Titus is
usually regarded as one of the better Roman Emperors, although his reputation
among Jewish historians is seen in a very different light.
Emperor in
waiting
Titus Flavius
Sabinus Vespasianus (known to us as Titus) had exactly the same name as his
father Vespasian, so it is fortunate that history has chosen to refer to him by
his praenomen. He was born on 30th December 40AD.
He was
clearly destined for a military career, and served with distinction as tribunus
militum in Britain and Germany, before being given command of a legion and
assisting his father in the Jewish wars in Palestine. When his father left for
Italy in 69 AD to become Emperor, Titus finished the job in Palestine and was
largely responsible, in 70 AD, for the destruction of Jerusalem that was
regarded as a triumph in Rome but, among the Jews, as one of the greatest
disasters in their history.
Titus
returned to Rome
in 71 AD to share the triumph with Vespasian and to assist in the work of
government.
While in Palestine , Titus had become attached to Berenice, the
daughter of King Agrippa I, and she eventually (in 75 AD) followed him to Rome , as did her brother,
also named Agrippa. The idea of the next emperor (as always seemed likely)
marrying a foreign princess did not appeal to the people who mattered in Rome, so
Titus agreed not to marry her and sent her away when he became Emperor in 79 AD.
This act may seem heartless to us today, but rulers often have to do things for
political rather than personal reasons.
As the Emperor
in waiting, Titus did not appear to be a promising prospect, given that his
behaviour was not always of the best. His sexual morality was questionable, to
say the least, and the fear was that another Nero was on the way. However, it
does not always happen that a dissolute prince becomes an unworthy king, and
Titus was one of those for whom the trappings of office made a huge difference.
He turned out to be one of Rome’s better-liked emperors, respected by all
Romans both civil and military, much as his father had been.
Emperor Titus
One important
action of his was to reform the legal system that had encouraged a network of
spies and informants to bring treason charges against people who were personal
enemies. Titus refused to listen to such claims and had the informants banished
from Rome . He
was prepared to exercise clemency, and no Senators were executed during his
reign.
However, his
reign was marked by disasters of other kinds, the most notable being the
eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD that buried the towns of Herculaneum
and Pompeii , near Naples . Titus was active in helping the
families of those affected by the eruption and trying to repair its ravages.
The following year a fire at Rome lasted for three days and destroyed many
buildings, including the Capitol and other public buildings as well as many
houses. Titus sold some of his personal property to help raise funds for
rebuilding. A third disaster was a plague that he also did what he could to
mitigate.
Besides
restoring buildings lost to fire, Titus completed the amphitheatre begun by his
father that is now referred to as the Colosseum, and built the Baths of Titus.
The opening of these buildings was marked by massive celebrations that lasted
for a hundred days.
However, his
reign was a short one, as he died of a fever on 13th September 81 AD,
at the age of 40, although some historians claim that he was poisoned by
Domitian, his brother. At the time of his death he was extremely popular and he
was greatly mourned as a result. However, it has been speculated that his
popularity might not have had much longer to run, seeing as he was spending the
wealth of Rome faster than it was being replenished, and he was much less
careful with finances than his father had been. That said, the people of Rome soon had good cause
to wish that Titus had lived a lot longer, given that the reign of Domitian was
to prove far less comfortable.
© John
Welford
No comments:
Post a Comment