Iran / Turkey: The humiliation of Valerian by Shapur I, Edessa, 259 CE, by Hans Holbein the Younger, c. 1521

Valerian (Latin: Publius Licinius Valerianus Augustus; 193/195/200 – 260 or 264 CE), also known as Valerian the Elder, was Roman Emperor from 253 to 260. He was taken captive by Persian king Shapur I after the Battle of Edessa, becoming the only Roman emperor who was captured as a prisoner of war and causing wide-ranging instability across the empire.

At the beginning of 260, Valerian was decisively defeated in the Battle of Edessa and he arranged a meeting with Shapur to negotiate a peace settlement. The truce was betrayed by Shapur who seized him and held him prisoner for the remainder of his life.

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