Source edition
Suetonius. De Vita Caesarum Libri VIII. Ihm, Max, editor; Leipzig: Teubner, 1908.
Source data
Perseus Digital Library · CC BY-SA (per Perseus's terms)
Cloned and adapted by Humanitext, with ongoing edits.
Summary
This work is a biography of Servius Sulpicius Galba, who became the first emperor of the "Year of the Four Emperors" following the collapse of the Julio-Claudian dynasty. The narrative begins with Galba's ancient and noble lineage, his early career marked by strict military discipline, and the various omens predicting his future rise to the imperial throne. Seizing the opportunity presented by the rebellion against Nero, Galba, then governor of Hispania, rises in revolt and successfully claims the principate. However, upon entering Rome as emperor, his rule quickly degenerates as his rumored cruelty and greed manifest, compounded by his subservience to a corrupt trio of close advisors. Having alienated the military by refusing to pay their customary donative, Galba attempts to secure his position by adopting Piso, but fails to prevent the conspiracy of Otho. The biography concludes with a graphic description of Galba's violent assassination, the desecration of his body, and an account of his physical appearance and private habits.