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Written by: Stan Kitchner

Nero’s suicide in June of AD68 heralded the so-called Year of the Four Emperors in 69. Galba was proclaimed Emperor by his troops in Spain but lasted only a few months before being deposed and murdered by the senator Otho. He in turn was recognised as the new Emperor by the people of Rome but was immediately challenged by Vitellius, supported by the legions in Germany. Civil war began with Otho being defeated and committing suicide after a mere three months’ rule. Vitellius was proclaimed Emperor but was almost immediately challenged by Vespasian whose troops in the East had declared for him. There followed a series of clashes with forces loyal to Vespasian advancing on Rome and triumphing by the turn of 69/70AD. He ascended to the purple as effectively the “last contestant standing” – and, with two adult sons, established the Flavian dynasty.

My particular interest is in establishing what role the Roman fleets played in the year of civil war. At that time the strength of the navy was between 60,000 and 70,000 men empire wide. It was split between two home Italian fleets and eight provincial fleets. It is evident that the units in Britain, Germany, the Upper Danube and Libyan Africa did not get involved at all and carried on with their normal duties. The main actions of the year involved the fleets in the north, south and east of the Mediterranean – the operational area of the two home fleets based at Ravenna and Misenum, together with the Syrian, Lower Danube, Black Sea and Alexandrian squadrons. Of these, the first fleet to be actively engaged was the Classis Misenensis.

The turmoil of the last year of Nero’s reign included unrest and violence in the Balkans, revolts in Gaul (by Julius Vindex), Suebia and Sarmatia, plus war with Dacia, Parthia and the Jews. This left Nero unsure of the loyalty of some troops and certainly short of adequate numbers to control the situation. So he turned to the sailors (auxiliaries) of the fleet at Misenum to form a new legion.