View source for AD 69

== Events ==

=== By place ===

==== Roman Empire ====
* The [[Year of the Four Emperors]]: After [[Nero]]'s death, [[Galba]], [[Otho]], [[Vitellius]] and [[Vespasian]] succeed each other as emperor during the year.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-09-27|title=Year of the Four Emperors: A Complete Overview|url=https://www.thecollector.com/year-of-the-four-emperors-overview/|access-date=2021-03-29|website=TheCollector|language=en-US}}</ref> The year is marked by numerous instances of a breakdown in discipline and mutinous conduct amongst the Roman legions and the [[praetorian guard]].
* [[January 1]] &ndash; The Roman legions in [[Germania Superior]] refuse to swear loyalty to Galba. They rebel and proclaim Vitellius as emperor.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Vitellius|url=https://www.worldhistory.org/Vitellius/|access-date=2021-03-29|website=World History Encyclopedia|language=en}}</ref>
* [[January 10]] &ndash; [[Lucius Calpurnius Piso Licinianus]] is adopted by Galba and appointed to [[Caesar (title)|deputy Roman Emperor]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|last1=Chilver|first1=Guy Edward Farquhar|last2=Griffin|first2=M. T.|date=2016-03-07|title=Calpurnius Piso Frugi Licinianus, Lucius|url=https://oxfordre.com/classics/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780199381135.001.0001/acrefore-9780199381135-e-1313|access-date=2021-03-29|journal=Oxford Classical Dictionary|language=en|doi=10.1093/acrefore/9780199381135.013.1313|isbn=978-0-19-938113-5}}</ref>
* [[January 15]] &ndash; Galba and his adopted son Piso are murdered by the [[Praetorian Guard]] on the [[Roman Forum]].<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |title=Galba |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Galba|access-date=2021-03-29 |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia Britannica|language=en}}</ref>
* Otho seizes power in [[Ancient Rome|Rome]], proclaims himself emperor, and reigns for three months before committing suicide.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|title=Otho|url=https://www.worldhistory.org/Otho/|access-date=2021-03-29|website=World History Encyclopedia|language=en}}</ref>
* [[Marcus Trebellius Maximus]], governor of [[Roman Britain|Britannia]], is forced to flee to [[Gaul]] after a [[mutiny]] of [[Legio XX Valeria Victrix|Legio XX ''Valeria Victrix'']] at [[Deva Victrix]] ([[Chester]]).<ref>{{cite book | last=Southern | first=P. | title=Roman Britain: A New History 55 BC-AD 450 | publisher=Amberley Publishing | year=2011 | isbn=978-1-4456-0925-6 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=d4aoAwAAQBAJ&pg=PP201 | access-date=2024-08-09 | page=201}}</ref><ref>{{cite book | last=de la Bédoyère | first=G. | title=Roman Britain: A New History | publisher=Thames & Hudson | year=2014 | isbn=978-0-500-77184-6 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3wQ7CwAAQBAJ&pg=PT51 | access-date=2024-08-09 | page=51}}</ref>
* [[April 14]] &ndash; [[Battle of Bedriacum|First Battle of Bedriacum]]: Vitellius defeats Otho's legions; Otho commits suicide.<ref name=":2" />
* [[April 17]] &ndash; After the [[Battle of Bedriacum|First Battle of Bedriacum]], Vitellius becomes emperor.<ref name=":0" />
* [[Marcus Vettius Bolanus]] becomes the new governor of Britain and faces a second insurrection of [[Venutius]], king of the [[Brigantes]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Tacitus |first=Publius |title=The Histories |publisher=Penguin |page=99 |isbn=978-0-140-44964-8}}</ref>
* [[July 1]] &ndash; two legions in Egypt, a legion in Syria, and a legion in Judea declare Vespasian emperor<ref name=vespasian/> 
