Vitellius (Roman emperor)

Also known as: Vitellius · Family: Roman · Role: emperor · First appears: Book IV, Chapter 9

Vitellius set himself up as emperor while Otho was made emperor, and the two fought as enemies. His generals Valens and Cecinna faced the opposing forces at Betriacum, while Antonius Primus and Mucianus later became his enemies. When Vitellius came from Germany with his soldiers, he turned Rome into a military camp, “filled all the houses with his armed men”; he also regarded Vespasian as a rival and could not accept him as his lord while Vespasian seized the government.

At Cremona, Cecinna deserted Vitellius and went over to Antonius Primus, whose army defeated Vitellius’s forces and destroyed the city. In Rome, Vitellius was angered by those who had revolted with Sabinus; his forces captured Sabinus and slew him, while Domitian escaped the destruction of the defenders. Antonius Primus and Mucianus ultimately killed Vitellius and his German legions, ending the civil war; in Rome, after eight months and five days of rule, he was dragged through the multitude, tortured, and executed.