Lucius Vitellius the Elder
- This page is on Lucius Vitellius, the father of the emperor Vitellius.
For his other son, the emperor's brother, see Lucius Vitellius the younger.
Lucius Vitellius Veteris or the Elder (before 7 BC – 51) was the youngest of four sons of quaestor Publius Vitellius and the only one that did not die through politics.
Career
Under Emperor Tiberius, he was Consul in 34 and Governor of Syria in 35. He deposed Pontius Pilate in 36 after complaints from the people in Samaria. He supported Emperor Caligula, and was a favorite of Emperor Claudius' wife Empress Valeria Messalina. During Claudius' reign, he was Consul again twice in 43 and 47, and governed Rome while the Roman Emperor was absent on his invasion of Britain. Around the time that Claudius married Agrippina the Younger in 47, 48 or 49, Vitellius served as a Censor.
He wielded great influence and was known for his outstanding character, though at one time, a Roman Senator accused him of treason. He died of paralysis in 51. Lucius received a state funeral and had a statue on the rostra ‘steadfast loyal to the Emperor’.
Family
Lucius married a Roman woman named Sextilia, a reputable woman from a distinguished family. She gave birth to two sons named Aulus Vitellius Germanicus (who was the short lived Emperor in 69) and Lucius Vitellius.
In fiction
Vitellius is a prominent character in Robert Graves's novel Claudius the God, an intimate friend of Claudius.
External links
- Lucius Vitellius entry in historical sourcebook by Mahlon H. Smith
- Livius.org: Lucius Vitellius
Political offices | ||
---|---|---|
Preceded by Galba, and Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix |
Consul of the Roman Empire 34 with Paullus Fabius Persicus |
Succeeded by Gaius Cestius Gallus, and Marcus Servilius Nonianus |
Preceded by Claudius II, and Gaius Caecina Largus |
Consul of the Roman Empire 43 with Claudius III |
Succeeded by Gaius Sallustius Crispus Passienus II, and Titus Statilius Taurus |
Preceded by Decimus Valerius Asiaticus II, and Marcus Iunius Silanus |
Consul of the Roman Empire 47 with Claudius IV |
Succeeded by Aulus Vitellius, and Lucius Vipstanus Poplicola |