AD 81
Domitian: confiscations and terror

Previous event | Timeline | Next event

Domitian, who becomes emperor after the death of his brother Titus, rules for 15 years. He is later accused of having Titus killed, but it seems that the latter contracted malaria. Domitian is hated by the Senate, whose members are responsible for many (often false) stories about him. From AD 85 onwards, he orders confiscations to replenish the imperial coffers, and from AD 93, he is responsible for a great 'terror' in which actual and suspected opponents are executed or exiled in huge numbers. His victims even include members of his own family, who are charged with 'atheism' or supporting the new Christian faith.

Top