Editing Crisis of the Third Century (section)

==== Claudian dynasty (268–270) ====
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|[[File:Ritratto di Claudio II il Gotico - Foto Giovanni Dall'Orto (cropped).jpg|116x116px]]<br /><small>(possible)</small>
|[[File:ClaudiusGothicusSC265569.jpg|100x100px]]
|'''[[Claudius Gothicus|Claudius II]]''' "'''Gothicus'''"<br /><small>{{Smallcaps|Marcus Aurelius Claudius}}</small>
|c. September 268 – August (?) 270<br/><small>(1 year or less)</small>
|Born on 10 May 214, claimed descent from [[Gordian II]], posthumously named a relative of [[Constantine the Great]]. Fought for [[Gallienus]] against the usurpers [[Ingenuus]], [[Postumus]] and [[Aureolus]], but then turned against him with [[Aurelian]] and had himself proclaimed emperor. Defeated the Goths at the [[Battle of Naissus]], hence his nickname, and recovered most of Hispania, thus beginning the restoration of the Empire. Died as a result of the [[Plague of Cyprian]], aged 56.{{Sfnm|1a1=Kienast|1y=2017|1p=222|2a1=Peachin|2y=1990|2pp=42-43|3a1=Burgess|3y=2014|3pp=77-78|4a1=Vagi|4y=2000|4pp=361–363|5a1=Adkins|5y=2019|5p=29}}
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|[[File:Aureus Quintillus (obverse).jpg|100px]]
|'''[[Quintillus]]'''<br /><small>{{Smallcaps|Marcus Aurelius Claudius Quintillus}}</small>
|270<br/><small>(17–77 days)</small>{{Efn|Quintillus' reign is said to have lasted 17 days ([[Jerome]], [[Eutropius (historian)|Eutropius]] and [[Zonaras]]), 77 days ([[Filocalus]]), or "a few months" ([[Zosimus (historian)|Zosimus]]). 17 days is certainly wrong, but 77 days seems like too much. One modern proposal is 27, although 66 is also possible.{{sfn|Burgess|2014|pp=78-79}} Most contemporary documents can't be dated precisely and thus the chronology has remained debated. For example, [[Arthur Stein (historian)|Arthur Stein]] dated Claudius' death to April, citing a document of Aurelian that he dated to 25 May 270.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Stein |first=Arthur |author-link=Arthur Stein (historian) |year=1924 |title=Zur Chronologie der römischen Kaiser von Decius bis Diocletian |journal=Archiv für Papyrusforschung und verwandte Gebiete |volume=7 |issue=1–2 |pages=30–51 |doi=10.1515/apf.1924.7.1-2.30 |s2cid=161464046 |language=de}}</ref> However, some scholars argue this document must be dated to 271.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Kotula |first=Tadeusz |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EZpoAAAAMAAJ |title=Aurélien et Zénobie: l'unité ou la division de l'Empire? |date=1997 |publisher=Uniwersytetu Wrocławskiego |isbn=978-83-229-1638-4 |language=fr}}</ref>}}
|Younger brother of Claudius, declared emperor after his death. Events of his reign are contradictory; died after a reign of a few weeks of either suicide or assassination.{{Sfnm|1a1=Kienast|1y=2017|1p=224|2a1=Peachin|2y=1990|2p=43|3a1=Burgess|3y=2014|3pp=78-79|4a1=Vagi|4y=2000|4pp=363–364|5a1=PLRE|5p=759}}
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