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¶ … King
Book II Chapter II Tacitus: The Histories
This chapter is a short paragraph highlighting some important characteristics of a great king. In this case, the king was Titus Vespasian. In this chapter, we notice that Tacitus has highlighted three important characteristics that made Vespasian a great king. These are as follows:
Courage: Hope is given preference over fear
Self-restraint
Respect for higher powers
Born in AD 39, Titus was the elder son of King Vespasian and is known in history for his great skills as a leader even though he was initially like Nero in his charm and physical strength. It took him some time to become the great king that he finally did after exercising self-restraint and becoming more responsible. It is believed that he was more in control of his sexual escapades during his own reign than during his father's reign:
"Some supposed that he retraced his steps for love of Queen Berenice, nor was his young heart averse to her charms, but this affection occasioned no hindrance to action. He passed, it is true, a youth enlivened by pleasure, and practiced more self-restraint in his own than in his father's reign."
In the chapter under study, we find that the reason Titus was successful during his reign, which was short but effective, was because he exercised self-restraint and let hope triumph. It is important for any leader to...
He had great negotiation skills and charm that played a key role during his father's reign when he worked to have his father accepted as the emperor of the eastern provinces. Vespasian was himself an effective ruler but he needed his son to work on his behalf for reconciliation between himself and the governor of Syria.
Titus demonstrated good governing skills and had the ability to understand that he couldn't allow himself to wither away because of lack of self-restraint. As we learn from the chapter, despite his physical and sexual strength, he was able to let matters of the heart rest while he was actively pursuing a career in government. He did not allow his sexual prowess or his physical charms to get in the way of his leadership and his progress as a prince.
Unlike the prince in Machiavelli who was advised to be more fearful than charming, Titus exercised friendliness and charm to advance in his negotiations. That worked well in his favor. However there were other talents he had which helped him become a much more effective king than he was expected to be.
We learn that he was not only…
References:
Complete Works of Tacitus. Tacitus. Alfred John Church. William Jackson Brodribb. Sara Bryant. edited for Perseus. New York.: Random House, Inc. Random House, Inc. 1873. reprinted 1942.
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