Galba, << GAL buh or GAWL buh, >> was emperor of Rome from the middle of A.D. 68 to early 69. He was the first emperor who was not a member of the Julio-Claudian family, the family to which the first five Roman emperors belonged. Those emperors were Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, and Nero.
Servius Sulpicius Galba was born into an aristocratic family on Dec. 24, 3 B.C., near Tarracina, Italy. As a youth, he was a favorite companion of Livia Drusilla, the widow of the emperor Augustus. Galba had a distinguished career as a senator, general, and the governor of major Roman provinces.
In A.D. 68, Galba was governing the Roman province of Hispania Tarraconensis, in northern Spain. He boldly joined the Roman governor of Aquitania province, in Gaul (now mainly France), in abandoning his allegiance to the reigning emperor Nero. Galba had only one legion under his command and was not especially active in making preparations to move against Nero. Nero panicked in response to the governors’ revolt. The Praetorian Guard (the emperor’s personal bodyguards) and the Senate also turned against Nero. Nero then committed suicide on June 9.
The Senate asked Galba to succeed Nero. The request astonished Galba, by now elderly and in fear for his life because of his disloyalty. Galba consented but did not act quickly. He made his way to Rome slowly. Galba failed to anticipate challenges from rival claimants to the position of emperor. He also ignored the need to foster popularity with the Roman army and people of Rome. Nero had spent money extravagantly. In an effort to economize, Galba canceled major public games and shows. He refused to give members of the Praetorian Guard bonus payments that they expected. Galba also inflicted harsh punishments on those who offended him.
In January 69, some Roman legions in Germany refused to declare their loyalty to Galba when called upon to take the regular New Year oath. Their refusal jolted Galba into publicly adopting a successor—Lucius Calpurnius Piso Licinianus. But Galba’s choice of successor offended an ambitious senator named Otho. Otho, a former governor of Lusitania province in Spain, always had been a staunch supporter of Galba. Otho was able to bribe discontented members of the Praetorian Guard to murder Galba and his chosen successor in the Roman Forum on January 15. The Senate was forced to declare Otho emperor.
See also Nero ; Otho ; Rome, Ancient (The Roman Empire) ; Vespasian , Vitellius .
