The Year of the Four Emperors — 69 AD — when Rome tore itself apart in a civil war that proved the empire's darkest secret: an emperor could be made somewhere other than Rome. Galba, Otho, Vitellius, Vespasian — four men claimed the purple in eighteen months. Tacitus writes the carnage with cold fury and an unmatched eye for the psychology of power. Only the first four and a half books survive, but they contain some of the most savage political writing in any language.
Start ReadingJanuary 69 AD — the Year of the Four Emperors begins. Galba holds power in Rome but his position is fragile. Otho conspires against him, and on 15 January the Praetorian Guard murders the emperor in the Forum.
Otho versus Vitellius. The legions of the Rhine have proclaimed Vitellius emperor, and his army marches south into Italy. Otho advances to meet them, and at the first battle of Bedriacum his forces are crushed. Otho commits suicide.
The reign of Vitellius and the rise of Vespasian. As Vitellius indulges in Rome, the eastern legions proclaim Vespasian emperor. The Flavian army advances on Italy while civil unrest erupts across the empire.
The Flavian invasion of Italy. Vespasian's forces defeat the Vitellians at the second battle of Bedriacum. Rome itself becomes a battleground as the Capitol is stormed and burned. The revolt of Civilis erupts on the Rhine.
The Jewish War and the revolt of Civilis. Tacitus describes Titus' siege of Jerusalem and the suppression of the Batavian revolt on the Rhine frontier. The surviving portion of the Histories ends mid-narrative.