The Battle of Lugdunum was fought on 19 February 197 at Lugdunum (modern Lyon, France), between the armies of Septimius Severus and Claudius Albinus. Severus' victory established him as the sole emperor of the Roman Empire following the Year of the Five Emperors. The battle was the largest, most hard-fought, and bloodiest of all the clashes between Roman forces. Some 150,000 soldiers took part.
 | In 196, after being hailed as emperor by his troops, Clodius Albinus took 40,000 men in three legions from Britannia to Gaul. After gathering up more men, he set up headquarters at Lugdunum. On 19 February 197 the battle began. Both sides were roughly evenly matched and it was a bloody, drawn-out affair lasting over two days. (it was rare for battles of this era to last longer than a few hours). The tide shifted many times during the course of the battle, with the outcome hanging in the balance. Severus had an edge in reserves of cavalry, which swung the final stages of the battle in his favour.
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A top NGC-graded Clodius Albinus AD 195-197 gold aureus graded NGC Ch XF★, 5/5 Strike and 5/5 Surface. Estimated at $200k, the coin made $275k. 
Albinus fled into Lugdunum where he took his own life. Severus had Albinus' body stripped and beheaded. He rode over the headless corpse with his horse in front of his victorious troops. Severus sent Albinus's head back to Rome as a warning. He had Albinus's body and those of his wife and sons thrown into the Rhone River. | |  |
Lucius Novius Rufus, who had supported Albinus, was killed. Severus also had 29 senators who supported Albinus executed.
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