Lucius Vitellius

Lucius Vitellius was the name of two politicians of the early Roman Empire, father and son.

The elder Vitellius was the son of Quintus Vitellius , a knight and steward of Caesar Augustus. He was the youngest of four sons and the only one to marry. His brothers all died through politics. He was consul in AD 34 and governor of Syria in 35. He supported Caligula and was a favourite of Claudius' wife Messalina. During Claudius' reign he was consul twice more and governed Rome while the emperor was absent on his invasion of Britain. Around the time that Claudius married Agrippina the Younger, Vitellius served as censor. He married Sextilia , the daughter of a distinguished family. They had two sons: Aulus, who was the short-lived Emperor Vitellius in 69, and the younger Lucius. He wielded great influence and was known for his outstanding character, though at one point a senator accused him of treason. He died of paralysis in AD 51.

The younger Lucius Vitellius was his son. He married Junia Calvina, a descendant of Augustus, but they divorced before AD 49. He served a six-month consulship in 48. After his brother Aulus' abortive attempt at achieving the purple, he found himself condemned to death alongside his brother and his nephew. He was hanged on 11 July 69.