The Roman Empire: A Captivating Guide to the Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire Including Stories of Roman Emperors Such as Augustus Octavian, Trajan, and Claudius (Captivating History) by Captivating History

Author:Captivating History [History, Captivating]
Language: eng
Format: azw3, pdf
Published: 2018-05-03T16:00:00+00:00

Patient Opportunist and Competent Emperor: Domitian

Domitian—the last Flavian on the Roman throne—was the youngest son of Vespasian and the brother of Titus, and now it was his turn to become the emperor. During his rule, his autocratic style of governing created hostility between himself and the Senate, whose influence he reduced dramatically.

Domitian.[43]

During the reigns of Vespasian and Titus, Domitian’s role was minor and mostly ceremonial. Now that both of them were dead, the Praetorian Guard declared Domitian emperor.

Domitian’s reign lasted for 15 years. During that time, Domitian revalued the Roman coinage and boosted up the economy after the long period of deflation. The border defenses of the empire were expanded under his reign, and a massive building and restoration program was initiated in the city of Rome.

Domitian was a remarkably authoritarian emperor who aspired to become the new Augustus. Cultural, religious, and military propaganda reinforced the image of him as an enlightened despot whose mission was to guide the people of Rome into a new era of prosperity and brilliance. The people and army admired him, but the members of the Senate saw him as a tyrant and loathed him. The historians that praised his father and brother so much—Tacitus, Suetonius, and Pliny the Younger—depicted Domitian as a ruthless and paranoid autocrat. But this information should be taken with caution. Those historians belonged to the senatorial elite that were opposed to Domitian, and their views are most likely biased.

Many history scholars, centuries later, concluded that Domitian was slightly cruel, but was also a very efficient ruler who achieved prosperity, peace, and stability, providing a firm ground for another peaceful century.[44] Domitian may have executed and banished some important men, just like everyone else before him (except Titus), but Domitian also rejected aggressive expansionism and negotiated peace whenever he could. He stopped the campaigns against Scotland and Dacia, as those would cause great expenses. His foreign policy was realistic and his goal was stability. Moreover, he did not persecute Jews, Christians, and other religious minorities.

Domitian had the public admiration but was surrounded by enemies. On 18 September AD 96, he was murdered in a plot prepared by court officials. Suetonius wrote about the omens that foretold his death.[45] The man who killed him did not survive, as Domitian fought back and stabbed him, but it didn’t really matter. The unpopular ruler was dead and the senators were happy. The soldiers were angry, but that was a small inconvenience for the winners. The Senate decided to punish Domitian by “damnatio memoriae,” which means that they ordered the deletion of his name from any inscriptions in the empire. However, as you can see, Domitian was not forgotten.

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