Otho

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Otho (Template:IPAc-en Template:Respell; born Marcus Salvius Otho; 28 April 32 – 16 April 69) was Roman emperor, ruling for three months from 15 January to 16 April 69. He was the second emperor of the Year of the Four Emperors.

A member of a noble Etruscan family, Otho was initially a friend and courtier of the young emperor Nero until he was effectively banished to the governorship of the remote province of Lusitania in 58 following his wife Poppaea Sabina's affair with Nero. After a period of moderate rule in the province, he allied himself with Galba, the governor of neighbouring Hispania Tarraconensis, during the revolts of 68. He accompanied Galba on his march to Rome, but revolted and murdered Galba at the start of the next year.

Inheriting the problem of the rebellion of Vitellius, commander of the army in Germania Inferior, Otho led a sizeable force which met Vitellius' army at the Battle of Bedriacum. After initial fighting resulted in 40,000 casualties, and a retreat of his forces, Otho committed suicide rather than fight on, and Vitellius was proclaimed emperor.

Early life

Otho was born on 28 April AD 32. His grandfather Marcus had been a senator, and Claudius granted patrician status to Otho's father Lucius Salvius Otho.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn

Suetonius, in The Lives of the Caesars, comments on Otho's appearance and personal hygiene: Template:Blockquote

Juvenal, in a passage in the Satire II ridiculing male homosexuality, specifically mentions Otho as being vain and effeminate, looking at himself in the mirror before going into battle, and "plaster[ing] his face with dough" in order to look good.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Greenhalgh writes that "he was addicted to luxury and pleasure to a degree remarkable even in a Roman". An aged freedwoman brought him into the company of the emperor Nero. Otho married the emperor's mistress Poppaea Sabina; Nero forced Otho to divorce Poppaea so that he himself could marry her. He exiled Otho to the province of Lusitania Template:Sfn in 58 or 59 by appointing him to be its governor.Template:Sfn

Otho proved to be capable as governor of Lusitania, yet he never forgave Nero for marrying Poppaea. He allied himself with Galba, governor of neighboring Hispania Tarraconensis, in the latter's rebellion against Nero in 68.Template:Sfn Nero committed suicide later that year, and Galba was proclaimed emperor by the Senate. Otho accompanied the new emperor to Rome in October 68. Before they entered the city, Galba's army fought against a legion that Nero had organized.Template:Sfn

Reign, decline and fall

Overthrow of Galba

On 1 January 69, the day Galba took the office of consul alongside Titus Vinius, the fourth and first Germanica legions of Germania Superior refused to swear loyalty to the emperor. They toppled the statues of Galba and demanded that a new emperor be chosen. On the following day, the soldiers of Germania inferior also refused to swear their loyalty and proclaimed the governor of the province, Aulus Vitellius, as emperor.<ref>Tacitus, Histories 1.27–57. </ref> Galba tried to ensure his authority as emperor was recognized by adopting the nobleman Piso Licinianus as his successor,Template:Sfn an action that gained resentment from Otho.Template:Sfn Galba was killed by the praetorians on 15 January, followed shortly by Vinius and Piso. Their heads were placed on poles and Otho was proclaimed emperor.Template:Sfn

Nero's statues were again set up, his freedmen and household officers reinstalled, including the young castrated boy Sporus whom Nero had taken in marriage and Otho also would live intimately with.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn The populace acclaimed him as "Nero Otho", although Otho did not appear to like the title.<ref>Tacitus, Histories 1.78. </ref>

At the same time, the fears of the more sober and respectable citizens were relieved by Otho's liberal professions of his intention to govern equitably, and by his judicious clemency towards Aulus Marius Celsus, a consul-designate and devoted adherent of Galba. He assumed the consulate of the year alongside his brother Lucius Salvius Otho Titianus, but only until the 1st of March.<ref>Tacitus, Histories 1.71ff, 77.</ref>

War with Vitellius

Upon becoming emperor, Otho soon realized that it was much easier to overthrow an emperor than to rule as one. According to Suetonius, Otho once remarked "With long pipes what concern have I?" (referring to undertaking something beyond one's ability to do so).<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Any further development of Otho's policy was checked once he had read through Galba's private correspondence and realized the extent of the revolution in Germania, where several legions had declared for Vitellius and were already advancing upon Italy.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

The conflict began in earnest when Vitellius's forces under Aulus Caecina Severus and Fabius Valens crossed the Alps into northern Italy.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Otho dispatched forces from Pannonia and Dalmatia, including veteran legions such as the Legio XIV Gemina, which had distinguished itself in the suppression of Boudica's revolt in Britain.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

