Year of the Four Emperors

The Roman civil war of 69 CE in which Galba, Otho, Vitellius, and Vespasian successively claimed or held the imperial throne.

Galba: Roman emperor from 68 to 69 CE, whose overthrow began the succession crisis of 69. His murder by the Praetorian Guard ended the first regime of the year.
Nero: Roman emperor from 54 to 68 CE, whose death ended the Julio-Claudian dynasty. His death without a clear successor opened the struggle for imperial power.
Flavian dynasty: The Roman imperial dynasty founded by Vespasian and continued by his sons Titus and Domitian. Vespasian's victory turned the civil war into the beginning of a new dynasty.
Battle of Cremona: The 69 CE battle in which Vespasian's forces defeated Vitellius's army near Cremona. It broke Vitellius's military position and opened the road to Rome.
Adoption in the Roman Empire: A Roman practice used to establish political heirs, including successors to emperors. Adoption offered a succession strategy unlike the competing military claims of 69.
Otho: Roman emperor in 69 CE who seized power after Galba and died after defeat by Vitellius. He took Rome after Galba, then lost the decisive struggle in northern Italy.
Year of the Three Emperors: The succession crisis of 68 CE, when Galba, Otho, and Vitellius ruled or claimed the Roman throne. It was the immediate prelude to the four-emperor conflict of 69 CE.
Lex de imperio Vespasiani: A Roman law granting Vespasian imperial powers in 69 CE. It gave formal legal expression to the authority won by military victory.
Sack of Cremona: The destruction and plunder of Cremona by Flavian forces after their victory in 69 CE. The city's devastation reveals the cost of the final campaign against Vitellius.
Nerva–Antonine dynasty: A Roman imperial dynasty whose early emperors generally adopted their chosen successors. Its orderly adoptions contrast with the violent, rapid transfers of 69 CE.

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