Europe 274: Battle of Châlons

View full map and options for mobile…
Political map of Europe & the Mediterranean on 19 Jun 274 (The Crisis of the Third Century: Battle of Châlons), showing the following events: Faustinus; Battle of Châlons.
M  a  u  r  i

Apr  270
Oct  270
spr  271
sum  271
spr  272
sum  272
Jul  273
sum  274
Sep  275
early  276
Aug  276
sum  278
late  280
Jul  283
Dec  284
Jul  285
early  287
1 Mar  293
Sep  296
spr  297
late  298
c. 302
1 May  305
28 Oct  306
fall  307
11 Nov  308
Jul  310
10 Jun  311
28 Oct  312
30 Apr  313
8 Oct  316
1 Mar  317
May  323
18 Sep  324
11 May  330
late  332
sum  336
9 Sep  337
Apr  340
sum  346
18 Jan  350
3 Jun  350
28 Sep  351
3 Jul  353
11 Aug  355
24 Jun  356
sum  357
Feb  360
3 Nov  361
29 May  363
11 Jul  363
Dec  364
1 Nov  365
Jun  366
24 Aug  367
sum  368
27 Aug  369
spr  371
early  373
sum  374
sum  376
early  377
spr  378
9 Aug  378
19 Jan  379
3 Oct  382
25 Aug  383
early  387
Jul  388
Apr  390
22 Aug  392
5 Sep  394
17 Jan  395
fall  395
early  396
late  397
Apr  400
early  402
mid  405
sum  406
31 Dec  406
spr  407
spr  408
Dec  408
spr  409
12 Oct  409
early  410
24 Aug  410
spr  411
18 Sep  411
mid  412
spr  413
late  414
early  416
spr  417
fall  418
early  420
8 Feb  421
early  422
sum  422
20 Nov  423
May  425
Feb  426
sum  427
May  429
May  430
28 Aug  430
sum  431
late  432
mid  433
11 Feb  435
late  436
26 Apr 1809
21 May 1809
5 Jul 1809
20 Aug 1809
14 Oct 1809
5 Feb 1810
9 Jul 1810
13 Dec 1810
3 May 1811
14 Oct 1811
7 Jan 1812
16 Mar 1812
24 Jun 1812
22 Jul 1812
14 Sep 1812
24 Oct 1812
26 Nov 1812
3 Mar 1813
20 Apr 1813
4 Jun 1813
21 Jun 1813
26 Aug 1813
16 Oct 1813
17 Nov 1813
11 Dec 1813
14 Jan 1814
10 Feb 1814
9 Mar 1814
11 Apr 1814
30 May 1814
1 Nov 1814
13 Mar 1815
8 Apr 1815
3 May 1815
18 Jun 1815
6 Jul 1815
26 Sep 1815
27 Sep 1818
28 Sep 1820
22 Apr 1821
31 Aug 1823
23 Oct 1824
14 Sep 1826
20 Oct 1827
30 Oct 1828
13 Sep 1829
14 Jun 1830
23 Sep 1830
26 Feb 1831
17 Feb 1832
21 Dec 1832
6 May 1833
27 Jul 1833
17 Jun 1834
20 Jun 1837
15 Jul 1840
27 Nov 1840
10 Sep 1844
3 Nov 1847
24 Feb 1848
21 Mar 1848
11 Apr 1848
3 May 1848
23 Jun 1848
24 Jul 1848
26 Aug 1848
29 Oct 1848
19 Dec 1848
23 Mar 1849
14 Apr 1849
9 May 1849
26 May 1849
3 Jul 1849
28 Aug 1849
29 Apr 1850
29 Nov 1850
2 Dec 1852
28 Mar 1854
5 Nov 1854
30 Mar 1856
1 Apr 1857
5 Feb 1859
4 Jun 1859
25 Aug 1859
8 Dec 1859
29 May 1860
22 Oct 1860
17 Mar 1861
24 Dec 1863
30 Oct 1864
14 Jun 1866
24 Jun 1866
22 Jul 1866
21 Dec 1867
1 Sep 1870
20 Sep 1870
28 Jan 1871
10 May 1871
2 Jan 1878
17 Mar 1878
20 Oct 1878
15 Nov 1884
4 Jan 1894
19 Sep 1898
8 Apr 1904
31 Mar 1906
7 Oct 1908
1 Jul 1911
17 May 1912
23 Apr 1913
31 Jul 1913
25 Sep 1913
28 Jun 1914
4 Aug 1914
5 Sep 1914
26 Dec 1914
26 Apr 1915
4 Nov 1915
21 Feb 1916
20 Sep 1916
12 Jan 1917
6 Apr 1917
11 Jul 1917
7 Nov 1917
1 Dec 1917
20 Mar 1918
18 Jul 1918
20 Sep 1918
25 Oct 1918
8 Nov 1918
11 Nov 1918
4 Dec 1918
10 Jan 1919
9 Apr 1919
28 Jun 1919
10 Sep 1919
27 Nov 1919
6 Apr 1920
4 Jun 1920
10 Aug 1920
12 Nov 1920
20 Mar 1921
23 Aug 1921
28 Jun 1922
28 Oct 1922
8 Nov 1923
1 Dec 1925
30 Jan 1933
7 Mar 1936
20 Jul 1936
13 Mar 1938
2 Nov 1938
15 Mar 1939
23 Aug 1939
16 Sep 1939
11 Mar 1940
21 Apr 1940
25 May 1940
21 Jun 1940
7 Sep 1940
3 Nov 1940
26 Feb 1941
16 Apr 1941
21 Jun 1941
31 Aug 1941
4 Dec 1941
20 Jan 1942
27 Jun 1942
16 Sep 1942
8 Nov 1942
22 Nov 1942
29 Dec 1942
22 Feb 1943
19 Mar 1943
12 Jul 1943
30 Sep 1943
29 Jan 1944
20 Jun 1944
30 Aug 1944
17 Oct 1944
24 Dec 1944
24 Mar 1945
2 May 1945
14 May 1945
13 Jul 1945
19 Apr 1946
10 Feb 1947
1 Aug 1948
7 Oct 1949
21 Sep 1955
7 Nov 1956
22 Feb 1958
26 Jun 1963
26 May 1972
15 Jun 1977
25 Apr 1982
10 Nov 1989
3 Oct 1990
28 Feb 1991
27 Jun 1991
19 Aug 1991
6 Sep 1991
9 Dec 1991
25 Dec 1991
22 Jun 1992
1 Nov 1993
12 Jun 1999
13 Apr 2003
16 Aug 2008
19 Mar 2011
18 Mar 2014
23 May 2014
17 Jul 2014
7 Oct 2015
27 Oct 2017
31 Jan 2020
22 Mar 2022
16 Jan 2023
24 Jun 2023
15 Jan 2024