The decisive engagement occurred at the Battle of Bedriacum on 14 April 69 AD, approximately 35 kilometers from Cremona.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Despite initial successes by some Othonian units, including the capture of a Vitellian eagle standard, the battle resulted in a decisive defeat for Otho's forces.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The Praetorian Guard, core of Otho's military strength, performed poorly in the engagement, fleeing before engaging in close combat.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Following the defeat, Otho's remaining forces retreated to their camp at Bedriacum. Despite the urging of his soldiers to continue the fight and the approach of reinforcements from the Balkans, Otho chose to end the civil war rather than subject the Roman people to further bloodshed.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> On 16 April 69 AD, one day after the battle, Otho committed suicide by stabbing himself with a dagger, stating that he could "die more honourably than he could reign."<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> His death ended the war and cleared the path for Vitellius to assume undisputed control of the empire.

Death

Otho was still in command of a formidable force as the Dalmatian legions had reached Aquileia and the spirit of his soldiers and their officers was unbroken. He was resolved to accept the verdict of the battle that his own impatience had hastened. In a speech, he bade farewell to those about him, declaring: "It is far more just to perish one for all, than many for one",<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and then retiring to rest soundly for some hours. Early in the morning he stabbed himself in the heart with a dagger, which he had concealed under his pillow, and died as his attendants entered the tent.

Otho had reigned three months; his ashes were placed within a modest monument and funeral was celebrated at once as he had wished. A plain tomb was erected in his honour at Brixellum, with the inscription Diis Manibus Marci Othonis. His 91-day reign was the shortest until that of Pertinax, whose reign lasted 87 days in 193 during the Year of the Five Emperors.Template:Refn

It has been thought that Otho's suicide was committed to steer his country away from the path to civil war and to avoid casualties in his legions. Just as he had come to power, many Romans learned to respect Otho in his death. Few could believe that a renowned former companion of Nero had chosen such an honourable end. Tacitus wrote that some of the soldiers committed suicide beside his funeral pyre "because they loved their emperor and wished to share his glory".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Writing during the reign of the Emperor Domitian (AD 81–96), the Roman poet Martial expressed his admiration for Otho's choice to spare the empire from civil war through sacrificing himself,

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Cultural references

In opera

Otho (or Ottone) is a character in L'incoronazione di Poppea (The Coronation of Poppaea), an Italian opera from 1643 by Claudio Monteverdi. Otho is in love with Poppaea but she spurns him. After learning Nero plans to leave her and marry Poppaea, Empress Ottavia orders Otho to kill Poppaea, which he attempts but finds he cannot carry out. He ends the opera in exile with Drusilla, a lady of the court who loves him.
Otho is a principal character also in Handel's opera Agrippina of 1709. Agrippina, Nero's mother, is intent on promoting her son's claim to the throne. Poppaea, the ingenue, is portrayed as the object of desire of Claudius, Nero, and Otho, whose rivalries Agrippina attempts to leverage to her advantage. Once Poppaea sees through Agrippina's deceit, she responds in kind, but only in order to be united with Otho, portrayed as her one true love.
Otho (or Ottone) is the title character in Vivaldi's opera Ottone in villa of 1713. Ottone is in love with Cleonilla, who can't resist flirting with two young Romans, Ostilio and Caio. Ostilio is in reality a woman, Tullia, who disguised herself because she's in love with Caio.

In literature

Otho is a secondary character in the historical fiction novel Daughters of Rome by Kate Quinn. The book depicts the Year of the Four Emperors. Otho is portrayed as scheming but also charming. His suicide at the end of the portion of the book dedicated to his reign is depicted as a noble sacrifice.

In film

There have been multiple recorded versions of L'incoronazione di Poppea. The first was in 1979, a version with the Zurich Opera, and Otho was played by Paul Esswood.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In the 2008 production Glyndebourne production, Otho is portrayed by Iestyn Davies.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In the 2010 production at the Teatro Real in Madrid, released on DVD in 2012, Max Emanuel Cencic plays Otho.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In the 2013 Polish film Imperator, done entirely in Latin, Otho is a main character and is portrayed by Robert Wrzosek.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Notes

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References

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Sources

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External links

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Primary sources

Life of Otho (Suetonius; English translation and Latin original)
Life of Otho (Plutarch; English translation)
Cassius Dio, Book 63
Tacitus, Histories (esp. 1.12, 1.21–90)

Secondary material

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Otho

Contents

Early life