Throughout history emperors would die, and their empire would be handed down to the next male adult in his bloodline. This tradition was carried out through most ancient governments, and it was no different than Rome. The emperor Vespasian handed the throne to his step-son Titus who eventually handed it to his younger brother Domitian. Historians have called their reign the "Flavian Dynasty." Its ironic that the Roman Empire was one of the longest lasting empires in history, but with the exception of Suetonius' book Lives of the Caesars, there are not that many accounts of some of the rulers. This is especially true with the Flavian Dynasty. In Suetonius' novel, he uncovers the truth about the character, integrity, and lifestyle of each emperor. He discuses their lives starting with their birth, and ending with their deaths. Although they bear some superficial similarities, the differences between the reign of Vespasian and his sons are clear.
Titus Flavius Vespasian, or just known as Vespasian, was born on November 27, 10 AD in a small village outside of Rome known as Paracrine. Vespasian had pride in his birth place, and was known to revisit his home town often. Suetonius describes Vespasian as tall, good looking, and strong. He started out as a soldier fighting alongside with Pompey, and eventually worked his way up the military ranks. Vespasian was destined for greatness and his father predicted that he would become a ruler, however when his grandmother heard this prophecy, she laughed. Under the ruler Claudius, Vespasian was instructed to go to Britain to fight, and came back as a war hero. He received his triumphal regalia, and was given a position as a governor of Africa which provided a basis for his emperorship. Later on, Vespasian married a woman known as Flavia Domitilla who had three children with another man, two of which were Titus and Domitian. When Otho committed suicide, Vespasian was well aware of Vitellius' arise to power, and he took action.