* [[July 1]] &ndash; [[Tiberius Julius Alexander]] orders his legions in [[Alexandria]] to swear [[allegiance]] to Vespasian as emperor.<ref name="l2257">{{cite book |last=Tacitus |first=Publius |title=The Histories |publisher=Penguin |page=108 |isbn=978-0-140-44964-8}}</ref>
* [[July 3]] &ndash; The army of Judea swears allegiance to Vespasian as emperor.<ref name="l2257"/>
* [[August 1]] &ndash; [[Batavian rebellion]]: The [[Batavians]] in [[Germania Inferior]] ([[Netherlands]]) revolt under the leadership of [[Gaius Julius Civilis]].<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |title=Gaius Julius Civilis |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Gaius-Julius-Civilis|access-date=2021-03-29 |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia Britannica|language=en}}</ref>
* [[German peoples|German warbands]] cross over to join the revolt and attack the fortress at [[Mainz]].
* The Batavians attack Roman forts on the [[Rhine]] frontier; [[Fectio]] and [[Traiectum (Utrecht)|Traiectum]] (modern [[Utrecht]]) are destroyed.
* In [[Gallia Belgica]], ''cohors II Tungrorum'', raised from the inhabitants of [[Tongeren|Atuatuca Tungrorum]] in the north-west of the [[Ardennes|Ardennes Forest]], revolt against the Romans.
* The Danubian legions of [[Raetia]] and [[Moesia]] proclaim Vespasian as emperor.
* [[October 24]] &ndash; [[Second Battle of Bedriacum]]: [[Flavians]] under [[Antonius Primus]] defeat the Vitellians.
* [[December 22]] &ndash; Vitellius is captured and murdered by the [[Gemonian stairs]]. Vespasian becomes emperor.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Assassination of the Emperor Vitellius (Getty Museum)|url=https://www.getty.edu/art/collection/objects/105192/boucicaut-master-or-workshop-the-assassination-of-the-emperor-vitellius-french-about-1413-1415/|access-date=2021-03-29|website=The J. Paul Getty in Los Angeles|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |title=Aulus Vitellius |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Aulus-Vitellius|access-date=2021-03-29|encyclopedia=Encyclopedia Britannica|language=en}}</ref>
* [[Judea]]: The [[First Jewish-Roman War|Jewish Revolt]]&nbsp;– Vespasian lays siege to [[Jerusalem]]; the city is captured the following year by his son [[Titus]].<ref name=":5">{{Cite encyclopedia |title=Siege of Jerusalem |url=https://www.britannica.com/event/Siege-of-Jerusalem-70|access-date=2021-03-29 |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia Britannica|language=en}}</ref>
* [[Josephus]], Jewish rebel leader, is dragged before Vespasian and becomes his [[historian]] (he "prophesied" him his elevation to the purple).<ref name=":5" /><ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |title=Flavius Josephus |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Flavius-Josephus|access-date=2021-03-29 |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia Britannica|language=en}}</ref>
* [[Legio I Macriana liberatrix|Legio I ''Macriana liberatrix'']] is disbanded.
* The [[Flavian dynasty]] starts.
</onlyinclude>

==== China ====
Liumao/Liumiao, the sovereign of the Ailao, led a group of his people, some estimate more than 500 000, to submit to the [[Han dynasty|Han]] Emperor. The Ailao occupied the upper regions of the [[Irrawaddy River]] basin in what is now known as northern [[Myanmar]] and [[China]]'s southwest [[Yunnan]] province.<ref name=":3">{{Cite book |last=de Crespigny |first=Rafe |title=A Hundred Years of Han: Being the Chronicle of the Later Han Dynasty for the Years 57 to 156 AD as Recorded in Chapters 44 to 53 of the Zizhi tongjian of Sima Guang |volume=1 |date=2025 |publisher=Brill |location=Boston |page=122 |language=en}}</ref> 

The first recorded crossing of the Qingshuilang Shan (清水郎山) mountains near [[Yongping, Jinggu County|Yongping]], west of [[Kunming]] by Chinese explorers.<ref name=":3" />