Battle of Naissus

Battle of Naissus
Part of the Crisis of the Third Century Part of the Roman-Germanic wars
Date 268 or 269 AD Location Naissus Result Roman victory
Belligerents
Roman Empire	Goths
Commanders and leaders
Gallienus or Claudius II Gothicus Aurelian (as cavalry commander)	Cniva and/or Cannabaudes
Strength
unknown	unknown
Casualties and losses
Light	Catastrophic

The Battle of Naissus (268 or 269 AD) was the defeat of a Gothic coalition by the Roman Empire under Emperor Gallienus (or Emperor Claudius II Gothicus) and the future Emperor Aurelian near Naissus (Niš in present-day Serbia). The events around the invasion and the battle are an important part of the history of the Crisis of the Third Century.

The result was a great Roman victory which, combined with the effective pursuit of the invaders in the aftermath of the battle and the energetic efforts of the future Emperor Aurelian, largely removed the threat from Germanic tribes in the Balkan frontier for the following decades.