The first Civil War of the Roman Empire The Year of the 4 Emperors

The death of Emperor Nero for much of Rome was a day of celebration. Another tyrannical ruler had been ousted once and for all, but Rome would need to yet again pick a new princeps, and this time the choice was harder than ever. Thus, the Empire entered the Year of Four Emperors. With the rebellion in full swing, as Nero's minutes as a living ruler were waning, the Senate had found their preferred replacement for the doomed Emperor. They had chosen the Governor of Hispania, who deemed himself General of the Senate and People of Rome, in defiance to the typical title of General of Caesar. His name was Servius Sopicius Galba, and he was a well-rounded politician and military man known for his sternness and loyalty. He was declared the new princeps by the Senate while still in Hispania, and in spite of another claimant by the name of Nymphidius Sabinus attempting to usurp the barely secured throne, the Praetorian Guard took the responsibility of assassinating this pretender. While Galba would have to face an ambush from one of Nero's legions on the journey to the capital, he would eventually make his way safely to accept his honor. The problem now was that Galba was not a gentle nor necessarily fair man. He had a reputation for harsh discipline and a familiar tyrannical streak that the Roman citizens were oh so tired of. In the short window he had to make a good first impression, he didn't. He disbanded the German Guard, seized properties of innocent Romans, failed to pay the Praetorians properly, handed out death sentences without trials, and seemed to treat the Empire as his own little game. His advisors were further criticized as contributing to the string of bad decisions that marked Galba's early reign. But the man himself was just unlikable to many. Two legions of Upper Germany would be the first to launch an open rebellion against the new ruler, followed the next day by those of Lower Germany. The latter went so far as to declare Aulus Vitellius, their governor, to be the true princeps in Galba's place. Now January of 69 AD, seven months into Galba's reign, it was clear that the emperor chosen by the Senate had been a poor decision. He was unpopular, cruel, and the exact opposite of what Rome was wanting. Consequently, on January 15th, just as they'd done to his challenger, the Praetorian Guard put an end to Galba. It wasn't just the Praetorians who wanted the emperor dead, however. Even allies can turn to enemies if you play your part poorly. Marcus Salvius Otto was one of those men for Galba. At the start of Galba's rebellion against Nero and ascension to the role of princeps, Otto had taken the newcomer's side. Given the option between Galba or Nero, there was no question. Why would Otto align with the man who'd stolen his wife? Poppea Sabina, the notorious mistress of Emperor Nero, was the wife of Otto, until the princeps became so obsessed with the woman he'd been having his affairs with that he forced her and her husband to divorce. It was then that Nero himself married Poppea and Otto was sent into exile in Lusitania. Nero did make the humiliated man governor of the province, but Otto would never forgive him. Yet, this meant that Galba had only obtained the governor as an ally due to his own opposition to Nero. It thus came as no surprise that in time, Otto's loyalty to his new emperor would fizzle out. After the death of Galba, it would be Otto whom Rome chose to take his place, with great anxiety as to what this decision would bring them. Otto, it appeared, had no intent on subjecting Rome to yet another dictator. This, however, was irrelevant, because Otto wasn't the only man who could make that decision. In fact, he quickly became aware of a precarious predicament. The German legions who had turned their backs on Galba had declared an Aulus Vitellius, former consul and commander of the Germania Inferior Army, as emperor. Dangerously ignorant to the spreading revolt on the Rhine, Otto had missed the news that even more legions, spreading to the armies of Britannia, Gaul, and Rhaetia, had joined his challenger. Now marching on Rome, Vitellius and his men found themselves face to face with the defenders of not Galba, but Otto. This would serve as little deterrent, however, and Vitellius was still ready for war. In a drastic and wildly unforeseen turn of events, Otto responded by taking his own life. He is said to have declared, it is far more just to perish one for all than many for one. It's believed that, realizing the great possibility of a full-fledged civil war at hand, Otto chose to end his own life, to spare the lives of all those who'd fight for him. Rome had already seen an exhausting amount of civil war, and the emperor just couldn't bring himself to cause yet another. And so, in death, Otto earned great respect and adoration. But it was in death, and yet again that year, the role of princeps had changed hands. Otto had reigned three months, and now it would be Vitellius' turn. All accounts of Vitellius' reign can be questioned as to their fairness, but still, none regard him as much of a beloved ruler. He is known to have expanded the praetorian guard utilizing his own men, opening up the imperial administration offices to the equites, banning astrologers from Rome, giving further honors to the deceased Nero, and allegedly starving his own mother to death. It seems that, though not to be the despotic extreme of some of his predecessors, Vitellius was not exceptionally liked or disliked. Still, the lack of unanimous approval of his position as emperor displayed a hazardous level of disapproval in the least. It thus came as a bit predictable when, in the summer of 69, Vitellius was informed that history was repeating itself. A new emperor had been declared elsewhere, within his empire. This time, it was the eastern provinces of Rome. In addition to Illyricum and Dalmatia, that would split from the senate's choice of ruler. They declared in favor of a man by the name of Titus Flavius Vespasianus, a politician and general who had served in the invasion of Britain. This meant that, for the second time, Vitellius was faced with the prospect of a civil war. And, unlike his predecessor, he was willing to plunge Rome into that tumult. Yet again. The emperor's immediate reaction was to gather a handful of legions who could head east and prevent Vespasianus' men from crossing over into Italy. This led to a decisive defeat of Vitellius' forces and the rapid deterioration of the princeps' defense. Desertions, low morale, and downright betrayal were duplicitously eating away at what remained of Vitellius' army. The steady disintegration of his troops pushed Vitellius to make a humbling decision. Abdication was his only answer. Oddly, though, the Praetorian Guard disagreed. Despite having already come to an agreement with his contender concerning the exchange of power, the Praetorian Guard would halt Vitellius on his way to officially make the transfer. Forced back to his palace, the emperor was given no option but to renew his fight against Vespasianus. With only a meager civilian militia on his side, Vitellius put up his final fight as Vespanius' men reached the walls of Rome. The battle was horrific. According to the writing of Cassius Dio, 50,000 people would be brutally killed by the end of the fight. Both sides took significant casualties, particularly the invaders, and in the end, the bloodshed was for nothing more than the power-hungry goals of another destined ruler. Vitellius was dragged through the streets of Rome before being violently murdered. Yet, I was once your emperor, was his farewell to the winning side. All the while, as another brutish civil war carried out through Italy, on its path straight to the capital, Vespasianus himself was far away, over in Egypt. Here, too, he had been declared emperor already, and on December 21st, 69 AD, the Senate was in agreement. Vespasianus was now Emperor Vespasian.