Year of the Four Emperors
battles for succession to rule the Roman Empire (AD 69)
The Year of the Four Emperors, AD 69, was the first civil war of the Roman Empire, during which four emperors ruled in succession, Galba, Otho, Vitellius, and Vespasian. It is considered an important interval, marking the change from the Julio-Claudians, the first imperial dynasty, to the Flavian dynasty. There were several rebellions and claimants, with shifting allegiances and turmoil in Rome and the provinces.
In 68, Vindex, legate of Gallia Lugdunensis, revolted against Nero and encouraged Galba, governor of Hispania, to claim the Empire. The latter was proclaimed emperor by his legion in early April. He was notably supported by Otho, legate of Lusitania. Soon after, the legate of a legion in Africa, Clodius Macer, also rebelled against Nero. Vindex was defeated by the Rhine legions at the Battle of Vesontio, but they too rebelled against Nero. On 9 June 68, Nero took his own life after being declared a public enemy by the Senate, which made Galba the new emperor. Galba was unable to establish his authority over the Empire, as several of his supporters were disappointed by his lack of gratitude.
“Year of the Four Emperors” enters the record as battles for succession to rule the Roman Empire (AD 69). Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Year, Four and Emperors can confirm, complicate or overturn.
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Chronology, provenance and viewpoint should be read together before a broad social or political interpretation is accepted. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 1, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q470596. Authority coordinates are 41.900, 12.500. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank.
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This entry incorporates text from “Year of the Four Emperors” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.