The Furies of Rome
Page 37
Venutius was captured by Nasica and the VIIII Hispana in ad 58 after rebelling first against his wife, Cartimandua of the Brigantes – who had replaced him with his armour-bearer, Vellocatus – and then carrying the rebellion against Rome; his being sent to Rome is my fiction but not entirely impossible.
Sabinus was the Urban prefect at this time and, conveniently so that I could get him to Britannia, was replaced by Pedanius for a year in ad 61.
It is my fiction that Seneca and Pallas conspired together in Nero’s murder of his mother, Agrippina. The matricide would have taken a long time to prepare as Anicetus did build a collapsible ship – it being fashioned like a swan is my fiction. I have taken a combination of both Suetonius’ and Tacitus’ accounts of the shameful incident and, apart from inserting Vespasian and Magnus into the action, have not embellished it that much. It was the feast of Minerva; Nero did make a show of reconciliation with his mother even – as Suetonius mentions – going so far as to kiss her breasts as she embarked onto the doomed ship. She escaped just as Magnus described and Nero was paralysed by fear of retribution. Seneca and Burrus advised him to act first so Nero did then throw a sword at the feet of her freedman, Agermus, and accused him of being sent by Agrippina to assassinate him and then despatched Anicetus, Herculeius and Obartius to kill her. She died inviting her murderers to stab her in the womb that bore Nero. Both Suetonius and Tacitus tell us that Nero examined the dead body of his mother remarking on her beauty; you do not need to make this stuff up!
Nero did steal Otho’s wife, Poppaea Sabina, and banish his one-time friend to Lusitania to be governor. Corvinus being replaced in the post is my fiction; however, he was awarded a stipend by Nero to help him out of his poverty.
Tacitus tells us that Nero used to practise chariot racing in a circus at the foot of the Vatican that had originally been commissioned by Caligula. The obelisk that still stands in St Peter’s Square is a remnant of that construction. Suetonius mentions Vespasian taking a drive as his morning exercise once he had become emperor so I feel justified in having Vespasian race in this story.
Corbulo was conducting the war against Parthia in Armenia at the time and his despatch is taken from Tacitus’ report of events that year.
Seneca, like a lot of wealthy men of the time, did invest heavily in Britannia, charging exorbitant rates of interest. If you fancy a great read on Seneca then I recommend Dying Every Day: Seneca at the Court of Nero by James Romm. Cassius Dio says that he had as much as forty million sesterces lent out in Britannia alone. Cassius Dio also tells us that Seneca calling in all his loans in Britannia was one reason for the uprising; the other was Decianus claiming that money lent by Claudius at the beginning of the occupation had to be paid back. Suetonius tells us that Nero considered withdrawing from Britannia, and Tacitus says that Boudicca was flogged and her daughters raped after Prasutagus’ will was rejected and his kingdom seized by Rome. I’ve combined all three sources by making Nero’s intent to pull out the catalyst that forces Seneca to call in his loans. Decianus insisting the Iceni pay back Claudius’ gift and then being responsible for the flogging of Boudicca and the rape of her daughters is the final factor that pushes Boudicca into rebellion. The course of the revolt happened much as described and, again, I’ve not embellished that much: Camulodunum, Londinium and Verulamium were all destroyed; Cassius Dio tells us of women having their breasts cut off and being impaled on stakes. Eighty thousand Roman citizens were butchered as well as Cerialis – Vespasian’s son-in-law – losing most of his legion. Suetonius tells us that Titus served in Britannia and it’s possible that he did come as part of the reinforcements from Germania where he also served; his arrival in time for the Battle of Watling Street is my fiction.
The battle itself was a masterpiece by Suetonius Paulinus. Tacitus tells us that he negated Boudicca’s far superior numbers by positioning his army between two hills – the location is still unknown – and formed it into wedges as Boudicca’s men closed. He also mentions the families in their wagons hindering the Britannic retreat and leading to many of the eighty thousand deaths that he reports with the loss of only four hundred Romans.
Cogidubnus’ presence is my fiction – I needed someone to translate Boudicca’s speech for us! Both Boudicca’s and Paulinus’ speeches are a mixture of the versions reported by Tacitus and Cassius Dio.
Tigellinus and Faenius Rufus did replace Burrus who, Tacitus tells us, was poisoned by Nero. Rufus did have the reputation for honesty after his tenure of the prefect of the grain supply over ten years.
Tacitus tells us about the murder of Pedanius by one of his slaves. There was much sympathy for the plight of the four hundred slaves in his household who, according to Roman law, would all be executed. Gaius Cassius’ speech is abridged from Tacitus and this won the day; all four hundred were crucified.
Tacitus reports Pallas’ enforced suicide in ad 62 and the fact that he died having amassed a fortune of four hundred million sesterces. He must have left children as a descendant of his became consul in the second century.
Nero did divorce Claudia Octavia on the grounds of being barren and then married Poppaea once she became pregnant. Claudia’s head was sent to Poppaea to gloat over; it being a wedding present is my fiction but I would not put it past Nero!
My thanks again go to my agent, Ian Drury, at Sheil Land Associates, along with Gaia Banks and Melissa Mahi in the foreign rights department. A big thank you to my editor, Sara O’Keeffe at Corvus/Atlantic, for her great input that considerably sped up the narrative and for making me realise, once again, that a story cannot just be in my head if others are to enjoy it too! Thanks also to all the people at Corvus/Atlantic who work so hard on my behalf and to Will Atkinson for encouraging them to such great efforts. And thank you for all the posters! Thanks also to Tamsin Shelton for her incredible eye for mistakes and disastrous sentences during the copy-edit.
To my shame I’ve never acknowledged Tim Byrne for his atmospheric cover designs that add so much to the story; thanks, Tim, I love every one.
Finally, my thanks and love to the two people who always join me for the story: my wife, Anja, and you, dear reader.
Vespasian’s story will continue in Rome’s Sacred Flame.
Also by Robert Fabbri
THE VESPASIAN SERIES
TRIBUNE OF ROME
ROME’S EXECUTIONER
FALSE GOD OF ROME
ROME’S FALLEN EAGLE
MASTERS OF ROME
ROME’S LOST SON
Coming soon…
ROME’S SACRED FLAME
SHORT STORIES
THE CROSSROADS BROTHERHOOD
THE RACING FACTIONS
THE DREAMS OF MORPHEUS
THE ALEXANDRIAN EMBASSY
Coming soon…
THE IMPERIAL TRIUMPH
First published in hardback in Great Britain in 2016 by Corvus, an imprint of Atlantic Books Ltd.
Copyright © Robert Fabbri, 2016
The moral right of Robert Fabbri to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act of 1988.
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All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities, is entirely coincidental.
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A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Hardback ISBN: 978 0 85789 970 5
Trade paperback ISBN: 978 0 85789 971 2
E-book ISBN: 978 0 85789 972 9
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