Titus Flavius Sabinus (consul 47)
Encyclopedia
Titus Flavius Sabinus was a Roman politician and soldier. He was the elder son of Titus Flavius Sabinus
and Vespasia Polla
and brother of the Emperor Vespasian
.
, in Sabinia, Italy, and served in the Roman conquest of Britain
as a Legate
in a legion
in 43 AD, during the reign of the Emperor
Claudius
. He was Consul Suffectus
in 47 AD (some say in 45 AD, or perhaps Ordinarius in 45 AD?), Governor
, or better Legatus Augusti pro praetore
of Moesia
from 50 to 56 AD or from c. 53 to 60 AD, Consul Suffectus in November 52 AD, and from 56 to 69 AD was Praefectus Urbi Romae. Lucius Pedanius Secundus served as Prefect of Rome in year 61 AD however, and so most scholars conclude that Sabinus served two terms as Prefect, one from 56 to 60 AD and another from 62 to 69 AD. The reason for his temporary deposition is unknown. Others say he was temporarily deposed in 69 AD.
Sabinus was an important supporter of his brother: when Vespasian found himself in financial difficulties while governor of Africa
, Sabinus lent him the money to continue, and while Vespasian was governor of Iudaea
Sabinus was a vital source of information on events in Rome. However in 69 AD, the Year of the Four Emperors
, as pro-Vespasian forces advanced to Rome, Sabinus, who had been made Consul Suffectus in May of that year, was besieged on the Capitoline Hill
before being put to death by the Emperor Vitellius
, and did not live to see his brother take over the Empire. He was buried in Rome in 70 AD and had a state funeral.
He married Arrecina Clementina, born in Pisaurum, Italy, c. 12 AD, daughter of Arrecinus and wife Tertulla and sister of Marcus Arrecinus Clemens
, and had one son, also called Titus Flavius Sabinus
, and one daughter Flavia, born c. 30 AD, who married Lucius Caesennius Paetus
. There is a possibility that Clemens would be related to the paternal side of Vespasian. Vespasian's and Sabinus's paternal grandmother bore the cognomen Tertulla and this cognomen was also bore by both his daughter and his mother.
mentioned in the Bible to whom both the Gospel of Luke
and the Book of Acts were written or dedicated.
Titus Flavius Sabinus (father of Vespasian)
See also Titus Flavius Sabinus for other men of this name.Titus Flavius Sabinus was the son of Titus Flavius Petro and wife ... Tertulla....
and Vespasia Polla
Vespasia Polla
Vespasia Polla was the mother of the Roman Emperor Vespasian, grandmother to Emperors to Titus and Domitian. Polla came from a good equestrian family at Nursia. Suetonius states that her father was:She married a tax collector Titus Flavius Sabinus, and survived him...
and brother of the Emperor Vespasian
Vespasian
Vespasian , was Roman Emperor from 69 AD to 79 AD. Vespasian was the founder of the Flavian dynasty, which ruled the Empire for a quarter century. Vespasian was descended from a family of equestrians, who rose into the senatorial rank under the Emperors of the Julio-Claudian dynasty...
.
Career
Along with his younger brother Vespasian, he was born in Reate, modern RietiRieti
Rieti is a city and comune in Lazio, central Italy, with a population of c. 47,700. It is the capital of province of Rieti.The town centre rests on a small hilltop, commanding a wide plain at the southern edge of an ancient lake. The area is now the fertile basin of the Velino River...
, in Sabinia, Italy, and served in the Roman conquest of Britain
Roman conquest of Britain
The Roman conquest of Britain was a gradual process, beginning effectively in AD 43 under Emperor Claudius, whose general Aulus Plautius served as first governor of Britannia. Great Britain had already frequently been the target of invasions, planned and actual, by forces of the Roman Republic and...
as a Legate
Legatus
A legatus was a general in the Roman army, equivalent to a modern general officer. Being of senatorial rank, his immediate superior was the dux, and he outranked all military tribunes...
in a legion
Roman legion
A Roman legion normally indicates the basic ancient Roman army unit recruited specifically from Roman citizens. The organization of legions varied greatly over time but they were typically composed of perhaps 5,000 soldiers, divided into maniples and later into "cohorts"...
in 43 AD, during the reign of the Emperor
Roman Emperor
The Roman emperor was the ruler of the Roman State during the imperial period . The Romans had no single term for the office although at any given time, a given title was associated with the emperor...
Claudius
Claudius
Claudius , was Roman Emperor from 41 to 54. A member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, he was the son of Drusus and Antonia Minor. He was born at Lugdunum in Gaul and was the first Roman Emperor to be born outside Italy...
. He was Consul Suffectus
Roman consul
A consul served in the highest elected political office of the Roman Republic.Each year, two consuls were elected together, to serve for a one-year term. Each consul was given veto power over his colleague and the officials would alternate each month...
in 47 AD (some say in 45 AD, or perhaps Ordinarius in 45 AD?), Governor
Roman governor
A Roman governor was an official either elected or appointed to be the chief administrator of Roman law throughout one or more of the many provinces constituting the Roman Empire...
