7.17

Otho Emperor (69 CE)

Tacitus, Histories 1.13–2.50. Suetonius, Otho.

(1) Othō: Marcus Salvius Otho was Roman emperor from January 15 to April 16, 69 CE. He was the husband of the beautiful but infamous Poppaea Sabina, whom Nero took from him and made his own. He was afterwards sent to Lusitania, where he governed with justice and moderation (Hazzard).

Othō occīsō Galbā invāsit imperium: occīsō Galbā = "after Galba had been killed" (Bird). Ablative absolute with perfect passive participle (AG 419). Otho is the subject of the sentence.

(2) In prīvātā vītā: "in his private life," before he became emperor

mollis: "weak," "unmanly," "effeminate" (LS mollis II.A.2) a term often used to mock a Roman statesman’s inability to control his desires.

Nerōnī familiāris: Otho was a close friend of Nero until Otho had an affair with Nero's mistress, Poppaea Sabina.

documentum suī: "evidence of his character" (Bird)

(3) Vitellius: see Brev. 7.18.

contrā eum: Vitellius

apud Bēdriacum: on April 6, 69 CE Otho’s forces defeated Vitellius' lieutenant, Caecina, near Bedriacum, but on April 14 Caecina, reinforced by Valens’ army, defeated Otho near Cremona and forced him back to Bedriacum. Two days later Otho committed suicide, ninety-one days after assuming power, at the age of thirty-seven (Suet. Otho 11; Victor Epit. 7) (Bird).

ingentēs tamen cōpiās ad bellum habēret: "although he retained immense forces for the war" (concessive; LS tamen I.A) 

Petentibus mīlitibus: "to the soldiers begging," present active participle dative indirect object of dīxisset

nē tam cito dē bellī dēspērāret ēventū: "<begged him> not to despair of the outcome of the war so quickly," (Bird) hortatory negative command governed by petentibus (AG 439)

tantī sē nōn esse: "he was not so important that," dative of reference inside an indirect discourse construction anticipated by dīxisset, while tantī anticipates the following result clause (AG 577, 376, 537).

voluntāriā morte obiit: he put an end to his life at Brixellum in Cisalpine Gaul (Hazzard)

trīcēsimō et octāvō aetātis annō: Otho died in 69 CE. He did not receive deification (See Smith, s.v. Apotheosis).

nōnāgēsimō et quīntō imperiī diē: Eutropius is slightly mistaken (Hazzard), as Suetonius states the length of his reign as ninety-four days (Vit. Otho 11.2) and Aurelius Victor (de Caes. 7) says Otho ruled approximately eighty-five days (Bird).