Rebellion of Caius Iulius Vindex against Emperor Nero

The article discusses the rebellion led by Caius Iulius Vindex (the governor of the Roman province of Gaul) against emperor Nero. Vindex, who was disheartened with the policy of the princeps, wanted Nero’s place on the Roman throne to be taken by a person worthy of being a proper successor to Caesar and Augustus. This was the main reason for his revolt, which began in the middle of March 68 AD. Vindex’s insurgence was largely supported by the Gauls and the governor of the province of Hispania Tarraconensis, i.e. Servius Sulpicius Galba. However, his troops were crushed by the joint contingent from Upper and Lower Germany under the command of L. Verginius Rufus in the battle of Vesontio, which took place between the end of April and the middle of May 68 AD (the exact date cannot be established). As a result, C. Iulius Vindex committed suicide. Nevertheless, the anti-emperor movement started by Vindex grew stronger, and eventually Nero, abandoned by everyone, took his own life on June 9, and Vindex’s former ally, Galba, became the new emperor. The principal goal of the rebellion, i.e. replacing Nero with a new ruler of a better character was ultimately achieved, albeit after Vindex’s tragic death. These events were also a prelude to “the long year” (annus longus) or the so called “the year of the four emperors”. After his death, the leader of the anti-Nero revolt was honored by the new emperor Galba with a public funeral. Until the times of the late antiquity, the person of Caius Iulius Vindex had embodied in Roman collective memory an indomitable freedom defender (adsertor libertatis), who desired the good of the Roman Empire and the entire gens humana.A preliminary version of this text was prepared in Polish within the scholar grant “The Transformation of the Roman Empire under the Flavian Dynasty” funded by Department of Scientific Research of the Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education (Nr. 108 058335)