Career
Although the power and prestige of Rome reached a low point during his reign, it must be said in justice to Gallienus that he was faced with an impossible situation. With the imperial finances in a chaotic state and the army badly in need of reorganization, a policy of expediency dictated that Gallienus should withdraw his forces from Gaul and the East to defend Rome and the central part of the Empire. To accomplish this, he tacitly allowed Gaul in the West and Palmyra in the East to become independent. Criticized because of his fondness for Greek culture and blamed for the disintegration of the Roman Empire, Gallienus was assassinated by his own officers in 268. He had, however, already laid the foundations for a military reorganization which made it possible for his successors to restore the unity of the Empire.