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Dromo's Den
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[Up] [Dromo's Den] Titus Biography TITUS (Titus Flavius Sabinus Vespasianus) (c.40–81 a.d.), Roman Emperor (79–81 a.d.). He was the eldest son of the Emperor Vespasian and Flavia Domitilla, and was born at Rome. Brought up at the court of Nero, he received an excellent training, and subsequently, as tribunus militum in Germany and Britain, and commander of a legion in Judæa under his father, proved his qualities as a soldier and a general. On his father's elevation to the Imperial throne Titus was left to prosecute the Jewish War, which he brought to a close by the capture of Jerusalem (Sept. 8, 70 a.d.) after a long siege. The news of the success was received with the utmost joy. On his return to Rome he obtained the honor of a joint triumph with Vespasian (71 a.d.). About this time Titus became his father's colleague in the Empire. He gave himself up to the pursuit of pleasure in all its forms, put to death various suspected persons very summarily, and even caused one of his guests, whom he justly suspected of conspiracy, to be assassinated as he left the palace. When, on the death of his father (79 a.d.), he became Emperor, his first act was to put a stop to all prosecutions for læsa majestas, which had abounded since the time of Tiberius (q.v.). The ancient and venerated buildings of Rome were repaired; new structures, such as the Baths of Titus (see titus, baths of), were erected; and the tastes of the populace were gratified by games on the most stupendous scale, which lasted for 100 days. Titus's beneficence was unbounded, and it so happened that during his brief reign there was the most urgent need of its exercise. In 79 a.d. occurred the eruption of Vesuvius, which overwhelmed Herculaneum and Pompeii and ruined numerous other towns and villages; in 80 a.d. a fire broke out in Rome, which raged for three days, destroying the Temple of Jupiter Capitolinus, which had just been rebuilt, and other public edifices, besides numerous houses; and in the tracks of these calamities followed a dreadful pestilence. Titus dealt out gifts with lavish hand to the houseless and ruined sufferers; he even despoiled his palaces of their valuable ornaments to obtain money for distribution, and schemed and planned to furnish occupation for the afflicted. He was now the idol of his subjects, the "love and delight of the human race"; but, unfortunately, in the commencement of the third year of his reign he became suddenly ill, and died at Reate, in the Sabine country. The reign of Titus saw the extension of the Roman power in Britain. The New International Encyclopaedia, Vol. XXII (New York: Dodd, Mead & Co., 1920) 309-310. |