Fight for the Roman Empire begins – Battle of Bedriacum, 69 AD
🚩 In 69 AD, the Roman Empire tore itself apart. Nero’s suicide ended the Julio-Claudian dynasty, plunging Rome into a year of chaos—the Year of the Four Emperors. Galba seized power, but his austerity bred hatred; Otho murdered him for the throne. Yet his rule was short-lived, as Vitellius, a brutish general from Germania, marched on Rome. Their clash at the First Battle of Bedriacum was decisive. Otho, defeated and despondent, took his own life.
But fate had yet another contender: Vespasian, a seasoned general commanding Roman legions in Judaea. His forces crushed Vitellius at the Second Battle of Bedriacum, dragging Rome out from the fires of civil war. Vespasian founded the Flavian dynasty, marking a clean break from the decadence of the Julio-Claudians.
This transition mattered. The Julio-Claudians ruled by birthright, often spiraling into tyranny. The Flavians rose through merit and military power, stabilizing an empire teetering on ruin. The principate was no longer the domain of emperors born into it — it was now earned by those who could hold it. Rome, bloodied but unbroken, had reinvented itself.
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📢 Narrated by David McCallion
🎼 Music:
EpidemicSound
Filmstro
📚 Sources:
The Histories – Tacitus (2009)
The Encyclopedia of Military History from 3500 B.C. to the Present, 2nd Revised Edition – Richard Ernest Dupuy & Trevor N.Dupuy (1989)
#ancient #documentary #history
In 69 AD, the Roman Empire tore itself apart. Nero's suicide ended the Julio-Claudian dynasty, plunging Rome into a year of chaos—the Year of the Four Emperors. Galba seized power, but his austerity bred hatred; Otho murdered him for the throne. Yet his rule was short-lived, as Vitellius, a brutish general from Germania, marched on Rome. Their clash at the First Battle of Bedriacum was decisive. Otho, defeated and despondent, took his own life.
But fate had yet another contender: Vespasian, a seasoned general commanding Roman legions in Judaea. His forces crushed Vitellius at the Second Battle of Bedriacum, dragging Rome out from the fires of civil war. Vespasian founded the Flavian dynasty, marking a clean break from the decadence of the Julio-Claudians.
This transition mattered. The Julio-Claudians ruled by birthright, often spiraling into tyranny. The Flavians rose through merit and military power, stabilizing an empire teetering on ruin. The principate was no longer the domain of emperors born into it — it was now earned by those who could hold it. Rome, bloodied but unbroken, had reinvented itself.
0:05 "All around the city of Rome there is rejoicing"… Not at all. Even a fierce opponent to Nero, Suetonius, wrote that Galba had to walk over 10 000 corpses of Nero's supporters when he entered Rome. Nero was loved by the people while despised by the Senate. And Nero's supporters believed that Nero was still alive, raising an army in Africa.
1:10 Where are your references about that frivolous claim? From an article of Tagtik / Daily Digest press agency?
Successors of Galba were pro Nero, such as Othon (although with a grunge against Nero who took his wife, which is true) and even more, Vespasian who stated: The business of the state will be carried back to Nero's ways (even with a Vespasien who was a drastically better economist than Nero).
Ninja gladiators? Sign me up!
For the algorithm
Not a big fan of the new animations, they look unreal.
This is nothing, but peak quality and content! Very much obliged!
Otto was a fool to put his idiot brother in command, for family and political reasons, instead of a well accomplished general like Paulinus. He paid for it in the end. Vitellius was just a fat puppet for Caecina and Fabius Valens. That leaves the hero of the hour to sweep in and clean up the mess. Vespasian.
Galba was Stannis Baratheon if he became king. Terrible lol
Say HM have you guys thought about doing videos on fictional history?