4Galba

Galba may have been the first to fill the power vacuum left by Nero’s suicide, but he was not the last. His violent, tight-fisted, and phenomenally unpopular reign lasted just 7 months from when he seized the throne in June 68 to his assassination on January 15, 69.

Things started to go downhill for Galba when the Praetorian Guard proclaimed another general, Otho, emperor in their camp. Deciding they needed to lure Galba away from safety, they sent soldiers to him bearing the news that Otho had been killed and requesting the emperor’s presence at their camp. He set off through the Forum, but, abandoned by his attendants, was cut down by cavalry at the side of the street. Most ancient accounts, however, agree that Galba faced his death bravely, bearing his throat to his assassins and urging them to strike if they believed that the right thing to do. Galba’s corpse was subjected to terrible humiliation. A passing soldier, coming back from collecting his corn distribution, set down his load, pulled out gladius and decapitated Galba. He wanted to take the head to Otho but had difficulty gripping it, unable to hold onto the hair because Galba was completely bald. So after hiding it inside his tunic on his way through the Forum, he pulled it out, stuck his thumb in its mouth, and carried it to Otho. The new emperor Otho impaled the head on a lance and paraded it around the Praetorian Camp. Encouraging jeers and insults from his men, Otho was said to have shouted: “What a pretty boy you are Galba, better make the most of your youthful good looks!” Aged 73, Galba was neither, reputed to have had a hooked nose, crippling arthritis, and a sprawling fleshy growth protruding from his right flank.

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