AULVS CAECINA ALIENUS, Roman general, was quaestor of Baetica in Spain (A.D. 68). On the death of Nero he supported Galba, who appointed him to the command of a legion in upper Germany but shortly afterwards ordered him to be prosecuted for embezzlement. Caecina went over to Vitellius and was sent to lead half the army into Italy, where Otho had made himself emperor. After crossing the Alps he was defeated near Cremona, but immediately afterwards he was joined by Valens with the rest of the Vitellian forces and the two defeated Otho at the de cisive battle of Bedriacum (Betriacum) . When Vespasian's sup porters invaded Italy, Caecina, who had been sent against them, turned traitor and tried to persuade his army to go over to Vespasian, but he was thrown into chains by the soldiers. After Vespasian's victory he was released and taken into favour, but in 79 he was implicated in a conspiracy against Vespasian and was put to death by order of Titus.
See Tacitus, Histories, i. 53, 61, 67-7o, ii. 20-25, 41-44, iii. 13; Dio Cassius lxv. 10-14, lxvi. 16; Plutarch, Otho, 7 ; Suetonius, Titus, 6; Zonares xi. 17.