Otho
| Otho | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
A bust depicting Otho
|
|||||
| 7th Emperor of the Roman Empire | |||||
| Reign | 15 January 69 – 16 April 69 (3 months) |
||||
| Predecessor | Galba | ||||
| Successor | Vitellius | ||||
| Born |
28 April 32 Ferentium, Italy |
||||
| Died | 16 April 69 (aged 36) Rome |
||||
| Wife |
|
||||
|
|||||
| Dynasty | Julio-Claudian dynasty | ||||
| Father | Lucius Otho | ||||
| Mother | Terentia Albia | ||||
| Full name | |
|---|---|
| Marcus Salvius Otho (from birth to accession); Marcus Salvius Otho Caesar Augustus (as emperor, sometimes also Marcus Salvius Otho Nero Caesar Augustus); Imperator Otho Caesar Augustus (imperial name) |
| Roman imperial dynasties | |||
| Year of the Four Emperors | |||
| Chronology | |||
| Galba | 68–69 | ||
| Otho | 69 | ||
| Vitellius | 69 | ||
| Vespasian | 69–79 | ||
| Succession | |||
|
Preceded by Julio-Claudian dynasty |
Followed by Flavian dynasty |
||
Otho (/ˈoʊθoʊ/; Latin: Marcus Salvius Otho Caesar Augustus; 28 April 32 – 16 April 69) was Roman Emperor for three months, from 15 January to 16 April 69. He was the second emperor of the Year of the Four Emperors.
Otho belonged to an ancient and noble Etruscan family, descended from the princes of Etruria and settled at Ferentinum (currently Ferento, near Viterbo) in Etruria.
The future Emperor appears first as one of the most reckless and extravagant of the young nobles who surrounded Nero. This friendship was brought to an end in 58 AD because of his wife, the noblewoman Poppaea Sabina. Otho introduced his beautiful wife to the Emperor upon Poppaea's insistence, who then began an affair that would eventually lead to her premature death. After securely establishing this position as his mistress, she divorced Otho and had the Emperor send him away as governor to the remote province of Lusitania (which is now parts of both modern Portugal and Extremadura, Spain).
Otho remained in Lusitania for the next ten years, administering the province with a moderation unusual at the time. When in 68 AD his neighbor the future Emperor Galba, the governor of Hispania Tarraconensis, rose in revolt against Nero, Otho accompanied him to Rome. Resentment at the treatment he had received from Nero may have impelled him to this course, but to this motive was added before long that of personal ambition.
Galba was childless and far advanced in years, and Otho, encouraged by the predictions of astrologers, aspired to succeed him. He came to a secret agreement with Galba's favourite, Titus Vinius, agreeing to marry Vinius' daughter in exchange for his support. However, in January 69 AD, his hopes were dashed by Galba's formal adoption of Lucius Calpurnius Piso Licinianus, whom Galba had previously named a recipient in his will.
...
Wikipedia