Publius Vitellius the Younger

Publius Vitellius was a 1st-century Roman commander under Germanicus, with whom he was friends. He was the son of the eques Publius Vitellius the Elder and belonged to the gens Vitellia - the future emperor Vitellius was Publius the Younger's nephew

Career

In 15 he accompanied Germanicus on his second campaign in Germania. During the retreat Germanicus handed over command of the II Augusta and XIV Gemina legions to Vitellius. The journey back was disastrous, however, with many of the units' troops drowned in a flood. One year later, while Germanicus was preparing for his third and largest campaign in Germania, he sent Vitellius and Gaius Antius to Gaul to collect taxes. On Germanicus's suspicious death in 19 Vitellius was among the prosecutors of Gnaius Calpurnius Piso, finally convicted of Germanicus's murder, and Tacitus praises Vitellius's eloquence in the trial.

Vitellius was later among the supporters of Sejanus and upon Sejanus's execution on charges of high treason in 31 Vitellius was also indicted for complicity, having been praefectus aer. mil. of the treasury under him. Vitellius and his brother were put under house arrest. Publius then opened his veins with a penknife but, though Tacitus writes that Publius then died, Suetonius believes that he survived the suicide attempt due to his family's pleas only to die shortly afterwards from an illness.

Vitellius married Acutia. She was later convicted of maiestatis.