The revolt of Vindex and Nero's deposition

The article analyzes the causes, course, and significance of the revolt of Caius Iulius Vindex against the Emperor Nero in Gaul, examines the controversial and ambiguously interpreted questions about the relationship of Vindex with the governor of Spain, Servius Sulpicius Galba, who received the Emperor’s powers after the deposition of Nero, as well as with a military commander Verginius Rufus, whose troops defeated the army of Vindex in the Battle of Vesontio, as a result of which the leader of the revolt committed suicide. Despite the defeat, the revolt of Vindex played an important role in the events at the end of Nero’s reign. Firstly, it was the starting point of a few years of growing discontent with the Emperor in various social strata, which led to the deposition of the odious ruler. Secondly, the revolt clearly showed for the first time that the Western provinces could claim to participate in resolving the fateful question about the applicant for the highest power of the state. Finally, the development of the events revealed a very remarkable assimilation of ideas about a good ruler as a Roman aristocrat with ancient Roman morals by the inhabitants of the Western provinces of Rome. Vindex’s personality and activities received mixed reviews in the ancient tradition. Contemporaries emphasized that Vindex was awarded a funeral at the expense of the state, and honored his memory as one of the fighters against tyranny. Later authors noted that the revolt of Vindex marked the beginning of a bloody civil war and the Year of the Four Emperors.