Domitian Flavianus
51 – 96 · Generation VI · Roman emperor (r. AD 81–96) · Flavian
Domitian (AD 51 – AD 96). Roman emperor (r. AD 81–96). Fifteen years of efficient, suspicious autocracy ended by a palace conspiracy — and the Flavian line with it. Given little beyond ceremonial honours while his father and brother reigned, he was proclaimed by the Praetorian Guard on Titus’s death and went on to rule fifteen years — no emperor since Tiberius had lasted longer. He put the currency on a sounder footing, reinforced the empire’s borders, and rebuilt the damaged capital on a grand scale. His generals fought hard wars: Agricola pushed into Caledonia, while the Dacian struggle with Decebalus could not be brought to a clear conclusion. As censor for life he took charge of Roman morals, and the propaganda that exalted him won over army and people even as it alienated the Senate. After his murder the senators formally erased his memory, and Tacitus and Suetonius handed down the portrait of a cruel and mistrustful tyrant — though revisionist historians see in his programmes the groundwork of the tranquil second century.
One of 4 people of Flavian (9–96) in this archive. Vespasian and his two sons — the house that closed the year of four emperors.
Parents
- Vespasian Flavianus (9 – 79)
- Domitilla the Elder (15 – 66)
Siblings
- Titus Flavianus (39 – 81)