Vespasian, Titus Flavius (born November 17, 9 - death June 24, 79) Roman emperor in 69-79. The founder of the Flavian dynasty.
Origin
Vespasian came from an ignorant family of Flavians. His grandfather was a centurion or even a simple soldier in the army of Gnaeus Pompey. After retirement, he was able to make a fortune by collecting money from sales. His father, who was a tax collector in Asia, did the same. This deed brought him not only wealth, but also fame - in many cities, statues were erected in his honor with the inscription: "To the just collector." The family of his mother was much better known, and Vespasian received his nickname from his maternal grandfather Vespasius Pollion, three times a military tribune and the head of the camp.
The path of the future emperor
The future emperor was born in the land of the Sabines, not far from Reate, and his childhood was spent on the estate of his grandmother near Kozy in Erutria. He began his service even under Tiberius as a military tribune in Thrace and passed it quickly and successfully: after the questura, he was given control over Crete and Cyrene, then he was elected an aedile, and in 39 year he received a praetor. As an aedile, he is said to have cared poorly about cleaning the streets, so an angry Caligula Gaius Caesar once ordered the soldiers to pile dirt on him in the bosom of his senatorial toga.
Perhaps this lesson was beneficial, since when he was praetor Vespasian did not miss a single opportunity to please Caligula: in honor of his German "victory" he offered to arrange games out of turn, and after the execution of Lepidus and Getulik he demanded that their bodies be abandoned without burial. Caligula honored him with an invitation to dinner, and Vespasian delivered a speech of thanks to the Senate. Meanwhile, he married Flavia Domitilla, from whom he had all his children. When his wife died, Vespasian again took his former concubine, the freedwoman Tsenida, to him, and she lived with him as a lawful wife, even when he became the emperor.
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Vespasian gained military fame during the reign of Claudius. At first, he served as a legate of the legion in Germany, and then, in 43, he was transferred to Britain, where he took part in more than 30 battles with the enemy, conquered two strong tribes, more than 20 cities and the Isle of Wight. For this, he received triumphal decorations, a pontificate and augur, and in 51 he received a consulate.
Under Nero
Then, fearing Agrippina, the wife of Claudius, who persecuted him for his friendship with Narcissus, he retired from business and lived in peace for 10 years, not doing any public business. 61 years old - already under the emperor Nero, he received control over Africa, which, according to some sources, he ruled honestly and with great dignity, and according to others, on the contrary, very badly. At least, he returned from the provinces, not getting rich at all, lost the trust of his creditors and was forced to mortgage all his estates to his elder brother, and to maintain his position he engaged in the mule trade. For this, the people called him "donkey".
Nero at first caressed Vespasian and took him with him on a trip to Greece. But after Vespasian managed to fall asleep during the emperor's speech, he suffered a cruel disfavor: Nero forbade him not only to accompany himself, but also to greet him. Vespasian retired to retirement in a small town, where he lived in obscurity and fear for his life, until he suddenly received an unexpected province and an army: in 66, Nero instructed him to suppress the uprising in Judea.
Jewish war
The war here took on an unusually wide scale, and for victory a large army and a strong commander were needed, who could be entrusted with such a matter without fear; and Vespasian was chosen as a man of proven zeal and not a little dangerous due to the modesty of his family and name. And so, having received, in addition to the local troops, two more legions, he went to Judea.
In Antioch, Vespasian took command of the army and pulled out auxiliary troops from everywhere. He began his campaign in 67, realizing that he was facing a grueling and dangerous enterprise. The Jews did not risk fighting the legions in the open field, but hid behind the city walls and defended themselves with extreme tenacity. First of all, from Ptolemais, the Romans invaded Galilee and, after a heavy siege, took Iotapata, a large and well-fortified city on the coast. Its entire population was exterminated without exception.
Jaffa was captured outright, and Tiberias surrendered without a fight. The inhabitants of Tarichea tried to resist, but their city was taken from the first attack. Vespasian at first promised the prisoners life and freedom, but then changed his mind. He sent all the newcomers to Tivereada, about a thousand were executed and up to 40,000 more sold into slavery. Nearby, Gamala defended itself with desperate tenacity. After capturing the city in the end, the Romans killed even babies in it. After that, all Galilee recognized Roman rule (Flavius: "The Jewish War"; 4; 1, 6).
Vespasian, Titus Flavius
This campaign brought Vespasian resounding fame and popularity in the army. In fact, in the very first battles he showed exceptional courage, so that during the siege of Iotapata he himself was wounded by a stone in the knee, and several arrows were stuck into his shield. On the march, Vespasian, as a rule, walked ahead of the troops himself, knew how to choose a place for the camp, day and night thought about victory over the enemies, and if necessary, struck them with a mighty hand, ate what was necessary, his clothes and habits almost did not differ from an ordinary soldier - in a word, if it were not for greed, he could be considered a Roman general of ancient times.
