10/12 in my 12 Caesars set! Now I am down to just the big boys, Julius Caesar and Otho!
Vitellius AR Denarius
16 April - 20 December 69
A VITELLIVS GERM IMP AVG TR P, Laureate head right
LIBERTAS RESTITVTA, Libertas standing right, holding pileus (freedman's cap) and scepter
RIC 105
Vitellius was born in AD 15, the son of a prestigious senator. Rumor has it that as a boy he was subjected to the abusive "whims" of emperor Tiberius so that his father could more quickly ascend through the ranks of public office. He spent his teenage years in the Near East, probably coming in close proximity to a particular Jewish prophet during a stop at Judaea.
He returned to Rome as a young man, and followed in his father's footsteps, rising through the ranks quickly and maintaining close relationships with several emperors. He was nearly crippled while engaging in a chariot race against Caligula, and was a close personal friend of Nero. Whatever his personal nature, he loved but two things: gluttony and gambling.
Upon the death of Nero in 68, he was sent by Galba to be the fovernor-general of the troops in Germania. He had no military experience, so historians think this may have been Galba's attempt to disable any effective resistance from the legions he had scorned by refusing the usual donatives. Unrest boiled over, and on 2 January the troops declared for Vitellius against Galba. The inexperienced Vitellius was left behind while his top generals led the legions. En route, it was discovered that Galba was already dead and replaced by Otho, who had recalled the superior Danbuan legions to reinforce his position against Vitellius. Otho's troops were not fast enough, and after several days of defeats, Otho opted for the more noble death and ended his own life to end the civil war. Unchallenged, Vitellius was ratified by the Senate, and he set off at once for his triumph. Passing through the battlefields where Otho's dead still lay, he is said to have infamously remarked "How sweet is the death of an enemy, but sweeter still is that of a fellow Roman."
His tenure as Emperor was nothing but a perpetual party; he ate and drank himself into a stupor around the clock, and he executed people for the crime of being a buzzkill. He killed everyone to whom he owed a gambling debt, and banished astrologers for warning him of divine retribution for his sins. The astrologers responded by predicting his downfall and death by the end of the year.
Meanwhile, the armies in the East had declared for Vespasian by the end of the summer, and the new rival marched for Rome. By the autumn, Vitellius was universally loathed, protected only by those who stood to profit from his extravagances. Despite numerous warnings and defecting generals, Vitellius remained in Rome until Vespasian was knocking at his door. He attempted to resign his office to spare his life, but was forced to remain by the Praetorian guard. On 20 December, in a panic Vitellius dressed himself in commoners' clothing, stashed a retirement's worth of Aureii into a girdle, and barricaded himself in his doorkeeper's quarters. The legions broke in, identified him as the emperor, then stripped him half-naked and paraded him through the streets to the Forum. There he was tortured in what historians only describe as a horrific manner. Turning to his captors, his final words were "Yet I was once your Emperor..." and he was struck dead by a Gallic soldier, fulfilling the prophesies set against him. He was dragged through the streets and thrown into the Tiber, then his family (except for his wife, apparently) was executed, leaving Vespasian unopposed and the civil war concluded.
I can't find a whole lot of info on the coin itself, but I rather like it as a piece of propaganda - "Restoration of Liberty". I assume it to be a message to assuage the people that the "oppression" of his predecessor was over, and probably that the new emperor's perpetual triumph was justified and well-earned. I'd welcome any clarification or discussion on this point!
Posted 08/07/2017 2:58 pm
