Domitian
| Domitian was the third and final emperor of the Flavian dynasty. He became emperor upon the death of his older brother Titus, and his reign lasted from the year 81 until 96. Historians described him as being brutal and paranoid. He did not have the capacity to effectively rule as emperor, and the primary reason for this is because no one ever thought he would gain the throne. When Domitian was born, his father Vespasian was still a military commander. He was given an excellent education, and he spent a large amount of time studying literature. He even went on to publish a number of his own works. In addition to literature, Domitian studied law. He did not spend much time on the battlefield like his older brother Titus. |  |
Once the Year of the four emperors began, he maintained a wary position. However, he did choose to move into the imperial palace when Vespasian was given the title of emperor. As his father became more powerful, Domitian became quite bold. He would marry Domitia Longina by force, and though he often cheated on her, she didn't seem to mind. The marriage turned out to be helpful to both parties. They did have two children, but both of them died while they were still young. The marriage between Domitian and Domitia was less than traditional.
Overall, historians consider Domitan's reign to be a poor one. Because he was not the first born son, few believed that he would become emperor. He was not groomed for this task, and it is likely that he was unprepared once he was given the title. One wise thing he did was to gain the support of the Praetorian Guard upon the death of his older brother. Even though he studied adminstration as a young boy, he was not skilled at it when he became emperor. The Roman economy was dragged into a recession, and he had no choice but to weaken the value of the denarius, the Roman currency. He combined this with tax increases, which alienated him from the citizens.
Domitian was irresponsible for the allocation of money, spending too much of it to rebuild the city. His brother had already taken on a number of construction projects. He also gained a reputation as a censor. His wife was caught cheating on him, and after executing the man she was with, she was exiled. While Domitia would eventually be allowed back into Rome, Domitian never married her a second time. He enjoyed the gladiator events, and added both women and dwarfs into the fights. He was eventually murdered by a member of the Senate, and this ended the Flavian dynasty.
Original Authors: Stephen Palmer
Edit Update Authors: M.A.Harris
Updated On: 14/07/2008
