Editing Principate (section)

=== Redefinition under Vespasian ===
With the fall of the [[Julio-Claudian dynasty]] in AD 68, the ''principate'' became more formalized under the Emperor [[Vespasian]] from AD 69 onwards.<ref>J Boardman ed, ''The Oxford History of the Classical World'' (1991) p. 561</ref> The position of ''princeps'' became a distinct entity within the broader – formally still republican – [[Roman constitution]]. While many of the same cultural and political expectations remained, the civilian aspect of the Augustan ideal of the ''princeps'' gradually gave way to the military role of the imperator.<ref>J Boardman ed, ''The Oxford History of the Classical World'' (1991) pp. 561, 573</ref>  Rule was no longer a position (even notionally) extended on the basis of merit, or ''[[auctoritas]]'', but on a firmer basis, allowing Vespasian and future emperors to designate their own heir without those heirs having to earn the position through years of success and public favor.