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Vespasian’s Succession
Vespasian had become Emperor after the chaos of Nero and the Year of the Four Emperors. A successful general who treated the Senate with respect, he restored stability to the throne and order to the Empire's workings. He also ensured that the succession worked smoothly, with his son Titus being well prepared through consulships and military commands. In 79 CE, Titus became Emperor. He gave gifts and military donatives upon his accession and treated the Senate well. He also administered disaster relief, after both Mt. Vesuvius's eruption in 79 CE and a second fire in Rome In 80 CE. In 81 CE, Titus died, widely regarded as a good emperor.
Titus’s younger brother Domitian (who reigned 81-96 CE) succeeded him, retaining the loyalty of the army and the people, allowing a seamless succession. However, Domitian was clearly different from the other Flavians. He had been kept in the background by his father, not being given Titus's education or experience. He thus did not acquire his brother’s political savvy, especially regarding his attitude toward the Senate.
The Senate and Domitian
Domitian was good at administration and retained the favor of the army, but he was abrasive. He increased the heavy reliance on the equites in imperial administration, appointing them as Principate secretaries, governors of senatorial provinces, and even commanders of legions. Equestrians were also added to the Emperor's Council—a sort of law court in which senators could even find themselves judged by the socially inferior equites.
The Senate was irritated by Domitian handing over the traditionally senatorial control of provinces and legions. Irritation turned to insult with the addition of equestrians to imperial council, and as a result, Emperor-Senate relations broke down completely. Domitian thus ruled on his own, eventually giving up even the appearance of ruling alongside the Senate.
Due to this, Senate historians devoted little attention to this period, and what attention they did give him was usually negative.
Domitian’s Rule and Downfall
Domitian’s rule was not without accomplishments. Of particular note was his involvement in the Dacian War of 86-88 CE. The northern bank of the Danube was dominated by the Suebi, the Sarmatians, and the Dacians, the most powerful of the three. Their king, Decebalus, invaded Moesia (modern-day Bulgaria) in 85 CE, provoking a Roman response. Domitian collected his legions and went to war from 86-88 CE. While the Romans were able to drive out the Dacians, the campaigns were not very satisfactory. Instead of continuing the war, as he was now facing hostilities elsewhere, Domitian made peace in 89 CE, recognized Decebalus as a client king and promising subsidies—yearly protection money. Domitian's measure, while accepted as a tactic in the eastern reaches of Roman lands, was seen as a shameful defeat when employed on the Danube.
The hostilities that prompted the Dacian peace were the revolt of Lucius Antonius Saturninus, governor of upper Germany, allied with Germanic Chatti people, who had been defeated by Domitian earlier in his reign. The revolt turned out to be a short-lived fiasco, but it convinced Domitian he could no longer trust the senatorial aristocracy. In 93 CE, a new Tiberius-style terror commenced, with the emperor using treason charges to murder his enemies. He would later be assassinated in 96 CE. Domitian’s death marked the end of the Flavians, with the Senate declaring his successor the same day.
