Early Roman Empire, Year of the Four Emperors (69): 07 Otho

07 OTHO (36; r.69.01-69.04)

Within hours of Galba’s assassination the Senate formally recognized Otho and all the armies except those stationed on the Rhine promptly acclaimed him. Galba remained inactive during the initial weeks of his reign, probably in the hope that Vitellius and the German legions would eventually come over to him; but the armies in Germania had rallied around Vitellius and were now marching towards Italy.

Otho had at his disposal the twelve cohorts of the Praetorian Guard and four or five urban cohorts. To make a fight of it he needed the seven legions stationed in the Balkan provinces, Dalmatia, Pannonia and Moesia. From his subsequent actions it seems that Otho’s intention was to meet the Danube legions in northeast Italy and fight the decisive battle there. To secure his hold on the line of the Po he sent off an advance force of ten thousand men under the command of ⁰²Annius Trebonius Gallus (cos. 108), and sent a small fleet to attack southern coast of Gaul (Gallia Narbonensis), probably to create a diversion in order to delay the enemy’s advance. 

Vitellius sent ¹⁹Fabius Valens (cos.69) and Caecina Alienus to each with a force of some thirty thousand to forty thousand men across the Alps to effect a junction north of the Po River. Valens was to march through France and over one the western passes; Caecina was to proceed to Switzerland and cross into Italy via the Great Saint Bernard Pass.

To deal with the threat to Narbonensis, Valens detached part of his column under the command of ²²Julius Classicus, a Romanized chieftain of the Belgic Treveri. Classicus sent part of his command to defend the colony at Forum Julii (Frejus), in southeast Narbonensis, and took the remainder to confront the Pannonians on a small plain on the coast.

The Treveri cavalry charged incautiously and were met by veteran troops in front and by missiles raining in from their left. When the fleet began moving in on their right the Vitellians were in danger of defeat, but they managed to escape under the cover of darkness. A few days later after bringing up reinforcements from Forum Julii, the Vitellians renewed the attack and caught the Othonians unprepared. Victory had made them careless, but they managed to rally and eventually went over to the attack and terrible slaughter ensued. The Othonians, however, did not achieve a bloodless victory, as the enemy’s cavalry wheeled round, and cut off some who had imprudently prolonged the pursuit. 

Otho’s delay in making his preparations enabled the enemy to cross into northern Italy unopposed. Caecina arrived first and attempted to force the line of Po without waiting for Valens but was held up at Locus Castorum, midway between Bedriacum (=Calvatone) and Cremona, where Suetonius Paulinus’ weaker force made a somewhat unexpected stand.

With the arrival of Valens, the Vitellians were in overwhelming strength. If Otho had waited for the Danube legions he would have brought his forces nearly to parity. But impatient for a decision he from his headquarters at Bedriacum sent most of his available forces led by his brother Salvius Titianus westwards and they met with the Vitellians near Cremona. The Othonians stood up to the superior numbers until they were taken in the flank by a division of Batavian troops. With Po River cutting off its defeat the defeated army surrendered. A disheartened Otho committed suicide to prevent further shedding of Roman blood