The year 69 CE continues apace, and the Partial Historians peer through the mists of time to focus on the shifts in power and machinations postulated in the source material. Herein the short reigns of Otho and Vitellius.

M. Salvius Otho (32 CE-69 CE) had connections with the domus Augusta. Prior to his tilt at imperial power had been a confidante of Nero. In this episode we consider his rise and some of the consequences!

Aulus Vitellius (c. 12-15 CE-69 CE) comes from a family that also had close ties with the domus Augusta. Vitellius' father was an adviser to Tiberius and Claudius. He holds the consulship in 48 CE and a member of the Arvales frates (Arval brothers). His position within the circles of Julio-Claudian power set him on the path to claim imperial rule.

The rocky path to Vespasian continues. What does the year 69 CE tell us about how Rome is evolving as an imperial system?

Find out here!

The Year of the Four Emperors

https://partialhistorians.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Episode-25-The-Year-of-the-Four-Emperors-Part-the-Second-2018-Update.mp3

Illustration of a bust of Otho from: History of Rome and of the Roman people, from its origin to the Invasion of the Barbarians 1883. Courtesy of the Internet Archive / Wikimedia Commons

 

Aulus Vitellius c. 69 CE - Portrait based on the bust that is nowadays at the Capitoline Museums in Rome. Courtesy of Luis García / Wikimedia Commons