1. Oops – Should Not Have Taken That Meeting
Valerian assembled an army of about 70,000 men and marched to resolve the Persian problem. In 260, he fought an army commanded by Persia’s King Shapur I in the Battle of Edessa, and was decisively defeated. The remnants of the Roman army were besieged, and Valerian tried to personally negotiate a way out with Shapur. The peace talks turned out to be a trap, however, and Valerian was seized by Shapur when he showed up. Oops.
Shapur made the captured Roman emperor his slave, and subjected him to all kinds of humiliations. The Persian king took particular delight in advertising his victory and demonstrating his might by using the former Roman emperor as a foot stool to mount his horse. Valerian’s death was as ignominious and undignified as his captivity. It came after he offended Shapur by offering a huge ransom in exchange for his release. As punishment, and to show his disdain for the offer, Shapur forced Valerian to drink molten gold. The Roman emperor’s humiliation continued even after death: Shapur ordered Valerian’s corpse flayed, and had his skin dyed and displayed at a temple.
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Where Did We Find This Stuff? Some Sources and Further Reading
Ancient History Encyclopedia – Valerian
Ancient Origins – What Really Happened to Valerian?
Churchill, Winston S. – Their Finest Hour: The Second World War, Volume II (1949)
Davidson, Phillip – Vietnam at War: The History, 1946-1975 (1988)
Encyclopedia Britannica – King Alexander of Greece
Fall, Bernard B. – Hell in a Very Small Place: The Siege of Dien Bien Phu (1967)
Free Czechoslovak Air Force – Unintentional Gift
Geni – Wreck of the White Ship
Holland, Tom – Rubicon: The Last Years of the Roman Republic (2011)
Independent, The, February 12th, 2012 – The Man Who Rejected The Beatles
Jackson, Julian – The Fall of France: The Nazi Invasion of 1940 (2003)
Military History Matters: The Novgorod: Circular Ironclad
Tank Encyclopedia – Panzer VIII Maus
