Successful military man Titus Flavius Vespasianus Augustus (or Vespasian for short) ascended the throne of Rome in A.D. 70. The emperor had three children, including two sons, Titus and Domitian. He and Titus had long worked together on the battlefield, and now one of Vespasian's major goals was to be sure his sons could rule after him.

 

Witty and amiable, Vespasian's last words as he died in 79 were reportedly, "Oh! I must be turning into a god," a quip referencing the deification of dead Roman emperors. God or not, Vespasian secured Rome for his sons. Titus ruled for two successful years until his death in 81. But Domitian, the less-favored son, got crossways with court officials during his rule and was assassinated in 96.