Vespasian

Throughout the history of the Roman people there have been a large number of emperors who have come to occupy a place of great importance in the development of the empire. One of them was Vespasian , the Roman emperor who came to occupy the position as Nero’s successor . A man full of political virtue who managed, with his extensive and excellent military capabilities , to carry out several military incursions and invade Britain .

What did Vespasian do

Vespasian was an emperor who, after coming to power as Nero’s successor , managed to increase military authority in the area and promoted the construction of the Colosseum , one of the main pharaonic works that were built at the time. He was one of the best administrators in Rome who even managed to restore the Capitoline Temple of Jupiter . During his rule, he was able to easily restore the government as well as the financespublic. He was a ruler who managed to obtain the throne of the Empire of Rome in the year 69 and who was in charge of ruling the people under the name of Emperor Caesar Vespasian Augustus until the day he died.

Vespasian biography

Vespasian was born on November 17, 9, in the city of Falacrinae , a place located near the Sabine hills . His father was T. Flavio Sabino , a man who was dedicated to collecting taxes and was also a banker, and his mother, Vespasia Pola . He belonged to a family known as the ordo equester , in other words, a family that had achieved senatorial rank when the emperors Julio and Claudia reigned. As a child he was raised by his grandmother, who was called Tortulla in the northwestern part of the Italian coast. While still very young, he traveled to Thrace as a soldier’s tribune.and then he was sent to Crete and Cyrenaica .

Under the reign of Emperor Claudius he managed to become a Legate , a name given to the superior civil and military officer . He was also appointed as pro consul in Africa. He was also appointed as consul and with this, he managed to gain a good reputation as a military commander. In the year 66, a revolution began in Judea and took the opportunity to be named as Legate of Judea and later, had the ability to stop the rebellion that was forming.

He married Domitilla the Elder with whom he also managed to have three children who were heirs to his throne: Titus , Domitian and Domitilla . After the death of his wife he maintained a relationship with a woman named Cenis who was the secretary of the Emperor Claudius.

Death

Vespasiano died on June 24, 79, when he had not yet reached 70 years of age. His cause of death was natural and took place at Cape Misenum.

Emperor of rome

After the death of Emperor Nero , a great struggle for the succession to the throne began. Nero had left a very dictatorial situation so the succession process was not well organized. Initially, the court decides to appoint Otto as emperor , however, the provinces do not accept him. Several of them decided to support Vespasian , including Rome, thus achieved also organize legions of the Danube for Germany to support him. In this way he managed to be named as emperor of Rome creating the Flavian dynasty at the same time .

Physical characteristics

There is no exact compilation of Vespasian’s physical characteristics. Several busts were made in his honor, for example, the portrait bust of Vespasian wearing the civic crown in Rome. The portrait bust of Vespasian from Ostia also in Rome , the bust of Vespasian located in the Pushkin museum and in the archaeological museum of Naples.

Personality

His personality was that of a moderate and at the same time kind man . He always showed the humility that he inherited from his origin and sometimes boasted of it. He was honorable , honest, and always sought to do good.

Importance

The importance of Vespasiano was based on the legacy that he left after his reign mainly in the field of politics and the direction of the State. In addition, he was a man who always sought the well – being of the inhabitants . It achieved that the finances of the towns recovered in an important way and motivated the popular representation of the town. All the borders of his empire managed to be stabilized and finances also managed to recover.

Acknowledgments

There are no data on recognitions that were made to Vespasian in life.

Vespasian works

One of his main works was based on the construction work that he carried out through his reforms . From the legislative point of view , he managed to establish the Vespasiani Lex Empire Regio which was a text that allowed him access to the seat of the emperor, also conferring on him the powers related to the title. He tried to limit the expenses that the State had to the maximum in order to recover the money. He was an emperor who focused on the economy and because of this, he also limited the empire’s expenses so that in this way payments could be made to the legionaries.

To punish the Jewish rebellion that had arisen, he decided to create a new tax which was called ” judaicus fiscus ” and consisted of the payment by various provinces of Rome to a tax, which initially was only a tribute. He also reinforced the legions that were located on the borders and created two more of them. He eliminated from the Roman nobility all those individuals that he did not consider moral and even defended those members who were seen as weak but who had good rights.

It reduced the power of the Senate as well as its politics . Regarding religion , he was a very calm emperor, he did not establish any type of reform that could be considered important and he dedicated himself to restoring temples and ceremonies . Perhaps one of his main contributions had to do with the reconstruction of Rome and built several strategic public buildings .

Phrases

• Wow! I think I am transforming into god! (phrase he mentioned before he died).
• An emperor must die standing up.
• And yet it comes from urine. A phrase he used to indicate that money was worth regardless of its origin.

Presence in popular culture

In popular culture, there are some books that tell the story of this Roman emperor, among them are the following:

• Vespasiano: Tribune of Rome of the author Robert Fabbri.
• Vespasian, the Empire of the Flavi

Curiosities about Vespasian

Some of the most outstanding curiosities of the Emperor Vespasian were the following:

• At one point in his government he ran out of money due to a civil war, so, in order to boost the economy, he decided to create the world’s first public pay for toilets.
• Under his reign the Roman Colosseum was built, which was originally known as the Flavian Amphitheater.
• To achieve power he had to go through a period that became known as the Year of the Four Emperors.