Melan Mendo's video: Rome: The Rise and Fall of an Empire 9of14 : The Soldiers Emperor

Near the end of the third century, civil war had torn the empire apart and left its borders vulnerable to barbarian invasion. Romans living on the eastern and western frontiers, far from Rome, were left to defend themselves, which they did by building their own armies and naming their own emperors. As the empire divided against itself, one extraordinary man rose from the rank of soldier to become emperor in Rome. His name was Aurelian and, with an unshakeable trust in the sun god, he fought back the barbarians who were by then threatening Rome itself. Once he secured the great city, Aurelian pursued the rulers of the splinter empires, an eastern warrior queen and a proud western general. Defeating both, he reunited the empire in five short years, earning the title Restorer of the World. For a brief time there was peace but in 275 AD, Aurelian was assassinated and his death mourned by Romans across the empire, who knew too well the scarcity of greatness in their rulers.