• greencactus@lemmy.world
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    6 months ago

    I would definitely put Aurelian at the top. As far as I remember, he is the only emperor who actually made the coin worth MORE than less by adding more silver into it (he had to take it back because the wars brought the Empire to the brink of collapse, but still - the gesture is appreciated). He hold courts in the military camp and brought the a Empire through war and plague without a huge civil war or major territory losses. I think for his achievements, he deserves to be higher.

    • PugJesus@kbin.socialOP
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      6 months ago

      Aurelian did some currency reforms, but he wasn’t the only one who did so. “Right guy, wrong time” was meant more of a “He was great, but he was born in the wrong era”

      Imagine an Aurelian after Severus Alexander, and not Maximinus Thrax! Alas, he came in to an Empire on the brink of collapse, expended his energy in reuniting the Empire, and then had the chaos and paranoia of the Crisis of the Third Century lead to his assassination.

      But yes, we stan Aurelian in this house, Restitutor Orbis!