Vespasian: Tribune of Rome (Vespasian 1)

by Robert Fabbri

  The details of the Thracian revolt are taken from Tacitus and it happened pretty much as described in the book with the glaring exception of the attack by the Thracian women. Tacitus mentions their presence that night on the field as bystanders, cheering their men along. They were too much of a temptation to have just standing idly by and I couldn’t resist having them charge.

  The Roman army system of signalling that I have used I extrapolated from two excellent books: John Peddie’s “The Roman War Machine” and Adrian Goldsworthy’s “The Complete Roman Army”. Any mistakes are my own. In order to keep it reasonably simple I have ignored the Tuba – mainly because the word conjures a different image in the modern mind than what it really looked like – and used the Bucina for signals within camp and the Cornu for signals on the march or in battle; the Lituus I have left in its rightful place with the cavalry. This will, I hope, not annoy the purists too much.

  I have taken the dating of Vespasian’s career, throughout the series, from Barbara Levick’s biography of him entitled simply “Vespasian”. She points out rightly that Vespasian probably arrived in Thrace soon after the rebellion was over and would have spent three or four years on boring garrison duty; but where’s the fun in that? So I brought his arrival forward by a few months to ensure that he was a part of the action.

  The omens surrounding Vespasian’s birth are all taken from Suetonius who was very keen – as were most Romans – on that sort of thing and took it very seriously. Suetonius provides Tertulla’s remark to Titus concerning him going senile before her when he claims that the omens show that Vespasian is destined for greatness; as well as Vespasia’s remark to Vespasian about always living in his brother’s shadow when he refuses to embark upon a career in Rome. He also mentions Tertulla’s silver cup and states that Vespasian kept it after her death and always drank from it on feast days.

  For brevity’s sake I have used just one name of each of the real characters once they have been introduced and for clarity’s sake I have felt free to use whichever one I fancied so as not to end up with too many people called Titus or Sabinus. The only name that I’ve left in its anglicized form is Vespasian who should of course be Vespasianus.

  Caenis and Pallas were both in Antonia’s household and Caenis was her secretary so would have known the contents of those scrolls had they really existed – and who’s to say they didn’t? Whether she was descended from the Caenii – or Kaenii as it is spelt on some old maps – is debateable, but to my mind it seems likely.

  When I claim that Antonia was the most powerful woman in Rome it is not strictly true; Augustus’ widow, Tiberius’ mother, Livia was still very much alive and involved in politics but she died in AD29 before Vespasian returned from Thrace so I decided to leave her out. It was through Antonia that Vespasian received preferment due, in part, to his relationship with Caenis which lasted until her death in AD75.

  Antonia’s assertion that Gnaeus Calpurnius Piso was responsible – perhaps with Tiberius’, Livia’s or Sejanus’ connivance – for the poisoning of her son, Gemanicus, was accepted by most historians in the Roman world; his suicide before the end of his trial proving his guilt. Robert Graves puts forward another theory in “I, Claudius”; if you want to read an interesting conspiracy theory I recommend Stephen Dando-Collins’ “Blood of the Caesars”.

  Exactly when and how Vespasian met Caligula is not recorded; however, due to his ties with Antonia, Vespasian would almost certainly have come into contact with him.

  Asinius was consul in AD25 and did die the following year but how and where we don’t know; however, the fact was very convenient for the plot. His being in league with Antonia against Sejanus is my invention but is not unlikely.

  Sejanus’ request to marry Livilla was denied by Tiberius in AD25 but their relationship did carry on in combination with his quest for ultimate power.

  Gaius’ lifestyle is totally made up but, as there is no record of him ever having had children, completely within the realms of possibility and an enjoyable excursion into perceived Roman decadence.

  My thanks go many people. Firstly to my agent, Ian Drury at Sheil Land Associates, for taking me on and always being so positive; and to Gaia Banks and Emily Dyson in the agency’s international rights department for all their hard work on my behalf. Secondly to Nic Cheetham at Corvus Books for publishing my book and also for getting Richenda Todd to edit it, working with her was a great experience. Thanks also to Emma Gibson at Corvus for guiding me through the publishing process of which I have no previous experience.

  No education is complete without memories of special teachers. I would like to thank three masters at Christ’s Hospital School, Horsham: Richard Palmer for introducing me to Shakespeare and Donne and the joys of the English language; Andrew Husband for giving me – though it may not have been obvious to him at the time – a lifelong love of history; and Duncan Noel-Paton who showed me that imagination has no boundaries.

  Heartfelt thanks to my aunt, Elisabeth Woodthorpe and my sister, Tanya Potter, for their support and enthusiasm whilst writing this.

  Finally my deepest thanks to my girlfriend, Anja Muller, who, when I first mentioned this idea to her six years ago, went and got me a notebook with Vespasian’s picture on the front, printed off everything that she could find about him on the internet – beware! – and then told me in the kindest possible way to stop talking about it and get on and write it. Once I did eventually take her advice she sat and patiently listened to what I had written every evening; thank you my love.

  Vespasian will carry on his rise to power in “Rome’s Executioner”.