Meanwhile, in 68, news was received of the unrest in Gaul and that Vindex with the native leaders fell away from Nero. This news prompted Vespasian to hasten to end the war, for he had already perceived the future civil strife and the dangerous situation of the entire state and thought that he would be able to free Italy from horrors if he had established peace in the East earlier. In the spring he moved along the Jordan and set up camp near Jericho. From here he sent out detachments in different directions and conquered all the surrounding towns and villages.
Death of Nero. Civil War
He was about to begin the siege of Jerusalem when he learned of Nero's suicide. Then Vespasian changed his tactics and postponed his speech, waiting for the turn of events. Tormented by the position of the entire state, awaiting the upheavals of the Roman state, he was already less attentive to the war with the Jews and, terribly concerned about the fate of his own fatherland, considered an attack on strangers untimely. Meanwhile, the civil war in Italy flared up. Proclaimed emperor Galba was openly killed at the Roman forum, and in his place Otho was proclaimed emperor, who in turn fought with Vitellius and, defeated by him, took his own life. 69 April - Vitellius became emperor.
Vespasian consistently recognized all three and, with every coup, swore allegiance to the new princeps by his legions. And although he knew how to obey as well as command, yet the news of the atrocities of the Vitellians in Rome led him to indignation. He sincerely despised Vitellius and considered him unworthy of the throne. Imbued with the most painful thoughts, he felt the burden of his position as the conqueror of foreign lands, while his own country was on the verge of destruction.
Power struggle
However, no matter how anger prompted him to revenge, the thought of his remoteness from Rome, as well as the power of the German legions, on which Vitellius relied, held him back. Meanwhile, the commanders and soldiers at their comradely gatherings openly consulted about a change in government, and the demand to proclaim Vespasian emperor was heard louder and louder.
The first to swear allegiance to Vespasian on July 1, 69 were the legions of Alexandria. As soon as the news of this reached Judea, the soldiers, who had fled to Vespasian's tent, joyfully greeted him as emperor. Immediately at the meeting, he was awarded the titles of Caesar, Augustus and all the other titles that were due to the princeps. Vespasian himself in these new and unusual circumstances remained the same as before - without the slightest importance, without any arrogance. He addressed the army with a few words, soldierly simple and stern. In response, loud shouts of glee and devotion were heard from all sides.
The legions stationed in Syria also gripped with joy. Licinius Mucianus, who commanded them, immediately swore them to Vespasian. Even before the July Ides, all of Syria had taken the oath. Sochem joined the uprising with his kingdom and considerable military forces under his rule, as well as Antiochus, the largest of the local kings subordinate to Rome. All the coastal provinces, up to the borders of Asia and Achaia, and all internal ones, up to Pontus and Armenia, swore allegiance to the new emperor.
New emperor
Vespasian began his preparations for war by recruiting recruits and drafting veterans into the army; the most prosperous cities were instructed to create workshops for the production of weapons, in Antioch they began to mint gold and silver coins. These measures were hastily carried out in the field by special proxies. Vespasian appeared everywhere, encouraged everyone, praised people who were honest and active, confused and weak, instructed by his own example, only occasionally resorting to punishments.
He distributed the positions of prefects and procurators and appointed new members of the Senate, most of them distinguished people, who soon took a high position in the state. As for the monetary gift to the soldiers, at the very first meeting they announced that he would be rather moderate, and Vespasian promised the troops no more for participating in the civil war than others paid them for service in peacetime: he was irreconcilable opponents of senseless generosity towards soldiers, and therefore his army was always better than others.
Legates were sent to the Parthians and to Armenia, and measures were taken to ensure that after the departure of the legions to the civil war, the borders would not be unprotected. Titus, the son of Vespasian, remained in Judea, he himself decided to go to Egypt - it was decided that a part of the troops and such a commander as Mucian, as well as the glory that surrounded the name of Vespasian, would be enough to defeat Vitellius.
So, Mucian moved to Italy, and Vespasian sailed to Egypt. He considered it a matter of paramount importance to secure this province for himself, since, firstly, he thus took control of the supply of grain to Rome, and secondly, he left himself a place for retreat in case of defeat. Titus was entrusted with the end of the Jewish war.
Vespasian spent the end of winter and the entire spring of 70 in Alexandria. Meanwhile Mucian took Rome. Vitellius was killed, the senate, all the provinces and legions swore allegiance to Vespasian.
