Orfidius Benignus

Family: Othonian · Role: commanding officer · First appears: Histories II.41-44

Life events

Orfidius Benignus was killed while commanding the Othonian legion.(Histories II.41-44 · 📍 the Po)
- “The Twenty-first rallied and charged the front of the enemy, killing the commanding officer, Orfidius Benignus”

employer: Otho (Orfidius Benignus is the commanding officer of the legion fighting for Otho.) “It happened that two legions met in the open fields between the high road and the Po. These were: for Vitellius the Twenty-first, commonly called Rapax, a regiment of old renown; and for Otho the First Adiutrix, which had never been in battle before, but was full of spirit and eager to win its first laurels. Their charge overthrew the front ranks of the Twenty-first, and they carried off its eagle. Fired with indignation, the Twenty-first rallied and charged the front of the enemy, killing the commanding officer, Orfidius Benignus, and capturing many of their colours.”

Extracted from the original text of Tacitus — The Histories & The Annals (Books I-VI) & Agricola. Made with Rho MD.