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He was the son of Lucius Vitellius , who had been consul and governor of Syria under Tiberius. Vitellius the son was consul in 48, and (perhaps in 60-61) proconsul of Africa, in which capacity he is said to have acquitted himself with credit. At the end of 68 GalbaServius Sulpicius Galba ( December 24, 3 BC January 15, 69) was Roman Emperor from June AD 68 until his death. He was the first emperor of the Year of the four emperors. He was born near Terragona. He came of a noble family and was a man of great wealth,, to the general astonishment, selected him to command the army of Lower Germany, and here Vitellius made himself popular with his subalterns and with the soldiers by outrageous prodigality and excessive good nature, which soon proved fatal to order and discipline.

Far from being ambitious or scheming, he was lazy and self-indulgent, fond of eating and drinking, and owed his elevation to the throne to Caecina and ValensValens (AD 328 August 9, 378) was Roman emperor ( 364 378) after he was given the Eastern part of the empire by his brother Valentinian I. During his reign he had to solve the theological problems introduced during the reign of Julian. He removed the Aria, commanders of two legions on the RhineAt 1,320 km (820 miles), the Rhine River ( German Rhein French Rhin Dutch Rijn is one of the longest rivers in Europe. Its name is derived from the Celtic word renos (meaning "raging flow"). Together with the Danube it formed most of the northern frontier. Through these two men a military revolution was speedily accomplished, and early in 69 Vitellius was proclaimed emperor at Colonia Agrippinensis ( CologneThe article about perfume can be found at Eau de Cologne. Cologne ( German: Koln [ˈkœln]) (population 965,954 as of December 31, 2003), is the fourth largest city in Germany and largest city of the North Rhine-Westphalia state. It is one of), or, more accurately, emperor of the armies of Upper and Lower Germany.

In fact, he was never acknowledged as emperor by the entire Roman world, though at Rome the senate accepted him and decreed to him the usual imperial honours. He advanced into Italy at the head of a licentious and rough soldiery, and Rome became the scene of riot and massacre, gladiatorial shows and extravagant feasting. As soon as it was known that the armies of the East, DalmatiaDalmatia ( Croatian Dalmacija Italian Dalmazia Serbian ) is a region of Croatia on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea, spreading between the island of Pag in the northwest and the Bay of Kotor in the southeast. The inner Dalmatia Dalmatinska Zagora str, and Illyricum had declared for VespasianCaesar Vespasianus Augustus ( November 18, AD 9 June 23, 79), originally known as Titus Flavius Vespasianus and best known as Vespasian was the emperor of Rome from 69 to 79. He was founder of the Flavian dynasty and acceded the throne in the end of the Y, Vitellius, deserted by many of his adherents, would have resigned the title of emperor.

It is said that he awaited Vespasian's army at Mevania. It was said that the terms of resignation had actually been agreed upon with Primus, one of Vespasian’s chief supporters, but the praetorians refused to allow him to carry out the agreement, and forced him to return to the palace, when he was on his way to deposit the insignia of empire in the Temple of Concord . On the entrance of Vespasian's troops into Rome he was dragged out of some miserable hiding-place, driven to the fatal Gemonian stairs , and there struck down. "Yet I was once your emperor," were the last and, as far as we know, the noblest words of Vitellius.

During his brief administration Vitellius showed indications of a desire to govern wisely, but he was completely under the control of Valens and Caecina, who for their own ends encouraged him in a course of vicious excesses which threw his better qualities into the background.

This article incorporates text from the public domain 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica. 1911 Britannica