| Galba | |
| Emperor of the Roman Empire | |
 Coin featuring Galba |
|
| Reign | 8 June 68 – 15 January 69 |
|---|---|
| Full name | Servius Sulpicius Galba |
| Born | 24 December 3 BC |
| Birthplace | Near Terracina |
| Died | 15 January 69 (age 70) |
| Place of death | Rome |
| Predecessor | Nero |
| Successor | Otho |
| Wives | Poppea Sabina Domitilla the Younger Caenis Agrippina the Younger |
| Dynasty | None |
| Mother | Mummia Achaica |
Servius Sulpicius Galba (December 24, 3 BC – January 15, 69), also called Servius Sulpicius Galba Caesar Augustus, was Roman Emperor from June 8, 68 until his death. The Roman Emperor was the ruler of the Roman State during the imperial period (starting at about 27 BC The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial Events 68 - The Roman Senate accepts emperor Galba. 536 - St Silverius becomes Pope (probable Year 68 was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Julian calendar. Events 588 BC - Nebuchadrezzar II of Babylon lays siege to Jerusalem under Zedekiah 's reign 69 (sex position & book by Ryu Murakami are -- already linked by "" with other meanings Events 563 - The Byzantine church Hagia Sophia in Constantinople is dedicated for the second time after being destroyed by Earthquakes Year 3 BC was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Julian calendar. Terracina is a town and Comune of the Province of Latina - (until 1934 of the Province of Rome) Italy, 76 km SE of Rome by Events 588 BC - Nebuchadrezzar II of Babylon lays siege to Jerusalem under Zedekiah 's reign 69 (sex position & book by Ryu Murakami are -- already linked by "" with other meanings Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( December 15, 37 – June 9, 68) born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus, also called For other uses see Otho (disambiguation. Marcus Salvius Otho ( April 25, 32 – April 16, 69) also called Marcus Poppaea Sabina (30-65 was a Roman Empress and second wife of the Roman Emperor Nero. Flavia Domitilla the Younger or Flavia Domitilla Minor (c 45 &ndash c Caenis, a former slave and secretary of Antonia Minor (mother of the emperor Claudius) was the mistress of the Roman emperor Vespasian. Julia Agrippina; known as Agrippina Minor ( Latin for the ‘younger’, Classical Latin: IVLIA•AGRIPPINA from the year 50 Mummia Achaica was the mother of the Roman Emperor Galba and his elder brother Gaius Events 563 - The Byzantine church Hagia Sophia in Constantinople is dedicated for the second time after being destroyed by Earthquakes Year 3 BC was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Julian calendar. Events 588 BC - Nebuchadrezzar II of Babylon lays siege to Jerusalem under Zedekiah 's reign 69 (sex position & book by Ryu Murakami are -- already linked by "" with other meanings The Roman Emperor was the ruler of the Roman State during the imperial period (starting at about 27 BC Events 68 - The Roman Senate accepts emperor Galba. 536 - St Silverius becomes Pope (probable Year 68 was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Julian calendar. He was the first emperor of the Year of the Four Emperors. The Year of the Four Emperors was a year in the history of the Roman Empire, AD 69 in which four emperors ruled in a remarkable succession
Contents |
Origins and rise to power
He was born as Servius Sulpicius Galba near Terracina, "on the left as you go towards Fundi" in the words of Suetonius. Terracina is a town and Comune of the Province of Latina - (until 1934 of the Province of Rome) Italy, 76 km SE of Rome by
Through his paternal grandfather ("more eminent for his learning than for his rank — for he did not advance beyond the grade of praetor" and who "published a voluminous and painstaking history", according to Suetonius), who predicted his rise to power (Suetonius, 4), he was descended from Servius Sulpicius Galba. Servius Sulpicius Galba, Praetor in 54 BC. As legate of Julius Caesar 's 12th Legion during his Gallic Wars, he was Galba's father attained the consulship, and although he was short, hunchbacked and only an indifferent speaker, was an industrious pleader at the bar. A bar association is a Professional body of Lawyers Some bar associations are responsible for the regulation of the legal profession in their Jurisdiction His mother was Mummia Achaica, the granddaughter of Catullus and great-granddaughter of Lucius Mummius Achaicus. Mummia Achaica was the mother of the Roman Emperor Galba and his elder brother Gaius For persons with a Cognomen "Catulus" see Lutatius Gaius Valerius Catullus (ca Lucius Mummius (2nd century BC was a Roman statesman and general They only had one other child, an elder son called Gaius who left Rome after squandering the greater part of his estate, and committed suicide because Tiberius would not allow him to take part in the allotment of the provinces in his year. On his father's remarriage to Livia Ocellina, Galba was adopted by her and took her names, remaining Lucius Livius Ocella until becoming emperor. Livia Ocellina was the second wife of the Roman Emperor Galba 's father
