Gaius Atilius Regulus (consul 225 BC)
Encyclopedia
Gaius Atilius M.f. M.n. Regulus (killed 225 BC at Telamon
in battle
) was one of the two Roman consuls who fought a Celtic invasion of Italy in 225 BC-224 BC; he however was killed in battle and beheaded. Regulus came from a prominent family of consuls for four generations; the family originally hailed from southern Italy.
, the consul captured during the First Punic War
, and grandson of another Marcus Atilius Regulus
. His elder brother
was Roman consul
for the year 227 BC, together with Publius Valerius Flaccus, and consul suffectus for 217 BC replacing Gaius Flaminius
and later censor. An uncle of the same name was also twice consul during the First Punic War.
Regulus's father Marcus Atilius Regulus
died by 250 BC, by a manner debated subsequently by historians. (Most now believe Roman accounts of his barbaric death to be propaganda). His mother Marcia allegedly tortured two Punic prisoners to death in revenge. According to Livy, etc., the hostage consul had at least two surviving sons and one surviving daughter when he returned to Carthage.
, and was sent to quell a revolt in Sardinia
which he quickly accomplished. He then returned to the Italian mainland to fight the Gauls, and fell in the Battle of Telamon
.
, Atilius decided to engage the Gauls on his own. By being the first to engage hi battle, he hoped to get the larger share of the credit of the victory. However, his plans miscalculated when the Roman cavalry encountered the more experienced Celtic cavalry and was cut to pieces.
According to Polybius. Histories, 2.27-2.28 (bold emphasis added)
Regulus's death did not dismay his officers who continued the battle without him and won possession of the hill. However, the Roman victory was due to the Gaulish decision to face the battle both ways (according to historian Dr Aryeh Nusbacher
appearing in Time Commanders: Battle of Telamon) and thus divide their energies. The surviving consul Lucius Aemilius Papus
obtained sole credit for the victory, and was awarded a triumph.
It is not known if Regulus was married or left any surviving issue. No Atilii Reguli appear in subsequent histories.
Telamon
In Greek mythology, Telamon , son of the king Aeacus, of Aegina, and Endeis and brother of Peleus, accompanied Jason as one of his Argonauts, and was present at the hunt for the Calydonian Boar. In the Iliad he was the father of Greek heroes Ajax the Great and Teucer the Archer by different...
in battle
Battle of Telamon
The Battle of Telamon was fought between the Roman Republic and an alliance of Gauls in 225 BC. The Romans, led by the consuls Gaius Atilius Regulus and Lucius Aemilius Papus, defeated the Gauls, thus extending their influence over northern Italy....
) was one of the two Roman consuls who fought a Celtic invasion of Italy in 225 BC-224 BC; he however was killed in battle and beheaded. Regulus came from a prominent family of consuls for four generations; the family originally hailed from southern Italy.
Family
Regulus was a younger son of the Roman hero Marcus Atilius RegulusMarcus Atilius Regulus
Marcus Atilius Regulus , a general and consul in the ninth year of the First Punic War...
, the consul captured during the First Punic War
First Punic War
The First Punic War was the first of three wars fought between Ancient Carthage and the Roman Republic. For 23 years, the two powers struggled for supremacy in the western Mediterranean Sea, primarily on the Mediterranean island of Sicily and its surrounding waters but also to a lesser extent in...
, and grandson of another Marcus Atilius Regulus
Marcus Atilius Regulus (consul 294 BC)
Marcus Atilius Regulus, consul in 294 BC, was the second man from the gens Atilia to become consul of Rome..He succeeded an illustrious plebeian consul Publius Decius Mus who had "devoted himself to the gods," i.e., deliberately thrown himself into the thick of battle after due rituals to ensure...
. His elder brother
Marcus Atilius Regulus (consul 227 BC)
Marcus Atilius M.f. M.n. Regulus , a son of Marcus Atilius Regulus, the consul captured during the First Punic War, and grandson of Marcus Atilius Regulus , was Roman consul for the year 227 BC, together with Publius Valerius Flaccus, and was a consul suffectus in 217 BC, replacing Gaius Flaminius...
was Roman consul
Consul
Consul was the highest elected office of the Roman Republic and an appointive office under the Empire. The title was also used in other city states and also revived in modern states, notably in the First French Republic...
for the year 227 BC, together with Publius Valerius Flaccus, and consul suffectus for 217 BC replacing Gaius Flaminius
Gaius Flaminius
Gaius Flaminius Nepos was a politician and consul of the Roman Republic in the 3rd century BC. He was the greatest popular leader to challenge the authority of the Senate before the Gracchi a century later....
and later censor. An uncle of the same name was also twice consul during the First Punic War.
Regulus's father Marcus Atilius Regulus
Marcus Atilius Regulus
Marcus Atilius Regulus , a general and consul in the ninth year of the First Punic War...
died by 250 BC, by a manner debated subsequently by historians. (Most now believe Roman accounts of his barbaric death to be propaganda). His mother Marcia allegedly tortured two Punic prisoners to death in revenge. According to Livy, etc., the hostage consul had at least two surviving sons and one surviving daughter when he returned to Carthage.
Military career
He was elected consul in 225 BC as the plebeian consul with the patrician Lucius Aemilius PapusLucius Aemilius Papus
Lucius Aemilius Papus , or Lucius Aemilius Q.f. Cn.n. Papus, a member of the patrician gens Aemilia of the branch cognominated Papus, was a Roman general and statesman who led the Romans to victory over the Gauls in the Battle of Telamon in 225 BC.He was the son of Quintus Aemilius Papus, himself...
, and was sent to quell a revolt in Sardinia
Sardinia
Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...
which he quickly accomplished. He then returned to the Italian mainland to fight the Gauls, and fell in the Battle of Telamon
Battle of Telamon
The Battle of Telamon was fought between the Roman Republic and an alliance of Gauls in 225 BC. The Romans, led by the consuls Gaius Atilius Regulus and Lucius Aemilius Papus, defeated the Gauls, thus extending their influence over northern Italy....
.
Battle of Telamon
The consul had been sent to Sardinia, from where he returned with his legions. After hearing stories about the Celtic (or Gaulish) invasion of Etruria, the consul returned hastily to engage in battle. Since Roman consuls of this era desired triumphsRoman triumph
The Roman triumph was a civil ceremony and religious rite of ancient Rome, held to publicly celebrate and sanctify the military achievement of an army commander who had won great military successes, or originally and traditionally, one who had successfully completed a foreign war. In Republican...
, Atilius decided to engage the Gauls on his own. By being the first to engage hi battle, he hoped to get the larger share of the credit of the victory. However, his plans miscalculated when the Roman cavalry encountered the more experienced Celtic cavalry and was cut to pieces.
According to Polybius. Histories, 2.27-2.28 (bold emphasis added)
Just at this time, Gaius Atilius, the other Consul, had reached Pisa from Sardinia with his legions and was on his way to Rome, marching in the opposite direction to the enemy. When the Celts were near Telamon in Etruria, their advanced foragers encountered the advance guard of Gaius and were made prisoners. On being examined by the Consul they narrated all that had recently occurred and told him of the presence of the two armies, stating that the Gauls were quite near and Lucius behind them. The news surprised him but at the same time made him very hopeful, as he thought he had caught the Gauls on the march between the two armies. He ordered his Tribunes to put the legions in fighting order and to advance thus at marching pace in so far as the nature of the ground allowed the attack in line. He himself had happily noticed a hill situated above the road by which the Celts must pass, and taking his cavalry with him, advanced at full speed, being anxious to occupy the crest of the hill before their arrival and be the first to begin the battle, feeling certain that thus he would get the largest share of credit for the result.
At first the battle was confined to the hill, all the armies gazing on it, so great were the numbers of cavalry from each host combating there pell-mell. In this action Gaius the Consul fell in the mellay fighting with desperate courage, and his head was brought to the Celtic kings; but the Roman cavalry, after a stubborn struggle, at length overmastered the enemy and gained possession of the hill.
Regulus's death did not dismay his officers who continued the battle without him and won possession of the hill. However, the Roman victory was due to the Gaulish decision to face the battle both ways (according to historian Dr Aryeh Nusbacher
Aryeh Nusbacher
Lynette Nusbacher is a military historian and strategist appointed Senior Lecturer in War Studies at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, UK...
appearing in Time Commanders: Battle of Telamon) and thus divide their energies. The surviving consul Lucius Aemilius Papus
Lucius Aemilius Papus
Lucius Aemilius Papus , or Lucius Aemilius Q.f. Cn.n. Papus, a member of the patrician gens Aemilia of the branch cognominated Papus, was a Roman general and statesman who led the Romans to victory over the Gauls in the Battle of Telamon in 225 BC.He was the son of Quintus Aemilius Papus, himself...
obtained sole credit for the victory, and was awarded a triumph.
It is not known if Regulus was married or left any surviving issue. No Atilii Reguli appear in subsequent histories.
Sources
- LivyLivyTitus Livius — known as Livy in English — was a Roman historian who wrote a monumental history of Rome and the Roman people. Ab Urbe Condita Libri, "Chapters from the Foundation of the City," covering the period from the earliest legends of Rome well before the traditional foundation in 753 BC...
, History of Rome, Rev. Canon Roberts (translator), Ernest Rhys (Ed.); (1905) London: J. M. Dent & Sons, Ltd. - PolybiusPolybiusPolybius , Greek ) was a Greek historian of the Hellenistic Period noted for his work, The Histories, which covered the period of 220–146 BC in detail. The work describes in part the rise of the Roman Republic and its gradual domination over Greece...
, Histories, 2.28-2.28.