Antonius Primus

Also known as: Antonius · Family: Vespasian party · Role: commander of the Seventh legion · First appears: Histories II.82-86

As commander of the Seventh legion, Antonius Primus regained his military standing through Galba, while he was believed to have offered his services to Otho. When Vitellius’ cause declined, he joined Vespasian and became a leading force for his party. At Poetovio, his call for immediate action made him the dominant leader among the generals, and he went into Italy with Arrius Varus, capturing Patavium, Ateste, and Vicetia for the Flavian cause. He also ordered the restoration of Galba’s fallen statues.

At Verona, Antonius ordered Tampius Flavianus put in chains during a soldiers’ riot, while the departure of Tampius Flavianus and Aponius Saturninus left him in supreme command of two armies. He helped Aponius Saturninus escape the mutinous troops and attacked the divided Vitellian forces after Caecina shifted allegiance to Vespasian. When Arrius Varus’s charge was routed, Antonius restored order and turned the retreat into victory. At Cremona he delayed the assault until supplies arrived, broke the Vitellian line, surrounded the rampart, and joined the attack with selected auxiliaries. He ordered buildings outside the walls burned, then stopped the firing when the enemy surrendered; he restrained the troops, sent Caecina under escort to Vespasian, and promised mercy to the defeated, though the city was nevertheless sacked. Caius Pliny accused him of inciting the troops with an appeal to Cremona’s riches, a charge whose truth was uncertain.

After the victory, Antonius allowed his soldiers to choose replacement centurions, giving them “a taste for insubordination.” He and the other generals prepared reconnaissance, troop movements, and supplies, but Mucianus sent him ambiguous orders and forwarded critical letters to Vespasian, diminishing the appreciation of his plans and successes. Antonius’s presumptuous letter to Vespasian provoked a serious quarrel with Mucianus, and he continued to oppose him openly. He offered Vitellius life, money, and a safe retreat if he surrendered, but broke off negotiations after the murder of Flavius Sabinus and the burning of the Capitol. At Rome, his forces entered through the Colline Gate, supreme authority rested with him, and the Senate granted him consular insignia.