Roman Emperor (68-69). Suétone tells us the four hypothetical sources of the strange name of Bent, born Servius Sulpicius: according to certain sources reported by the Roman historian, the man would have completed a restive Spanish fortified town by setting fire to it with coated torches of galbanum, a vegetable resinous juice, drawn from a plant of the family of the umbellifers.

He also thought that, lengthily patient, he would have looked after himself by means of woolly bandages (galbeum); others perceived a Gallic origin in this nickname, because of the word bent, which meant “fatty”.

However, one as imagined as one supposed extreme thinness of the character would have pushed with the comparison with insects which lay in the oaks, the galbae. He is the first emperor without bond none with the dynasty Julio-claudiens. Of nobility, its family is Sulpicia people.

Servius Sulpicius Galba is born on on December 24th in 3 av. J. - C. in Terracina, at the edge of the Tyrrhenian Sea, vacation resort elected between all by the Roman aristocracy. It is named emperor by the Senate on on June 11th, 68, just after the suicide of Néron. But its reign will last only 7 years, at the end which it will be cut the throat of on the forum by the partisans of Othon. It will be on on January 15th of the year 69 a. J. - C.

Rather poor lawyer, his father however profits from a great fame, which it owes certainly with his chalk-lining, constituted praetors and consuls. In second wedding, he marries fantastically wealthy Livia Ocellina, which will adopt Galba, his son-in-law, and part of sound will bequeath to him well, thus making him to it emperor equipped with most important private fortune. It was the second son of Mummia Achaïa, downward of Mummius Achaïcus, the famous destructor of Corinth.

Of a marriage with Lepida, it has two sons. But, become widowed, he does not seek to remarry, perhaps because of his homosexuality, which was notorious according to Suétone. One remembers a physique terribly damaged at the end of his life. It is small and deformed, its feet and its hands are distorted by the drop. One gives it for capricious, severe, even cruel, careful until the indecision and lack however of ambition (the first currencies which it makes strike does not carry its effigy nor the title of Auguste). Its avarice remained legendary.

Thanks to the wife of Auguste, Livie, from which it is protected, it is very young, before even the lawful age, which it starts to climb the levels of the Roman administration. Under Tibère, he is a 20 years old praetor, he controls then Aquitaine, then is elected consul into 33. Caligula appoints then it legate of Germanic Higher. It will restore the order and the discipline in the Rhenish army, enabling him to contain the German ones, which is had a presentiment of at the borders of the empire. When Caligula dies, his/her friends push it to aspire to the imperial title, but it leaves the free field to Claude, who will be grateful to him and will insert it in its circle of close friends.

In 41, it beats the She-cats. He is then legate of Germanic higher. The character has the direction of the symbol: he brings back the last Roman sign, an eagle, that Varus had left with the hands of these people in 9 a. J. - C. Claude gives the proconsulat of Africa then to him, where Galba will once again manage to restore stability. When Néron reaches the throne, it withdraws power again. It is withdrawn in the Italian city of Fondi, where it is pointed out by demonstrations of avarice. It never leaves without a carriage of gold sesterces following it, for example. Néron invites it to control Spain Tarraconnaise. It will manage this province during 8 years, of an iron hand. But it fears the mistrust of Néron and its activism will be limited to some spectacular arrests, like that of a changer defrauder, which found the hands cut and nailed on its counter. It makes some the least possible, does not shine by its direction of the initiative, is held in withdrawal.

But, when it feels the power Néron to drop, its reign to decline, it leaves this torpor and, in spring 68, it trusts the oracle which announces to him that an outgoing prince of Spain will reign on the empire. It then will involve Spain in the rebellion, being combined Vindex, to the legate of Lyons refractory with Néron. This last is made subdue close to Besancon by a commander of troops of Germanic, Verginus. This one does not intimidate of anything Galba, which knows the imminent fall of Néron.

On June 11th, Néron, only, puts an end to its days. Bent is named emperor the same day. It has a program: to make forget Néron, imitate Auguste. Its key word will be libertas, freedom. But nobody will be his easily deceived very a long time: the legendary avarice of Bent will take the dimension of its power. Its taxation will answer the only laws of goodwill imperial while subsidies will simply be removed. It does not exempt demonstrations of cruelty, which exceeds its entourage and the popular opinion, already saturated both by unbearable extravagances of Néron. The army and the Praetorian guard are not long in releasing it. A counterpart addressed to those come to claim the promised gratifications to him, “I have habit to enlist the soldiers, not to buy them”, will be worth to him a final unpopularity in the military rows.

On January 1st, 69, the legions of Germanic higher go until making secession, asking for another emperor. The following day, those of Germanic lower proclaim emperor their Vitellius chief. Bent then introduces to the Senate a young aristocrat whom it would have adopted and chosen like his heir. The Praetorian ones present then their favorite, Othon, a former elected official of Néron, which dearly bought the assassination to them of Bent. On January 15th, 69, Galba is thus cut the throat of, while Othon is proclaimed emperor.

Sources: Suétone, Life of the Twelve Tacit Césars, VII and, Stories.

The principal work for the present note: Roman Emperors, François Zosso, Christian Zingg, Wandering, 1994.