‘I’m becoming a god!’ How unlikely emperor Vespasian restored Rome – and gave it its gladiatorial heart
He may have been the fourth emperor in a year as the Roman empire threatened to tear itself apart, but he oversaw a decade of peace and rebuilding. Jonny Wilkes explores Vespasian’s rise and reign, and a legacy of leaving Rome with so much more than the Colosseum
From the chaos that ripped through ancient Rome in the wake of the death of Nero – typified by a civil war during the so-called ‘Year of the Four Emperors’ – a man beyond the imperial establishment, an outsider of the city of Rome itself, emerged to bring stability back to the empire. His name was Vespasian, and he was the founder of a new dynasty, followed as emperor by his sons Titus and Domitian.
His reign as emperor, from AD 69 to 79, looms large in Those About To Die, a new sword-and-sandals epic series on Prime Video set in the bloodthirsty world of gladiatorial bouts and chariot racing. The estimable Anthony Hopkins stars in the role, but who was the real Vespasian?
Who was Vespasian? His life before becoming emperor
Titus Flavius Vespasianus was born in AD 9, under the rule of the first Roman emperor Augustus. Growing up in a small village in the Sabine Hills of central Italy, his parents Flavius Sabinus and Vespasia Polla came from the second tier of aristocracy, the equestrians.
Yet, along with an older brother, the physically imposing Vespasian proved himself to be ambitious and able to mingle with the elite, even emperors themselves, and rose through the political and military ranks swiftly. By AD 43, he commanded a legion of the army, Legio II Augusta.
Fortuitously for Vespasian, that was the same year the conquest of Britain began. It would be the making of him: he led Roman forces on successful campaigns in the southwest, capturing around 20 settlements and earning him honours back in Rome.
He followed this with a consulship, in AD 51, then 12 years later with a governorship of Africa. There, and unlike the typical governor, he withstood the temptations of corruption and even lost money doing the job. Things got so bad that he got pelted with turnips and turned to selling mules.
Still, Vespasian continued to rise in influence under Nero. That was despite a potentially life-threatening faux pas of falling asleep during one of the emperor’s theatrical performances. The unhinged Nero saw himself as an actor and musician, so Vespasian was lucky to escape with just a temporary banishment from the imperial inner circle.
But when Nero needed a good military man to put down a Jewish revolt in Judaea, Vespasian made his comeback at the head of three legions, accompanied by his eldest son Titus.
He had another son, Domitian, back in Rome. He also had a daughter who died before he became emperor, as did his wife.
How did Vespasian become emperor?
In AD 68, Nero, committed suicide, ending the Julio-Claudian dynasty that had ruled since Augustus. There was no obvious successor to take over and so a power struggle ensued, which escalated into full-blown civil war.
In this Year of Four Emperors, Galba seized the throne first, but was murdered after seven months. His successor Otho lasted just three months before Vitellius seized power.
Many in the empire, however, threw their support behind Vespasian, including the legions in Egypt, Judaea, Syria and the Danube, and a number of provincial governors. They saw him as a stable, no-nonsense figure who could restore order.
Proclaimed emperor by his troops, Vespasian travelled from Judaea to Alexandria, Egypt, to take control of Rome’s grain supply, while his allies marched on Rome.
Following a brutal fight for the city, in which Vespasian’s son Domitian barely escaped, Vitellius was defeated and executed, and the empire had its fourth ruler that year.
What was Vespasian like as emperor?
After the chaos that precipitated his rise to the throne, Vespasian’s priority was to establish his new dynasty.
To that end, he took on autocratic powers, gave his sons titles and made sure there was a lot of positive press to legitimise his rule.
Although he reformed the Senate by bringing in outsiders from the provinces, he generally maintained friendly relations with Rome’s elite class. One senator, the historian Tacitus, would later describe Vespasian as “the only emperor who had changed for the better”.
During his decade in power, he had a hands-on approach to government and brought stability through his fiscal reforms, which included debasing the coinage and increasing taxation. Far from the indulgences and opulence that were so prevalent under his predecessors, Vespasian was known for frugality.
Once, he imposed a tax on the urine collected from public toilets, to be used in laundering clothes, which caused consternation from his son Titus. When confronted about this lowly means of making money, Vespasian reportedly held up a coin and declared ‘money does not stink!’
Militarily, his rule was not about vast expansion of the empire, preferring to focus on restoring discipline in the army. He also looked to secure the frontiers. That said, progress was made in Britain, such as the pacification of Wales and gradual advances towards Scotland.
Among his greatest achievements, though, was the mammoth construction project he ordered in Rome.
Gone were the excesses of Nero, replaced by buildings ostensibly for the people like the now-lost Temple of Peace. The most famous, undoubtedly, was the Flavian Amphitheatre, which would come to be known as the Colosseum.
Why did Vespasian build the Colosseum?
Now an architectural icon of the city, the Colosseum was built to revitalise Rome. There had been a great fire in AD 64, not to mention plague outbreaks and the civil war, so Vespasian intended the arena for public entertainment, namely gladiatorial games, to keep the people happy.
Symbolically, he had the Colosseum erected on the site of Nero’s infamous palace, the ‘Golden House’, and paid for it with the spoils of Judaea. It would not be finished by him, however, but his sons.
Who were Vespasian’s sons?
Vespasian had two sons, Titus and Domitian. Both would succeed his as emperor, Titus ruling from AD 79-81, and Domitian ruling from AD 81-96.
Titus completed the defeat of the Jewish revolt with the capture of Jerusalem in AD 70, for which he received a triumph jointly with Vespasian. Back in Rome, Vespasian immediately set about preparing him for his own time as emperor, with Titus effectively coming to rule alongside his father and commanding the Praetorian Guard (the emperor’s bodyguard).
His second son, Domitian, had initially been Vespasian’s representative in Rome once Vitellius had been defeated. He was even referred to as ‘caesar’. But despite titles and honours, including being consul six times, he was never intended to rule.
How did Vespasian die? His famous last words
Vespasian passed away in June AD 79, aged 69, one of the few emperors to that point to die of natural causes. Rather than murder or suicide, he contracted an illness.
According to accounts, though, he kept a sense of humour to the end. Among his last words were, “Vae, puto deus fio,” (“Oh dear, I think I’m becoming a god”); a joking reference to the custom of deifying dead emperors.
Who succeeded Vespasian?
The Flavian dynasty that he established continued under his sons: Titus ruled for just two years before succumbing to a fever, before Domitian sat as emperor for 15 years.
Rather than being the plaything of narcissists as seen by many who came before (like Tiberius, Caligula and Nero) and unquestionably afterwards too, Vespasian made great strides in turning the position of emperor into a job; one that required skills, pragmatism and commitment.
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Authors
Jonny Wilkes is a former staff writer for BBC History Revealed, and he continues to write for both the magazine and HistoryExtra. He has BA in History from the University of York.
