On this day, Rome’s chaotic Year of the Four Emperors finally reached its conclusion. On December 21, 69 AD, Vespasian was proclaimed the emperor of Rome, the fourth man to hold that title in less than a year. The chaos began in June of 68, when Nero’s generals rose up against his tyranny and successfully deposed him. The leader of these generals, Galba, became the new emperor, but one of the other generals, Otho, expected to be named his heir. When Galba didn’t do this, Otho had him murdered and took the throne himself. Vitellius, the leader of the empire’s German legions, refused to recognize Otho, and made himself emperor after defeating Otho’s army. Finally, Vespasian was recognized as emperor by Rome’s Egyptian and Syrian legions. They defeated Vitellius’ army and Vitellius was lynched by a Roman mob on December 20, paving the way for Vespasian to finally establish a stable imperial dynasty the following day.
1