12 Days: Nero's succession and the fall of the Byzantine Empire

Rebellion Leaders

The downfall of Nero was set in motion by Julius Vindex, a Gallo-Roman aristocrat who declared Nero's rule intolerable. This rebellion inspired Galba, a figure of republican virtue and the governor of a Spanish province, to declare himself emperor. Tom Holland explains how Galba's lack of charisma and strict discipline alienated the Rhine legions, who were eager for battle and plunder 1.

Galba was a stickler without charisma.

--- Tom Holland

Dominic Sandbrook adds that Galba's inability to connect with his troops led to unrest, setting the stage for further power struggles 2.

   

Imperial Struggles

The power struggles following Nero's fall were marked by ambitious leaders like Otho, Caecina, and Vitellius. Caecina, eager to advance his career, incited a mutiny against Galba, rejecting his legitimacy as Caesar. Tom Holland describes how Vitellius, despite his reluctance and self-awareness of his inadequacies, was pressured into leadership by his troops 3.

Vitellius hesitates. And then the next day, one of the commanders from his stretch of the Rhine, a man called Fabius Velens, comes rushing in from the legionary camp at Bonn and likewise says, yes, you must become Caesar.

--- Tom Holland

With Galba's assassination and Otho's rise to power, the stage was set for the chaotic "Year of the Four Emperors," a period of intense political upheaval and military conflict 4.