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.