brother-in-law of
Caligula
father-in-law of Domitian
Able & popular Roman
general, who despite--or due to--his record of military & political successes was
ordered by Nero to commit
suicide. Corbulo survived the assassination of his imperial
brother-in-law and unpopular half-sister (41
CE)
just two years after his term as consul. But it was only in 47
CE
when Claudius gave him
command of the army of the lower Rhine (Germania Inferior) that
he began to demonstrate his abilities by restoring military discipline,
pacifying the local tribes, & constructing a canal that still connects
the Rhine & Meuse rivers in the Netherlands.
In 54
CE
the new emperor (Nero) gave him command of two legions in Cappadocia
(eastern Asia Minor) after Parthia violated a treaty with Rome by
installing one of its own as king of neighboring Armenia, a nominally
independent client kingdom of Rome. With his army reinforced by a legion
from the Danube Corbulo invaded Armenia (58
CE),
sacked its capitols, expelled the Parthian pretender & installed Rome's
own candidate--Tigranes
VI, a great-grandson of
Herod--as king. Such success led Nero to appoint him governor of
Syria when Quadratus
died (60 CE).
Tigranes ,
however, soon violated the truce with Parthia by invading neighboring Adiabene,
a former Armenian province that had become a client state of
Parthia. When Parthia responded by attacking Armenia, Corbulo's replacement
in command of the Cappadocian legions suffered a major defeat. Unable to win a
decisive military victory for Rome, Corbulo brokered a face-saving truce
(63 CE)
by agreeing to withdraw troops from
Armenia, remove Tigranes & allow the Parthian candidate to be king,
providing he go to Rome to be installed by Nero. Desperately in need of
a triumph to bolster his sagging popular support, Nero recalled Corbulo
to Rome to celebrate this peace with Parthia as a major triumph. Nero's
imperial propaganda turned Corbulo into a national celebrity. Four
years later Corbulo obeyed the emperor he had served so well when out of
jealously the latter ordered him to commit suicide. Ironically, less
than a year later Nero followed suit.
References:
Tacitus,
Annals
13.8-9,34-41,
14.23-26,
15.1-17,24-31.
Dio Cassius,
Roman History 60.30,
62.19-23, 63.17.
Other resources
on line: