Mock Triumphs

-How did Domitian pay for all of his construction projects and shit?
   -By using his efficient bureaucracy to tax the fuck out of the rich!
      -He had undercut the elite politically, and was now doing so economically.
         -Eventually, he would just start to straight-up jack elites' property by confiscating it in the name of the government. 
            -In the past, emperors usually just borrowed money without ever worrying about how to pay it back.
-Domitian also tried to bring back moral legislation (the "Lex Julias") as an attempt to emulate Augustus.
   -Of course, the Lex Julia was very unpopular with just about everyone. 
-85 AD- Domitian appointed himself censor in order to officially legislate public morality.
   -For example, adultery was now highly illegal, and banging the Vestal Virgins was now a capital offense.
      -Specific examples: an Equestrian was banned from the Senate for acting on stage (which Domitian considered to be worse than prostitution (haha)!
      -While the Lex Julia stuff concerning sex was dumb (which everyone knew), the anti-corruption stuff was clearly much needed.
   -As a final "fuck you" to the elites, he even limited the amount of land that they could use for vineyards!
-As for the common folk, opinions were mixed about Domitian- he was simultaneously loved, hated, respected, and feared, depending on who you asked.
   -Most of the regular soldiers in the legions loved him too, but the officers did not.
      -Regular soldiers loved him because he gave them a big pay raise, and therefore Domitian almost never had to worry about a revolt.
         -The pay raise was the result of the legions' victory against the Chatti, a warlike Germanic tribe.  It's unclear as to why exactly Domitian ordered a war with the Chatti, but many sources suggest that Domitian was looking for a reason to fight so he could glorify himself with a military victory and triumph (which included games and parties and shit).
            -Because of this victory, Domitian gave himself the additional name "Germanicus".
            -Tacitus (among others) famously called this celebration a "mock triumph".
-Because of the "mock triumph" (or maybe just because it was time), Agricola was recalled from Britannia in 85 AD.
   -Around this time many of the legions in Britannia were transferred to Germania to fight against Dacia (the Dacians were closely related to Thracians), a powerful Carpathian kingdom which was growing to be a really serious threat. 
      -This was Domitian's first real test as princeps. 
      -Domitian was not interested in expanding the empire's borders, believing that the legions should be used primarily for the empire's defense; wars of expansion were just a monumental waste of time and resources.
         -Therefore, Domitian's greatest achievement in terms of the military was his establishment of the "Limes Germanicus", a line of frontier fortifications built along the Rhine and Danube rivers (eventually stretching to a total of 350 miles (560 km)!).
            -Included approximately 60 forts and 900 watchtowers.
            -However, it should be noted that Domitian neither started nor complete this project, but he was a key figure in getting most of it done (before it was finally completed by Hadrian).
               -Of course, the military elites felt that Domitian was just being a pussy and that the legions should be used primarily for offense, NOT defense!
-Anyway, because of all of the chaos of 69 AD and the years surrounding it, the Germanic hordes had become more bold in their raids on Roman lands.
   -Shit finally reached a head when the Dacians invaded the Roman province of Moesia (basically modern-day Serbia and Kosovo). 
      -Domitian personally led a force to Moesia (along with some Praetorians and Cornelius Fuscus, a Praetorian prefect.
         -Domitian quickly drove off the Dacian army and then returned to Rome to celebrate his second triumph.  However, this triumph was premature, as when Fuscus was securing Moesia with four of the leftover legions, he stupidly led them into Dacia, thinking that the the territory was populated by a loose collection of tribes.
            -However, Dacia was in fact a legitimate kingdom and had been united under a powerful king named Decebalus by the Romans (which literally meant "He With the Strength of 10 Men").  Fuscus marched his legions right into a trap near Tapae (a fort located in modern-day Transylvania, Romania).  There, Fuscus and his army were completely slaughtered by the Dacians.  The Praetorian standard was also captured!
-Because of this epic blunder, Domitian marched three of the legions back to Moesia to secure it and to make sure that the Dacians wouldn't attempt a counterattack.
-87 and 88 AD- Domitian sent Roman legions into Dacia to crush Decebalus.
   -A second battle was actually fought again at Tapae, but this time the Romans achieved victory.
-January 1, 89 AD- Lucius Antonius Saturninus, a Roman senator and governor of Germania Superior, decided to lead a revolt against Domitian with his two legions.
   -Panicked, Domitian surprisingly signed a treaty with Decebalus which made Dacia a client kingdom of Rome (and also paid the kingdom a bunch of money to not invade Moesia), and in return Dacia would provide additional troops to help Domitian take on Saturninus.
      -Of course, once word got out about what went down it ended up being a huge political scandal for Domitian.