He came from a noble family and was a man of great wealth, but was unconnected either by birth or by adoption with the first six Caesars. Adoption is the act of legally placing a child with a Parent or parents other than those to whom they were born In his early years he was regarded as a youth of remarkable abilities, and it is said that both Augustus and Tiberius prophesied his future eminence (Tacitus, Annals, vi. 20; Suet. Galba, 4). Augustus ( Latin: IMPERATOR·CAESAR·DIVI·FILIVS·AVGVSTVS September 23 63 BC – August 19 AD 14) born Gaius Octavius Thurinus, was Tiberius Julius Caesar Augustus (or Tiberius I) born Tiberius Claudius Nero (November 16 42 BC – March 16 AD 37) was the second Roman Publius (or Gaius) Cornelius Tacitus (ca 56 &ndash ca 117 was a senator and a Historian of the Roman Empire. The Annals, or in Latin, Annales, is a history book by Tacitus covering the reign of the four Roman Emperors succeeding
He became Praetor in 20, and consul in 33; he earned a reputation in the provinces of Gaul, Germania, Africa and Hispania (Iberia, comprising modern Spain and Portugal) for his military capability, strictness and impartiality. Praetor was a title granted by the government of Ancient Rome to men acting in one of two official capacities the commander of an Army, either before Consul (abbrev cos; Latin plural consules) was the highest elected office of the Roman Republic and an appointive office under the Empire Gaul (Gallia was the Roman name for the region of Western Europe comprising present day northern Italy, France, Belgium, western Germania was the Latin Exonym for The Roman province of Africa was established after the Romans defeated Carthage in the Third Punic War. Hispania was the name given by the Romans to the whole of the Iberian Peninsula (modern Portugal, Spain, Andorra, Gibraltar The Iberian Peninsula, or Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe, and includes modern day Spain, Portugal, Andorra Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic (República Portuguesa is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. On the death of Caligula, he refused the invitation of his friends to make a bid for the empire, and loyally served Claudius. Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (August 31 AD 12 &ndash January 24 AD 41 more commonly known by his nickname Caligula (kəˈlɪɡjʊlə was a Roman Emperor Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus or Claudius I ( August 1, 10 BC &ndash October 13, AD 54 ( Tiberius Claudius Drusus from birth to For the first half of Nero's reign he lived in retirement, till, in 61, the emperor bestowed on him the province of Hispania Tarraconensis. Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( December 15, 37 – June 9, 68) born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus, also called Hispania Tarraconensis was one of three Roman provinces in Hispania.
In the spring of 68, Galba was informed of Nero's intention to put him to death, and of the insurrection of Julius Vindex in Gaul. Gaius Iulius Vindex, of a noble Gaulish family of Aquitania given senatorial status under Claudius, was a Roman governor in the province of Gallia He was at first inclined to follow the example of Vindex, but the defeat and death of the latter renewed his hesitation. The news that Nymphidius Sabinus, the Praetorian Prefect, had given him his favour revived Galba's spirits. Gaius Nymphidius Sabinus, or Nymphidius Sabinus, (c 35&ndash68 was a prefect of the Roman imperial Bodyguard, known as the Praetorian The Praetorian Guard ( Latin: PRÆTORIANI was a special force of Guards used by Roman Emperors Before being appropriated Prefect (from the Latin praefectus, perfect participle of praeficere: "make in front" i Until now, he had only dared to call himself the legate of the senate and Roman people; after Nero's suicide, he assumed the title of Caesar, and marched straight for Rome. A legatus (often anglicized as legate) was a general in the Roman army, equivalent to a modern general officer The Roman Senate was a political institution in Ancient Rome. Caesar (plural Caesars Latin: Caesar (plural Caesares is a Title of imperial character Rome ( Roma ˈroma Roma is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city with more than 2
Following Nero's death, Nymphidius Sabinus sought to seize power prior to the arrival of Galba, but he could not win the loyalty of the Praetorian guard and was killed. Upon Galba's approach to the city in October, he was met by soldiers presenting demands; Galba replied by killing many of them.
