Start studying Year of the Four Emperors. Galba was the governor of Hispania Tarraconensis, and made a bid for the throne during the rebellion of Julius Vindex. Galba (Latin: Servius Sulpicius Galba Caesar Augustus; 24 December 3 BC - 15 January 69), was Roman Emperor for seven months from 68 to 69. The suicide of emperor Nero, in 68, was followed by a brief period of civil war, the first Roman civil war since Mark Antony's death in 30 BC. The Year of the Four Emperors in 69 AD, following the death of Nero by suicide, was but a taste of what was to come, and the instability that came after the assassination of the brutal and feckless Commodus meant the year 192 AD saw a total of five emperors rule Rome. The Year of the 4 Emperors, 69 AD, was this recurring problem writ large. Year of the Four Emperors. The Year of the Four Emperors was a period of civil war in the Roman Empire between June 68 and December 69 when no less than four people became Roman Emperor and enjoyed the fruits of such power for a period of several weeks or even months if they were lucky. Emperor Nero was bad news for the Empire while he was alive, and his death in 68 AD – the first emperor to commit suicide – didn’t improve things. Historical Map of Europe & the Mediterranean (14 January 69 AD) - Year of the Four Emperors: Galba: Already 69 years old when he displaced the 30-year-old Nero, the weak and indecisive Galba proved to be unable to impose his authority in Rome. Year of the Four Emperors; Year of the Four Emperors. Wellesley also focuses on the year's historical importance, which also marked the watershed between the first and second imperial dynasties. The same year also saw civil war in Italy, two desperate battles at Cremona and the capture of Rome for Vespasian, which action saw the fourth emperor of the year, but also brought peace. The Year of the Five Emperors refers to the year 193 AD, in which the five claimants for the title of Roman Emperor were: Pertinax, Didius Julianus, Pescennius Niger, Clodius Albinus, and Septimius Severus. He had one wife executed and he murdered another with a fatal kick. On the following day, the legions acclaimed Vitellius, their governor, as emperor. The four emperors were Galba, Otho, Vitellius, and Vespasian. Moreover, in the start of the civil year of 69 on January 1, the legions of Germania Inferior refused to swear allegiance and obedience to the new emperor. During his rule, he was disdained by his people because of his vanity and inadequacies as leader. It ended with the last of these emperors, Vespasian, who managed to get everyone across the empire to "settle down" and "chill" … This year started a period of civil war when multiple rulers vied … Map of the Roman Empire during 69AD, the Year of the Four Emperors. The Year of the Four Emperors was a year in the history of the Roman Empire, AD 69, in which four emperors ruled in a remarkable turnover. Read Later ; Print. Author(s) Bio Kenneth Wellesley taught in the Department of Humanity (Latin) at the University of Edinburgh from 1949 until his retirement in 1981. The Roman emperor Nero was the last of the Julio-Claudian dynasty. The end of Nero's reign, resulting from his extravagances and paranoid arrests, differed from the violent end of Caligula's reign in that there was no method of succession in place. Instead, during AD69, three emperors were murdered: Galba, just days into the post, Otho and Vitellius. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. He was the … Dan sits down with Tom Holland to discuss Rome's first five emperors - the Julio-Claudian dynasty.