The final four books of Suetonius hold particular interest. To Suetonius these emperors were no longer mythical men from a century ago, these were men that his father told stories about. Men that Suetonius was ruled by and worked for.
Vitellius
"His head held back by his hair, as is common with criminals, and even the point of a sword placed under his chin, so that he could not look down but must let his face be seen. Some pelted him with dung and ordure, others called him incendiary and glutton, and some of the mob even taunted him with his bodily defects"
Vitellius ruled Rome for eight months, far longer than his predecessors Galba and Otho. Despite that there is not much to say, in the grand scheme of Rome, he was merely someone in the way of the establishment of the Flavian dynasty.
The quote from Suetonius above is quite remarkable. Galba had fallen in battle, Otho had committed suicide for the well-being of the Empire. Vitellius was captured by supported of Vespasian and marched to the Forum where he was forced to sit at sword point and be abused physically and mentally. This man was the Emperor of Rome. A sacrosanct position. But, here in Suetonius we read of him being forced to sit and suffer abuse. At this point there is no mistaking that the army were the kingmakers.
Vespasian
"as death drew near, he said: "Woe's me. Methinks I'm turning in a god"
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| Vespasian |
Vespasian inherited an Empire spoiled by Nero's decedent rule and in chaos from a year of civil war. As a young man he had been part of the invasion of Britain. He had been in charge of the squashing the Jewish rebellion at the time of Nero's death. As Emperor he restored an empire to peace. He re-built Rome (his most famous building the Flavian Amphitheatre / Colosseum) and prosperity reigned.
Perhaps his most remarkable achievement however was dying in his bed of old age. Not since Tiberius had an Emperor died of old age in his bed. Assassinations. military conflict and suicide had taken care of six emperors in a row. His joke about becoming a God saw him posthumously deified by his son. While the passage from Suetonius doesn't tell us much about the varied and remarkable life of a man who fought all over the Empire, survived the rule of Nero and rose to the most powerful position in Rome, it's nice to think that these great figures of history had a sense of humour.
Titus
"Not to omit any act of condescension, he sometimes bathed in the baths which he had built, in company with the common people"
Titus ruled Rome for two years before dying of an illness. His rule saw the disaster of Vesuvius that buried Pompey, a fire that ravaged Rome and a plague that afflicted the Empire. Despite his short rule and the great trouble that afflicted the Empire, he is remembered as a paramount of virtue and good rule.
His primary job however is to be used by Suetonius as the antonym of his younger brother Domitian. Under the rule of Domitian the Senate was side-lined, the army praised and wages increased and the loose oligarchy of the early Principate finally replaced with an autocratic ruler. The quote above is the last shining example of an Emperor of the people. A man who looked after his people, cared for them and bathed with them. It is remarkable to think of an Emperor walking unguarded among the masses and how much he actually had contact with his the common man is debatable. The Titus of Suetonius Life of Titus fulfils his job however, showing us just how terrible his younger brother really was.
Domitian
"Domitian himself, it is said, dreamed that a golden hump grew out on his back, and he regarded this as an infallible sign that the condition of the empire would be happier and more prosperous after his time; and this was shortly shown to be true through the uprightness and moderate rule of the succeeding emperors"
Domitian is the last subject of Suetonius' twelve biographies. Often to be seen in any list of worst Emperors of Rome, Domitian's rule is questionable. He was Emperor of Rome for fifteen years, acknowledged and rewarded the power and loyalty of the army. He threw games and frivolities much loved by the people. Social, military and economic reforms laid the groundwork for the prosperity and peace of the second century AD. Why then was he assassinated and his memory damned? His autocratic rule and sidelining of the Senate saw him presented by historians at the time, including Suetonius, as a paranoid tyrant.
Our twelfth quote from Suetonius are the final lines from his final biography. Under the rule of the successors of Domitian, Suetonius would rise to the position of Director of the Imperial Archives, no doubt a source for his twelve Lives.
The subjects of Suetonius' Twelve Caesars saw the fall of the Republic and the rise of the Empire, but as Suetonius is telling us with his final quote, the best is always yet to come.
Thanks for Reading
James
