Denarius - Vitellius FIDES EXERCITVVM

Vitellius held power for only eight months in 69 AD, the Year of the Four Emperors, and his coinage reflects the acute political problem he faced from the start: his claim rested entirely on the loyalty of the Rhine legions, not on any constitutional legitimacy. The FIDES EXERCITVVM type was a direct appeal to military fidelity — a type also struck by Galba and Otho that same year, each man issuing the same reassurance to the same restless armies.

He was killed in Rome in December 69 as Vespasian's forces entered the city.