Governing body
Returning in the summer of 70 to Italy, Vespasian first of all put things in order in the army, since the soldiers reached complete licentiousness: some were proud of their victory, others were embittered by dishonor. Many of Vitellius Vespasian's soldiers fired and punished, however, he also did not let the winners go beyond what was supposed to be, and did not even pay them the legal awards immediately. He never missed a single opportunity to put things in order. One young man came to thank him for his high appointment, fragrant with aromas, - he turned away contemptuously and said to him gloomily: "It would be better if you stink of garlic!" - and took the order of appointment.
Vespasian: money that doesn't smell
Rome after the last civil war was disfigured by fires and ruins. The Capitol Hill, where the most ancient temples of the capital were located, was burnt to the ground. Vespasian allowed everyone to occupy and build up empty plots, if the owners did not do so. Starting to rebuild the Capitol, he was the first to clear the wreckage with his own hands and carry it out on his own back.
The upper classes thinned from endless executions and fell into decay from long-standing neglect. In order to cleanse and replenish them, in 73-74, as a censor, he examined the senate and equestrianism, removed the unfit and entered into the lists of the most worthy of Italians and provincials.
After Titus took Jerusalem and ended the Jewish War, a triumph was celebrated in 71 AD. During the reign of Vespasian, Achaia, Lycia, Rhodes, Byzantium, Samos again lost their freedom, and the mountainous Cilicia and Commagene, previously under the rule of the kings, were converted to provinces.
From the first days of his reign until his death, Vespasian was approachable and condescending. He never concealed his former low state and often even flaunted it. He never aspired to external brilliance, and even on the day of triumph, exhausted by the slow and tedious procession, he could not resist, not to say:
"Serves me, the old man: how a fool wanted a triumph, as if my ancestors deserved it or I myself could dream of it!" He took the Tribune power and the name of the father of the fatherland only many years later, although he was a consul during his reign 8 times, and a censor - 1. He was the first of the princeps who removed the guards at the doors of his palace, and he stopped searching those who greet him in the morning even during the internecine war.
Life, habits of the emperor
When he was in power, he always got up early, even before light, and read letters and reports from all officials; then he let friends in and received greetings, while he himself at this time dressed and put on shoes. Having finished with current affairs, he took a walk and rested with one of the concubines: after the death of Tsenida, he had many of them. From the bedroom he walked to the bathhouse, and then to the table: at that time, they say, he was the softest and kindest, and the family tried to take advantage of this if they had any requests.
At dinner, as always and everywhere, he was good-natured and often made jokes: he was a great mocker, but too prone to buffoonery and vulgarity, even to the point of obscenity. And yet some of his jokes were very witty. They say that one woman swore that she was dying of love for him, and won his attention: he spent the night with her and gave her 400,000 sesterces, and when the steward asked what article to bring this money, he said: “For extraordinary love for Vespasian.
The liberty of his friends, the causticity of the solicitors, the obstinacy of the philosophers did not bother him much. He never remembered resentment and enmity and did not avenge them. Suspicions or fears never pushed him to reprisal. It has never turned out that an innocent person was executed - unless in his absence, without his knowledge, or even against his will. No death made him happy, and even over a well-deserved execution he happened to complain and cry.
The only thing he was rightly reproached for was love of money. Not only did he collect arrears, forgiven by Galboi, imposed new heavy taxes, increased and sometimes even doubled the tribute from the provinces, but he openly engaged in such matters that a private person would be ashamed of. He bought things only in order to then sell them at a profit; he without hesitation sold positions to applicants and acquittals to defendants, innocent and guilty indiscriminately. He even taxed the sanitary facilities, and when Titus reproached his father for this, he took a coin from the first profit, held it to his nose and asked if it stinks. "No," Titus replied. “But this is money from the urine,” - said Vespasian.
However, many believe that he was not greedy by nature, but because of the extreme scarcity of the state and imperial treasury: he himself admitted this when, at the very beginning of his reign, he stated that he needed 40 billion sesterces to get the state on its feet. In fact, under Vespasian in Rome, the restoration of the Capitol, the Temple of Peace, the monuments of Claudius, the Forum, and much more was begun and completed; began construction of the Colosseum. All over Italy, cities were renovated, roads were firmly fortified, and mountains were dug down on Flaminia to create a less steep pass. All this was done in a short time and without burdening the farmers, which may be a proof of his wisdom rather than greed.
Death of Emperor Vespasian
He died as simply and calmly as he lived. At the ninth consulate, while in Campania, he felt mild attacks of fever. He went to the Reatin estates, where he usually spent the summer. There the malaise intensified. Nevertheless, he did not cease, as always, to deal with state affairs and, lying in bed, even received ambassadors. When his stomach began to refuse, Vespasian felt the approach of death and joked: "Alas, it seems that I am becoming a god." He tried to stand up, saying that the emperor should die while standing, and died in the arms of his supporters.
K. Ryzhov