For other people with similar names, see Vitellia gens.
Lucius Vitellius (before 7 BC – AD 51) was the youngest of four sons of procuratorPublius Vitellius and the only one who did not die through politics. He was consul three times, which was unusual during the Roman empire for someone who was not a member of the Imperial family. The first time was in the year 34 as the colleague of Paullus Fabius Persicus;[1] the second was in 43 as the colleague of the emperor Claudius;[2] the third was in 47 again as the colleague of the emperor Claudius.[3]
He wielded great influence and was known for his outstanding character, though, at one time, a Senator accused him of treason. He died of paralysis in 51. Lucius received a state funeral and had a statue on the rostra bearing the inscription ‘steadfast loyal to the Emperor’.
Vitellius is a prominent character in Robert Graves's novel Claudius the God, in which he is portrayed as an intimate friend of Claudius. He also appears as a character in the final episode of the 1968 British television series The Caesars, portrayed by actor Gerald Harper.
References
^Attilio Degrassi, I fasti consolari dell'Impero Romano dal 30 avanti Cristo al 613 dopo Cristo (Rome, 1952), p. 10