Vespasian (69 - 79 AD)

Family and Background

Father is said to have been an equestrian, he achieved senatorial rank in his thirties and served as a legionary commander during the invasion of Britain in the 40s. Afterwards he was noted as a courtier of Nero until his appointment to the command in Judaea in 66. He seems to have had some role in the revolt in which Nero was overthrown, and was proclaimed emperor in July of 69 by the legions in the east. His armies decisively defeated those of Vitellius in October while he was still in the east. He returned to Italy in 70.

Principal Events (Foriegn)

None to speak of, though there was a notable reorganizaton of eastern provinces in the 70s after the Jewish revolt had been suppressed.

Principal Events (Domestic)

Suppression of a revolt by German tribes on the Rhine (69-70)
Arrival at Rome (late 70)
Capture of Jerusalem by Titus (eldest son of Vespasian) (72)
End of the Jewish revolt (by 72)

Outlines of Policy

Vespasian was noted as one of Rome's most parsimonious, and hard working emperors. He set himself the task of reorganizing state finances, which were in a desperate shape after the reign of Nero and the civil war. His most notable project in Rome was to begin the construction of the Coliseum (on the site of a lake in what had once been the palace that Nero built for himself after the great fire of 64). In foriegn affairs, he seems to have deliberately avoided costly foriegn campaigns. This may have contributed to the rise of Dacian power on the Danube, a serious issue in the decades after his death.