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Entry 69 of 240War

The Year of the Four Emperors

69 CE/Roman Empire/Rome
Today The Roman Empire (Rome and the frontier legions)Span Roman Empire · 27 BCE – 476 CE (west)

When Nero's fall left no heir, four men claimed the throne in a single year, each raised up and then destroyed by the armies backing him, until the general Vespasian prevailed. The lesson Rome learned in blood: when the rule for transferring power is unclear, the succession is decided by whoever commands the troops — a flaw that would haunt states from Byzantium to the Ottoman sultans.

◆ Worth knowingOne of 69 CE's short-lived emperors, Vitellius, was so devoted to feasting that he reportedly held four banquets a day and sent the navy to fetch delicacies — before the next claimant killed him within months.
◆ The mechanismSuccession / legitimacy crisis

The orderly transfer of power fails because no rule or claimant is accepted as legitimate.

Also: Strongman from disorder

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