From Alexandria, Aurelian marched back west to confront Tetricus, who still held power in Gaul. However, when the two met in battle at Châlons in 274, Tetricus quickly defected, abandoning his mutinous army to defeat.

About this map
Download map
(download without labels)
Notes

Battle of Châlons

The story that ancient authors have given of Tetricus’ surrender at the Battle of Châlons has been questioned by some modern historians, who have reasoned that a surrender before the battle would have made more sense to avoid unnecessary carnage, that Tetricus was confident in his position and fought to the end, and that the story was just propaganda to help cement Aurelian’s rule.

We disagree with this view. The Gallic regime had seen three rulers assassinated in the past 5 years, a further two usurpers had appeared in the region in Tetricus’ time, there were economic problems emphasized by the sharp decline in the quality of Gallic coinage since c.268, the Germanic tribes continued to threaten across the Rhine, and Aurelian, after easily defeating the far more stable and successful Palmyrenes, was now mobilizing his entire army against them. It would not be surprising if the Gallic regime had by now split into pro-reconciliation and die-hard factions, explaining both why Tetricus could not have surrendered at the beginning of the battle (he would have been killed) and why much of his army continued to fight on after he surrendered. The surrender story also explains why Aurelian later rewarded Tetricus by making him governor of Lucania, Italy.

Main Events

274 Faustinus▲

Sometime in 274 Faustinus, Tetricus’ governor of Belgica, went into revolt and proclaimed himself emperor in Augusta Treverorum (Trier). Records of this rebellion are vague, but as it broke out in Tetricus’ capital, it is possible that it occurred after Tetricus began marching south to face Aurelian, or even after Tetricus’ surrender. Either way, Faustinus was quickly crushed, by either Tetricus or Aurelian.in wikipedia

274 Battle of Châlons▲

In the spring or early summer of 274 Aurelian marched against the usurper Tetricus in Gaul, meeting him on the Catalaunian Fields (near modern Châlons-sur-Marne). Tired of his mutinous officers and already in secret talks with Aurelian, Tetricus surrendered in mid-battle, but his troops fought on and were massacred. Victorious, Aurelian swiftly received the recognition of the provinces of Gaul and Britain, restoring central Roman rule in the West.in wikipedia

270s 274 Belgium European history France June June 19 maps Roman civil wars Roman Empire

Follow us

Join Omniatlas