Emperor Vitellius: The Glutton on the Throne of Rome
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Emperor Vitellius: The Glutton on the Throne of Rome
In the annals of Roman history, few years were as turbulent and bloody as 69 AD—the infamous Annus Horribilis known as the Year of the Four Emperors. After the suicide of Nero in 68 AD, the Roman Empire plunged into civil war, chaos, and a deadly game of political musical chairs. Among the claimants to the imperial throne that year stood a man remembered less for military prowess or political strategy and more for his notorious gluttony, personal indulgence, and short, disastrous reign: Aulus Vitellius.
Early Life and Rise to Power
Aulus Vitellius was born on September 24, 15 AD, in Nuceria Alfaterna in Campania, to a prominent family of the equestrian class. His father, Lucius Vitellius the Elder, was a respected member of the senatorial class, who served as consul three times and held the influential post of governor of Syria. The Vitellii were not among the oldest or noblest of Roman aristocracy, but they had achieved considerable power and prestige by the time of Aulus's birth.
From a young age, Vitellius was known for his charm and ability to ingratiate himself with powerful people. He was reportedly a favorite of Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, and Nero, a rare feat considering the volatility and paranoia of those emperors. Yet despite his political survival, Vitellius’s talents were often considered mediocre, and his main strengths seemed to lie in flattery and personal indulgence.
Military Command and the Seeds of Civil War
By 68 AD, the Roman Empire was under immense strain. Nero’s mismanagement, paranoia, and extravagance had led to widespread dissatisfaction. When he was declared a public enemy by the Senate and committed suicide, Servius Sulpicius Galba—the governor of Hispania—was declared emperor. But Galba’s harsh reforms and failure to reward his supporters led to widespread dissent. One of the disaffected was the commander of the German legions, Aulus Vitellius, who had been appointed to the post by Galba himself—possibly because he seemed pliable and unthreatening.
Vitellius quickly gained the loyalty of the Rhine legions, who were already bitter over Galba’s refusal to pay promised donatives. On January 1, 69 AD, the legions in Lower Germany refused to swear loyalty to Galba. Two days later, they proclaimed Vitellius emperor. With strong military backing, Vitellius began marching toward Italy, while another rival—Otho, who had overthrown Galba—now sat in Rome.
The Battle for Rome
Otho, realizing the threat posed by Vitellius, moved north to confront his forces. In April 69 AD, the decisive battle took place at Bedriacum, near Cremona. Despite initial successes, Otho’s army was defeated, and Otho committed suicide soon after, paving the way for Vitellius to enter Rome unopposed.
On July 1, 69 AD, Vitellius was officially recognized as emperor by the Senate. He made his entrance into Rome like a victorious general, lavishly celebrating his accession with games, feasts, and extravagant parades. However, his triumph would be short-lived.
The Vitellian Regime: Decadence and Decline
Vitellius’s reign, though only about eight months long, left a striking impression on Roman historians—mostly for the wrong reasons.
According to Suetonius, Tacitus, and Cassius Dio, Vitellius indulged in excessive luxury and gastronomic debauchery. He is said to have consumed multiple banquets per day, sometimes hosting three feasts in a morning, noon, and night cycle, each with hundreds of dishes. His favorite dish was reportedly a grotesque creation called the Shield of Minerva, a massive stew containing the livers of pike, brains of pheasants and peacocks, flamingo tongues, and lamprey milt—all served in a colossal dish of silver.
Vitellius’s financial mismanagement, cruelty to political rivals, and reliance on violent partisans (notably the German legions and the Praetorian Guard) alienated the Senate and much of the Roman aristocracy. He executed prominent citizens and confiscated their wealth to pay for his excesses and military loyalty. His rule quickly became unstable.
Meanwhile, in the eastern provinces, another challenger rose: Titus Flavius Vespasianus—Vespasian, the commander of the Roman legions in Judea, who was then engaged in putting down the Jewish Revolt.
The Fall of Vitellius
By late 69 AD, the eastern and Danubian legions declared their support for Vespasian. His forces, under the command of Marcus Antonius Primus, marched into Italy and defeated Vitellian forces in the Second Battle of Bedriacum. As the Flavian army advanced on Rome, Vitellius tried to abdicate, claiming he would return to private life, but his loyal supporters wouldn’t allow it—and nor would his enemies forget his crimes.
On December 20, 69 AD, as Vespasian’s troops entered the city, brutal street fighting broke out between Vitellian loyalists and Flavian forces. The city descended into chaos. The next day, Vitellius was dragged from hiding—either from the palace or a civilian’s house depending on the source—and paraded through the streets in mockery.
According to Suetonius and Tacitus, he was tortured, beaten, and finally executed at the Gemonian Stairs, the infamous place of execution in Rome. His body was thrown into the Tiber River, a final insult to a disgraced emperor.
Legacy and Historical Perspective
Vitellius's reign is typically remembered as one of incompetence, gluttony, and cruelty. Roman historians—often writing under the stable Flavian dynasty established by Vespasian—had every incentive to vilify him. It’s likely some of the stories of his debauchery were exaggerated or propagandistic, serving to highlight the moral decay that the Flavians claimed to replace with order and virtue.
Nevertheless, even discounting possible bias, it is clear that Vitellius lacked the qualities needed to survive in the brutal political climate of the Roman Empire. His reliance on military support without broader political vision, his alienation of allies, and his inability to manage Rome’s economy or institutions made him a disastrous choice in a time when Rome desperately needed stability.
Yet in another light, Vitellius is also a symbol of the wider crisis facing the empire in the post-Julio-Claudian era: a system strained by overreliance on military loyalty, personal ambition, and the lack of a clear mechanism for succession. In this sense, Vitellius was less a cause of Rome’s chaos and more a symptom.
Emperor Vitellius remains one of Roman history’s most fascinating tragic figures—a man whose rise was swift, whose reign was infamous, and whose fall was brutal. His story serves as a grim reminder of the perils of imperial politics, unchecked ambition, and the precariousness of power in ancient Rome.
