Marcus Otho

Also known as: Otho · Family: Roman · Role: emperor · First appears: Galba

Marcus Otho, a Roman emperor, was a friend of Nero: “For Nero lived familiarly with Otho”. He married Sporus and was beholden to Seneca’s friendship, whose persuasion led Nero to dispatch him as praetor into Lusitania.

Later, Ptolemaeus urged Otho to trust his prediction that Nero would die before him and that Otho would succeed as emperor. Titus Vinius won him over with conversation and presents, then introduced him to Galba on the promise that Otho would marry Vinius’s daughter if Galba adopted him as son and successor. Otho was nevertheless enraged by Vinius, hated Galba, and became a rival of Piso; his freedman Onomastus went to the camp, and when Piso’s head was brought to him, Otho received it.

Relationship record

Galba

friends with Nero “For Nero lived familiarly with Otho”
married with Sporus “brought her to his own house as his wife”
friends with Seneca “he was beholden to Seneca's friendship”
with Titus Vinius (interaction) “he won over Vinius also, both by his conversation and presents”
with Titus Vinius (interaction) “Vinius introduced Otho, yet not even this gratis, but upon promise that he would marry his daughter”
rivals with Piso “Otho's aspect, on the other hand, did not fail to let many marks appear of his bitterness and anger at his disappointment”
with Ptolemaeus (interaction) “chiefly Ptolemaeus, insisting much on a prediction he had made, that Nero should not murder Otho, but he himself should die first, and Otho succeed as emperor”
employer: Onomastus “with whom Onomastus, one of Otho's freedmen, went to the camp”
patron: Seneca “he was beholden to Seneca's friendship, by whose persuasions and entreaty Nero was prevailed with to dispatch him as praetor into Lusitania”
enemies with Sulpicius Galba “whilst he dreaded Piso, hated Galba, and was full of wrath and indignation against Vinius”
with Sulpicius Galba (interaction) “Vinius introduced Otho, yet not even this gratis, but upon promise that he would marry his daughter, if Galba should make him his adopted son and successor to the empire”
mentor: Ptolemaeus “chiefly Ptolemaeus, insisting much on a prediction he had made, that Nero should not murder Otho, but he himself should die first, and Otho succeed as emperor”
protégé: Onomastus “Onomastus, one of Otho's freedmen”
enemies with Piso “But when they brought the head to Otho, ”

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Extracted from the original text of Plutarch's Lives. Made with Rho MD.