Claim: Titus destroyed the Second Temple in 70.

Titus -LRB- Titus Flāvius Caesar Vespasiānus Augustus 30 December 39 AD -- 13 September 81 AD -RRB- was Roman emperor from 79 to 81 . A member of the Flavian dynasty , Titus succeeded his father Vespasian upon his death , thus becoming the first Roman Emperor to come to the throne after his own biological father .   Prior to becoming Emperor , Titus gained renown as a military commander , serving under his father in Judea during the First Jewish -- Roman War . The campaign came to a brief halt with the death of emperor Nero in 68 , launching Vespasian 's bid for the imperial power during the Year of the Four Emperors . When Vespasian was declared Emperor on 1 July 69 , Titus was left in charge of ending the Jewish rebellion . In 70 , he besieged and captured Jerusalem , and destroyed the city and the Second Temple . For this achievement Titus was awarded a triumph : the Arch of Titus commemorates his victory to this day .   Under the rule of his father , Titus gained notoriety in Rome serving as prefect of the Praetorian Guard , and for carrying on a controversial relationship with the Jewish queen Berenice . Despite concerns over his character , Titus ruled to great acclaim following the death of Vespasian in 79 , and was considered a good emperor by Suetonius and other contemporary historians .   As emperor , he is best known for completing the Colosseum and for his generosity in relieving the suffering caused by two disasters , the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79 and a fire in Rome in 80 . After barely two years in office , Titus died of a fever on 13 September 81 . He was deified by the Roman Senate and succeeded by his younger brother Domitian .