36 AD | EMPEROR GUANGWU REUNIFIES CHINA | History of the World Every Year

This year, 36 AD, the Romans continue to meddle in Parthian affairs. Pontius Pilate is caught in another popular uprising in Judea, and Emperor Guangwu crushes the remaining competition within his rightful borders. Welcome to the Yearly Histories, where we will highlight the major events that take place in the Common Era, year by year. Last year, we saw Mithridates of Iberia taking the Armenian throne with the backing of the Iberians and Romans, the Western Satraps coming to prominence in India, and Emperor Guangwu ordering an unsuccessful two-pronged invasion of Changzha. In Rome, a fire devastates the famous Circus Maximus, which lies in the valley between the Palatine and Aventine hills. The Circus Maximus was first built in the 6th century BC under the early Roman kings and is an enormous chariot racing stadium and entertainment venue, capable of holding up to 250,000 spectators. It has remained a central hub for Roman public games and spectacles for centuries, undergoing multiple expansions. Emperor Tiberius, now at 76 years of age, appoints a senatorial commission to assess the damage and generously donates funds to victims from the imperial treasury. Last year, in the east, Tiberius, through governor Lucius Vitellius, sent Tiridates into Parthian territory to challenge Artabanus II's rule at a time when his position was severely weakened. Artabanus was forced to flee to the east after a rebellion against him started, and Tiridates was able to establish himself as rival king with the support of the Parthian nobles. This year, he gains the allegiance of additional cities that despise Artabanus for his cruelty and are hopeful for a gentler rule from Tiridates, who had Roman training. He presses forward towards Ctesiphon, the capital of the empire, where he is crowned with the royal diadem, affirming his rule in the traditional Parthian manner. But at this point, the growing confidence of Tiridates causes him to make a fatal error. He squanders an opportunity to consolidate his rule by focusing on besieging a fortress where an Artabanus had hidden his treasures and concubines, rather than advancing into the heart of the country to secure the loyalty of wavering tribes. This delay allows opposition to grow, as influential figures feel resentment and distrust towards his supporter, Abdaghesis. Thus, the powers behind Tiridates' right to rule defect to Artabanus. They eventually find him in Hyrcania, living in poverty and hunting for sustenance. The Parthian nobles disparage Tiridates as a weak, foreign-raised figurehead under the control of Abdaghesis, contrasting him with Artabanus, a true Arsacid. As Artabanus advances on Tiridates, the latter's forces quickly begin to abandon him, forcing him to flee back to Roman territory, leaving Artabanus to reclaim his authority unopposed. Moving to Judea, where the short-tempered prefect Pontius Pilate continues to anger the local population. This time, it's the inhabitants of Samaria. A new self-styled messiah has aroused the religious fervor of the Samaritans by claiming he has knowledge of the location of sacred relics of Moses. His claims supposedly indicate that the relics lie in wait, buried on Mount Gerizim, the holiest place in all of Samaria. Receiving information that the zealous Samaritans had gathered arms and are assembling in a village at the foot of the mountain to begin their search, Pontius Pilate decides that he cannot allow this religious mission to transpire. The Samaritans feel the rediscovery of these sacred objects could possibly mark the beginning of a new age of religious enlightenment, which would threaten Roman imperial authority in the region. Josephus recounts Pontius Pilate acting as he, quote, blocked their projected route up the mountain with the detachment of cavalry and heavy-armed infantry, who in an encounter with the first comers in the village slew some in a pitched battle and put the others to flight. Many prisoners were taken, of whom Pilate put to death the unquote. In response, an enraged delegation of Samaritan nobles meets with Lucius Vitellius, the highly capable Roman governor of Syria, to argue for Pilate's dismissal from his post as prefect of Judea over his tyrannical rule. The level-headed Vitellius orders Pontius Pilate to return to Rome and appoints one of his own subordinates as temporary administrator in Judea. Also in this same part of the world, the Tetrarch of Galilee and Perea, Herod Antipas, suffers major losses in his war with Aretas IV of Nabatea. We mentioned how Herod's own actions partly provoked this war in 27 AD when he had cast aside his Nabataean princess bride to marry his cousin Herodias, which also had the resulting effect of stoking major resentment from his own subjects. Quote, Herod's army was destroyed by Aretas' forces, and this calamity was seen by many of the Jews as divine vengeance for John, called the Baptist, for Herod had put him to death, though he was a good man. Unquote. This year in China, Emperor Guangwu's commanders look to deal a fatal blow to his main rival Gongsun Shu. Last year, they launched an invasion of Changzha, Gongsun's breakaway territory, but he retaliated by assassinating two of the Han generals, stopping their forward momentum for the time being. This year, they regroup and recommence with their invasion. They successfully surround Gongsun's capital of Chengdu and begin to besiege the city. The initial attempts are unsuccessful, and Emperor Guangwu considers ordering a withdrawal. However, he is convinced by one of his lieutenants to press on. Within Chengdu, Gongsun is lulled into a false sense of security, believing the Han forces to be actively collapsing from fatigue. He orders a sortie and is drawn out to engage in battle. In the ensuing fighting, Gongsun is mortally wounded, and the city, Chengdu, is forced to surrender. In the aftermath of the capitulation, the general Wu Han oversees the killing of more than 10,000 residents of the city, along with most of Gongsun's family. Control of Changzha is finally turned over to Emperor Guangwu, who had fully restored the Han dynasty in 25 AD, and with this victory, has snuffed out all major resistance to his rule, which has plagued him since becoming emperor. China is now reunified under his thumb, and the civil war is over. With the death of Gongsun Xu, Emperor Guangwu can turn the full attention of his exhausted army to the north. He takes the opportunity to bolster the fortifications along the northern border to defend from the Xiongnu. The pesky Xiongnu contributed to the chaos during the civil war by supporting one of the pretenders and constantly conducting raids across the border. These new fortifications effectively blocked the traditional Xiongnu invasion route into Shaanxi in northern China. Now it's time for In Memoriam, where we look back on the lives of prominent figures who died in the year. Gongsun Xu was a Chinese warlord and self-proclaimed emperor who established the Zhangjia regime in the west. Originally a Han official, he took control of the region around 25 AD, declaring himself emperor and resisting Han reunification under Emperor Guangwu for over a decade. His regime was prosperous but isolated due to the territory's geography limiting his expansion. In 36 AD, Han forces besieged his capital, Chengdu, where he was wounded in battle and later died, leading to the collapse of his short-lived kingdom. We will leave this year, 36 AD, with Artabanus successfully regaining full power in Parthia, Pontius Pilate being removed as prefect of Judea, and Emperor Guangwu completing the reunification of China. If you enjoyed this video, please like and subscribe to be notified when the next iteration of the yearly histories will be released. Thanks for watching, and I will see you next year in 37 AD to continue the fascinating stories of the world of antiquity and cover its major events.