousands killed, among them Cornelius, the new bishop of Rome, who had sought to both reihabilitate the "lapsi" (who had denied their faith in the face of persecution) and appease the imperial administration. Cornelius` appeasement had already led to the establishment of counter-pope Novatian, who did not want to reintegrate the lapsi. The Apostolic Church is split.

Intense interrogations of the captured Visigothic nobles reveal agricultural failures up north and the attraction of Roman wealth as the main motives for Gothic attacks on Rome´s Balkanic provinces. Decius decides to settle unarmed Visigoths who swear allegiance to Rome in the Dacia province under a loyal pro forma Visigothic king.

253
Roman Empire: Cornelius` successor, Lucius, is also killed. In Syria Palaestina, the Christian radical Simon, who denounces the monepiscopal church as "fat cowards" and deems active resistance against the "pagan tyranny" a Christian duty, finds many followers among rural and urban people and especially among the slaves, for whom he demands immediate liberation.

Roman Empire / Persia: Sassanid shah Shaipur attacks Rome`s Mesopotamian province.

254
Roman Empire: Decius` legions manage to stop the Sassanids and push them back to Dara, where both sides suffer heavy losses after Sassanid equestrian reinforcements surprised the Roman legions. A truce is negotiated.

The Academia Martiana insist on modernising and expaning Rome´s equestrian forces. Decius agrees to a build-up.

256
Roman Empire: In the first of a series of suicidal attacks, the provincial governor of Syria Palestina and his guards are killed by Simonist Christian rebels.

257
Roman Empire: Simonist attacks have spread all across the Eastern part of the Empire and paralyse urban life. Following advice from the Roman Academia Martiana, Decius implements a counterinsurgency strategy that manages to reduce the guerilla attacks, but heavily restricts civic life in the cities.

258
After initial successes of the counterinsurgency strategy, Simonist guerilla warfare has started to spread across Africa and into Italy, accompanied by slave rebellions.

260s
Salvador79 (talk) 01:13, February 28, 2014 (UTC)

Abrittus