Vespasian (17 November 9-23 June 79), born Titus Flavius Vespasianus, was Roman Emperor from 69 to 79, succeeding Vitellius and preceding Titus.
Biography[]
Vespasian in Aegyptus, 69 AD
Titus Flavius Vespasianus was born in Falacrina, Italy to a family of aristocrats, and he became a general of Rome's legions. In 43, he led Legio II Augusta during the invasion of Britain, and in 66 he subjugated Judea when the province rebelled against Rome. Vespasian entered politics as Consul in 51 AD, and Nero's suicide in 69 and the ensuing Year of the Four Emperors allowed Vespasian to seize power for himself. The legions of Judea and Egypt proclaimed Vespasian their leader, and he joined Syrian governor Gaius Licinius Mucianus and Marcus Antonius Primus in an alliance against Emperor Vitellian. On 20 December 69, Vespasian defeated Vitellius in Rome and became Emperor a day later, having Vitellius executed. Vespasian improved army discipline, and he successfully reformed Rome's economy after his son Titus crushed the rebellion in Judea in 70. That same year, he began the construction of the Colosseum, and his general Gnaeus Julius Agricola expanded the Roman Empire in Britannia as Vespasian improved Rome back in Italy. He died in 79, and he became the first Roman emperor to be succeeded by his natural son, with Titus succeeding him; his other son Domitian would also become emperor.
