The Assassination of the Emperor Vitellius

On the banks of the Tiber, three assailants stab the Roman emperor Vitellius, a major protagonist in the struggle for succession after Nero's death. He had been declared emperor by his troops but was defeated by Vespasian, whose own army had declared him emperor. Humiliated and ridiculed for his cowardliness and gluttony, Vitellius lost his kingdom to Vespasian, who exemplified the virtues of the ancient Romans: chastity, sobriety, courage, and wisdom. Vitellius was eventually stabbed almost to the point of death, dragged in great pain "like a stinking dog," and tossed into the river Tiber.