Rule and fall
Galba's primary concern during his brief reign was in restoring state finances, and to this end he undertook a number of unpopular measures, the most dangerous of which was his refusal to pay the praetorians the reward promised in his name. Galba scorned the notion that soldiers should be "bribed" for their loyalty. Bribery, a form of pecuniary corruption is an act usually implying money or gift given that alters the behaviour of the recipient in ways not consistent with the duties of that person He further disgusted the mob by his meanness and dislike of pomp and display. His advanced age had destroyed his energy, and he was entirely in the hands of favourites. Three of these — Titus Vinius, who became Galba's colleague as consul, Cornelius Laco, the commander of the Praetorian Guard and Galba's freedman Icelus Marcianus — were said to virtually control the emperor. Titus Vinius (12 - 69 was a Roman general who was one of the most powerful men in Rome during the reign of the Emperor Galba. Consul (abbrev cos; Latin plural consules) was the highest elected office of the Roman Republic and an appointive office under the Empire Cornelius Laco, (?&ndash69 was a prefect of the Roman imperial Bodyguard, known as the Praetorian Guard, under emperor The Praetorian Guard ( Latin: PRÆTORIANI was a special force of Guards used by Roman Emperors Before being appropriated A freedman is a former slave who has been manumitted or emancipated. The three were called "the three pedagogues" because of their influence on Galba. In Education, a teacher is one who helps Students or pupils often in a School, as well as in a Family, religious or All this made the new emperor gravely unpopular.
On January 1, 69, two legions in Germania Superior refused to swear loyalty to Galba and toppled his statues, demanding that a new emperor be chosen; on the next day, the soldiers of Germania Inferior also rebelled and took the decision of who should be the next emperor into their own hands, proclaiming the governor of the province, Vitellius, as emperor. New Year See also New Year The Ancient Romans began their consular year on January 1st since 153 BC 69 (sex position & book by Ryu Murakami are -- already linked by "" with other meanings Germania Superior ("Upper Germania " so called for the reason that it lay upstream of Germania Inferior, was a province of the Germania Inferior was a Roman province located on the left bank of the Rhine, in today's southern and western Netherlands, parts of Aulus Vitellius Germanicus, born Aulus Vitellius and commonly known as Vitellius ( 24 September, 15 &ndash 22 December, 69 This outbreak of revolt made Galba aware of his own unpopularity and of the general discontent. In order to check the rising storm, he adopted as his coadjutor and successor L. Calpurnius Piso. A coadjutor bishop (or bishop coadjutor) is a bishop in the Roman Catholic or Anglican churches who is designated to assist the diocesan bishop Lucius Calpurnius Piso Frugi Licinianus ( 38 - January 15, 69) was a Roman nobleman who lived in the 1st century The populace regarded the choice of successor as a sign of fear, and the Praetorians were indignant, because the usual donative was not forthcoming.
M. Salvius Otho, formerly governor of Lusitania, and one of Galba's earliest supporters, disappointed at not being chosen instead of Piso, entered into communication with the discontented Praetorians, and was adopted by them as their emperor. For other uses see Otho (disambiguation. Marcus Salvius Otho ( April 25, 32 – April 16, 69) also called Marcus This article concerns the Roman province For the ship see RMS Lusitania. Galba, who at once set out to meet the rebels — he was so feeble that he had to be carried in a litter — was met by a troop of cavalry and was butchered near the Lacus Curtius. Sempronius Densus was a centurion in the Praetorian Guard in the first century The Lacus Curtius is a mysterious hole in the ground in the Roman Forum, now small more or less filled in and paved over with ancient stone but once said to have been Piso was killed shortly afterwards. According to Plutarch, during Galba's last moments he offered his neck, and said, "Strike, if it be for the good of the Romans!"
Altogether around 120 people claimed the credit for killing Galba, being anxious to win Otho's favour and hoping to be rewarded. A list of their names was drawn up, which fell into the hands of Vitellius when he succeeded Otho as emperor. Every one of them was executed.
During the later period of his provincial administration Galba was indolent and apathetic, but this was due either to a desire not to attract Nero's favor or to the growing infirmities of age. Tacitus says all pronounced him worthy of the empire, until he became emperor ("omnium consensu capax imperii nisi imperasset"). Publius (or Gaius) Cornelius Tacitus (ca 56 &ndash ca 117 was a senator and a Historian of the Roman Empire.
This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain. The Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition (1910–1911 is a 29-volume reference work that marked the beginning of the Encyclopædia Britannica The public domain is a range of abstract materials &ndash commonly referred to as Intellectual property &ndash which are not owned or controlled by anyone
External links
Primary sources
- Galba.net: researching Galba's heritage
- Life of Galba (Suetonius; English translation and Latin original)
- Life of Galba (Plutarch; English translation)
- Cassius Dio, Book 63
Secondary material
- Galba at RomansOnline
- An Emperor in trouble – Galba’s relationship with the Roman Army
- Biography at De Imperatoribus Romanis
| Preceded by Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus and Lucius Arruntius Camillus Scribonianus |
Consul of the Roman Empire together with Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix 33 |
Succeeded by Paullus Fabius Persicus and Lucius Vitellius |
| Preceded by Nero |
Roman Emperor 68–69 |
Succeeded by Otho |
| Preceded by Titus Catius Asconius Silius Italicus and Publius Galerius Trachalus |
Consul of the Roman Empire together with Titus Vinius 69 |
Succeeded by Fabius Valens and Arrius Antoninus |
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