Marcus Aurelius Probus

Born A.D. 232; died 282. Roman emperor from 276.

Probus, a native of Illyria, was a military commander who was proclaimed emperor by the army. He ruled with the consent of the Senate. Probus consolidated Rome’s authority in Gaul and along the entire Rhine frontier, repulsing in 277 the Franks, Alamanni, and other tribes that had invaded Gaul. His measures aimed at strengthening discipline in the army provoked an uprising among the soldiers, during which he was killed.