The Death of Decius Trajan
The Battle of Abritus (251 AD)
After the death of Emperor Alexander Severus the last one of the Severus family, the Roman Empire experienced a period of prolonged crisis in all branches of life at the time. In the third century, power in the empire was taken over by the so-called military emperors. The crisis had led to the overall rule and dependence of the empire on the army. Military units in various regions began to elevate their commanders to emperors, even some of them ruled for so short, that they could not even reach Rome, for example Maximinus Trax. This period of unrest, raids by various barbarian tribes, civil wars, threats from the east, economic instability, military dictatorships and their emperors, continued until the rise of Emperor Diocletian.
Few years later, a new wave of barbarian invasion of about 30,000 people from the Carpi and Goth tribes managed to invade again from the Danube River and entered Lower Moesia. Due to the many uprisings and barbaric raids, positioning in the empire became quite critical, Philip offered the Senate to abdicate the imperial title, but the event did not happen. After stopping the attack of the Goths and the Carps at the cost of large ransoms, Philip set about dealing with the rebel legions and Marin Pakatsian. But the emperor did not personally intervene in the conflict in the Balkans, he sent a senator, at this time - Decius Trajan. Senator Guy Decius Trajan accepted the task of the emperor to defeat the introduction of Pacatsian, he himself was a former governor of the province of Moesia, and enjoyed great popularity and authority. Upon learning of his arrival, the rebellious troops in Moesia killed their chosen emperor and installed Decius in his place. The nomination of a new emperor, in the person of Decius Trajan, led the empire to a new civil war.
Thus, in 249, Decius set out from Moesia for Italy, leading his combined legions, on his way the border towns of Aquileia and Concordia voluntarily crossed over to his side. Philip the Arab set out this time personally leading his troops against Decius, but was defeated in Northern Italy, after which he was captured and killed in Verona. Upon learning of Philip's loss and death, the Praetorian Guard in Rome killed his son and joined the ranks of Gaius Decius Trajan.
The reign of Gaius Decius Trajan began at a very difficult time for the Roman Empire. Along the northern frontier, large masses of Germanic tribes posed grave problems for the Roman civil administration and military forces. Thanks to periodic large payments from Rome, the pressure of the Germanic tribes was contained. Within the country, the social contradictions between the various strata of Roman society intensified, as various religious cults transmitted mainly from the east intensified, and the rapid spread of Christianity created the most problems in the empire. It denied the traditional Roman religion and the cult of emperors. With the spread of the Christian faith during the reign of Emperor Decius Trajan, the persecution of the Christian community in the empire intensified.
Decius maintained good relations with the senate, entrusting much of the civil power to the senate, and promoted Senator Publius Valerian to the republican office of "censor", which had long been practiced in the empire. Emperor Decius Trajan also divided the government between his two sons, Quintus Herennius and Hostilian.
The situation on the border of the lower Danube again became very critical, the Goths again crossed the river and entered the province of Moesia, where they defeated the viceroy of Gai Trebonian Gal. The Goths numbered about 70,000 and reached the walls of the important Roman city of Nicopolis ad Istrum. Undisturbed, most of them crossed the mountain passes of the Balkan Mountains and entered the province of Thrace to the south, where Titus Julius Priscus, the provincial governor at the time, was defending himself.
At this time, Decius Trajan arrived in the countryside, but was unexpectedly attacked by the Goths, and after the battle, Priscus spread rumors that the emperor had been killed and began negotiations with the Goths, intending to occupy the imperial throne in support of Gothic partnership. This agreement was made and the Goths plundered Philippopolis. This Gothic invasion led to extraordinary losses of the empire, after which the crisis deepened. The Goths killed part of the population of the city and the region.
The rise to the throne by the Thracian governor - Prisk did not take place, as the emperor Decius Trajan was alive and headed north to the besieged city of Nicopolis ad Istrum, in order to cross the Gothic invasion.
Decius' decisive battle against the Goths, led by the tribal chief Kniva, took place in 251 AD near the city of Abritus, where Roman troops were totally defeated. In this battle, the emperor's son, Quintus Herennius, was one of the first stabbed by an enemy arrow, after learning of the news of Quintus death, the emperor declared that the death of a soldier was not a great loss to the fatherland. By the end of the battle, the emperor himself, Decius Trajan, and the entire prestige of the Roman army perished. Decius Trajan was the first emperor to die in battle with a foreign enemy, and his death led to another severe crisis in the Roman Empire and is considered the beginning of the decline of the empire.
After the defeat of Decius Trajan, the army in Moesia promoted the emperor Trebonian Galus, who according to some sources deceived Decius in the battle to lose, as he had ambitions to become emperor, and had agreed with the Goths in advance. This thesis is not fully proven, but is typical of the principles of Roman political behavior at the time.