Titus
Titus ruled Rome for twenty-six months, destroyed the Temple in Jerusalem, and was remembered as the delight of mankind. Born in AD 39, the elder son of Vespasian, he was raised at court alongside Britannicus, Claudius's son, and was reportedly reclining beside him when he was poisoned. He served as a tribune in Germany and Britain and commanded a legion under his father in the Jewish revolt from AD 67. When Vespasian left for Rome in AD 69 to claim the empire, Titus took over the siege of Jerusalem. The city fell in September AD 70 after five months, its population starving and divided between factions that had burned each other's grain stores. The Temple was destroyed by fire; Josephus says Titus tried to prevent it, which most historians treat as flattery of a patron. Some hundreds of thousands died or were enslaved, and the sacred vessels were carried in the triumph, depicted on the arch that carries his name. He was made praetorian prefect on his return — an unusual post for an imperial heir — and conducted the executions and surveillance his father wanted, which made him feared. He also had a long affair with Berenice, the Jewish Herodian queen, and sent her away on becoming emperor because Rome would not accept a foreign consort. He succeeded in AD 79 and behaved with unexpected generosity. Vesuvius erupted weeks later, burying Pompeii and Herculaneum; a fire and plague struck Rome the following year. He funded relief personally from the imperial treasury and visited the sites. He completed the Colosseum and died of fever in AD 81.
- Lived: 39 CE – 81 CE
- Nationality: Roman
- Roles: ruler, military_leader
