Aurelian () came from the Balkans, part of the Roman Empire. He was a soldier in the Roman army when the emperor Claudius Gothicus promoted him to high rank. When Claudius died, his army chose Aurelian as the next emperor. Aurelian overcame a number of rebellions. His armies overcame the armies of the Gallic Empire and the Palmyrene Empire (two Roman states that formed during the Crisis of the Third Century). Aurelian joined the Roman Empire into one state again, and this was the beginning of the end of the Crisis of the Third Century. 