A Roman emperor from Cologne – Vitellius – The History of Cologne Podcast

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*Vitellius dragged through the streets of Rome by the populace*, Georges Rochegrosse (1883) Source

Cologne is in turmoil in the Year of the Four Emperors in 69 CE. Agrippina is dead, so is now her son, emperor Nero. Who will become the new Roman emperor? Four men throw their hats into the ring. One of them is Vitellius, the Roman governor of Cologne. The consequences for Cologne as a border town are horrible. At the end of the year 69 CE, our young city is besieged by the Germanic tribe of the Batavians and fears total destruction.