Galba
| Servius Sulpicius Galba’s brief reign from June 68 to January 69 AD marked a pivotal turning point in Roman history, as he was the first emperor of the Year of the Four Emperors. Rising to power after Nero’s suicide, Galba was an aristocratic traditionalist who sought to restore fiscal discipline to a bankrupt state. However, his reputation for "ruthless austerity" proved his undoing. By refusing to pay the customary donative to the Praetorian Guard—famously stating he "chose his soldiers, not bought them"—he alienated the very men responsible for his safety. His cold demeanor and execution of political rivals quickly eroded his support. His downfall was swift. After Galba adopted Lucius Calpurnius Piso Frugi Licinianus as his heir, a slighted Otho organized a coup. Galba was brutally assassinated in the Roman Forum, ending the rule of a man whom the historian Tacitus described as "capax imperii nisi imperasset"—capable of ruling, had he never ruled. |
Orichalcum Dupondius (27mm, 13.71g) AD 68-69 Rome
Obv: IMP SER GALBA CAES AVG TR P, Laureate head right
Rev: PAX AVGVST S-C, Pax standing left, branch in right hand, cradling cornucopia in left
RIC 370 ex Caribou Coins
