| Tetricus I | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emperor of the Gallic Empire | |||||
.png) The obverse of an aureus featuring Tetricus I. Caption: IMP. TETRICVS P. F. AVG. | |||||
| Emperor of the Gallic Empire | |||||
| Reign | 271–274 AD | ||||
| Predecessor | Victorinus | ||||
| Successor | None (Gallic Empire reconquered by Aurelian) | ||||
| Born | Gaul | ||||
| Died | Lucania, Italia | ||||
| Issue | Tetricus II | ||||
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Gaius Pius Esuvius Tetricus was a Gallo-Roman nobleman who ruled as emperor of the Gallic Empire from 271 to 274 AD. He was originally the praeses (provincial governor) of Gallia Aquitania and became emperor after the murder of Emperor Victorinus in 271, with the support of Victorinus's mother, Victoria. During his reign, he faced external pressure from Germanic raiders, who pillaged the eastern and northern parts of his empire, and the Roman Empire, from which the Gallic Empire had seceded. He also faced increasing internal pressure, which led him to declare his son, Tetricus II, caesar in 273 and possibly co-emperor in 274, although this is debated. The Roman emperor Aurelian invaded in 273 or 274, leading to the Battle of Châlons, at which Tetricus surrendered. Whether this capitulation was the result of a secret agreement between Tetricus and Aurelian or that surrender was necessary after his defeat is debated. Aurelian spared Tetricus, and made him a senator and the corrector (governor) of Lucania et Bruttium. Tetricus died of natural causes a few years after 274.