, or better Legatus Augusti pro praetore
Legatus Augusti pro praetore
A legatus Augusti pro praetore was the official title of the governor of some imperial provinces of the Roman Empire during the Principate era, normally the larger ones or those where legions were based...
of Moesia
Moesia
Moesia was an ancient region and later Roman province situated in the Balkans, along the south bank of the Danube River. It included territories of modern-day Southern Serbia , Northern Republic of Macedonia, Northern Bulgaria, Romanian Dobrudja, Southern Moldova, and Budjak .-History:In ancient...
from 50 to 56 AD or from c. 53 to 60 AD, Consul Suffectus in November 52 AD, and from 56 to 69 AD was Praefectus Urbi Romae. Lucius Pedanius Secundus served as Prefect of Rome in year 61 AD however, and so most scholars conclude that Sabinus served two terms as Prefect, one from 56 to 60 AD and another from 62 to 69 AD. The reason for his temporary deposition is unknown. Others say he was temporarily deposed in 69 AD.
Sabinus was an important supporter of his brother: when Vespasian found himself in financial difficulties while governor of Africa
Africa Province
The Roman province of Africa was established after the Romans defeated Carthage in the Third Punic War. It roughly comprised the territory of present-day northern Tunisia, and the small Mediterranean coast of modern-day western Libya along the Syrtis Minor...
, Sabinus lent him the money to continue, and while Vespasian was governor of Iudaea
Iudaea Province
Judaea or Iudaea are terms used by historians to refer to the Roman province that extended over parts of the former regions of the Hasmonean and Herodian kingdoms of Israel...
Sabinus was a vital source of information on events in Rome. However in 69 AD, the Year of the Four Emperors
Year of the Four Emperors
The Year of the Four Emperors was a year in the history of the Roman Empire, AD 69, in which four emperors ruled in a remarkable succession. These four emperors were Galba, Otho, Vitellius, and Vespasian....
, as pro-Vespasian forces advanced to Rome, Sabinus, who had been made Consul Suffectus in May of that year, was besieged on the Capitoline Hill
Capitoline Hill
The Capitoline Hill , between the Forum and the Campus Martius, is one of the seven hills of Rome. It was the citadel of the earliest Romans. By the 16th century, Capitolinus had become Capitolino in Italian, with the alternative Campidoglio stemming from Capitolium. The English word capitol...
before being put to death by the Emperor Vitellius
Vitellius
Vitellius , was Roman Emperor for eight months, from 16 April to 22 December 69. Vitellius was acclaimed Emperor following the quick succession of the previous emperors Galba and Otho, in a year of civil war known as the Year of the Four Emperors...
, and did not live to see his brother take over the Empire. He was buried in Rome in 70 AD and had a state funeral.
He married Arrecina Clementina, born in Pisaurum, Italy, c. 12 AD, daughter of Arrecinus and wife Tertulla and sister of Marcus Arrecinus Clemens
Marcus Arrecinus Clemens (prefect 38)
Marcus Arrecinus Clemens was a prefect of the Roman imperial bodyguard, known as the Praetorian Guard.Born in Pisaurum, Italy, Clemens came from obscure origins and according to the historian Suetonius, his family were of Equestrian rank...
, and had one son, also called Titus Flavius Sabinus
Titus Flavius Sabinus (consul 69)
See also Titus Flavius Sabinus for other men of this name.Titus Flavius Sabinus was the son of Titus Flavius Sabinus . He was suffect consul in May and June 69 and one of the generals who fought for Otho against Vitellius during the Year of the Four Emperors, although he submitted to Vitellius once...
, and one daughter Flavia, born c. 30 AD, who married Lucius Caesennius Paetus
Lucius Caesennius Paetus
Lucius Junius Caesennius Paetus was a Roman aristocrat, member of the Caesennian gens and the Junian gens, who lived in the second half of the 1st century during the Roman Empire. He was Consul Ordinarius for the year 61, and enjoyed several high provincial commands in the East.He was the son of...
. There is a possibility that Clemens would be related to the paternal side of Vespasian. Vespasian's and Sabinus's paternal grandmother bore the cognomen Tertulla and this cognomen was also bore by both his daughter and his mother.
Biblical mention
There have been conjectures that he might have been the TheophilusTheophilus (Biblical)
Theophilus is the name or honorary title of the person to whom the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles are addressed...
mentioned in the Bible to whom both the Gospel of Luke
Gospel of Luke
The Gospel According to Luke , commonly shortened to the Gospel of Luke or simply Luke, is the third and longest of the four canonical Gospels. This synoptic gospel is an account of the life and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth. It details his story from the events of his birth to his Ascension.The...
and the Book of Acts were written or dedicated.