Lucius Valerius Flaccus (consul 195 BC)
Encyclopedia
Lucius Valerius Flaccus was a consul
of the Roman Republic
in 195 BC and censor in 183 BC, serving both times with his great friend Cato the Elder
, whom he brought to the notice of the Roman political elite.
Gaius Valerius Flaccus, who made a respectable political career as praetor
, though not consul. Both men were apparently sons of the consul Publius Valerius Flaccus; the father had been elected consul for 227 BC with M. Atilius Regulus
.
soldier Marcus Porcius Cato, later called Cato the Elder, during the earlier years of the Second Punic War
. Flaccus is possibly the Valerius Flaccus who was a military tribune
in 212 BC, serving under the consuls who captured Hanno
's camp at Beneventum.
Flaccus was curule aedile in 201 BC. He was probably the L. Valerius Flaccus who was a legate
under the praetor L. Furius Purpurio in Gaul
in 200. As praetor
in 199, he was assigned to the province of Sicily
. Flaccus received Italy as his province when he was consul in 195 BC, and continued to wage war as proconsul
the following year against the Gauls, with a victory over the Insubres
at Mediolanum (Milan
). In 191 Flaccus was a legate under M'. Acilius Glabrio
in the war against the Aetolians
and at the Battle of Thermopylae
.
In 190, Flaccus served on the three-man commission (triumviri coloniis deducendis) created to strengthen Placentia
and Cremona
. His fellow commissioners were M. Atilius Serranus (praetor 174 BC) and L. Valerius Tappo (praetor 192 BC). The following year, the commission founded Bononia
(modern Bologna
) as a Roman colony (colonia).
In a "hotly contested" election, Flaccus became censor
along with Cato in 184. Their censorship was noted for its severity: L. Flaminius, the consul of 192, was kicked out of the senate
; Scipio Asiaticus
, the consul of 190, lost his equestrian rank; and public contracts were leased stringently. The two men shared common conservative
political sympathies and cultural outlook, and were loyal to the military and political views of the older generation represented by Quintus Fabius Maximus
. Both he and Cato sought to defend Roman tradition against Hellenism
.
Flaccus was a member of the College of Pontiffs
from 196, when he succeeded M. Cornelius Cethegus
, until his death.
Flaccus became princeps senatus
when Scipio Africanus Major died in 183. He himself died three years later.
Roman consul
A consul served in the highest elected political office of the Roman Republic.Each year, two consuls were elected together, to serve for a one-year term. Each consul was given veto power over his colleague and the officials would alternate each month...
of the Roman Republic
Roman Republic
The Roman Republic was the period of the ancient Roman civilization where the government operated as a republic. It began with the overthrow of the Roman monarchy, traditionally dated around 508 BC, and its replacement by a government headed by two consuls, elected annually by the citizens and...
in 195 BC and censor in 183 BC, serving both times with his great friend Cato the Elder
Cato the Elder
Marcus Porcius Cato was a Roman statesman, commonly referred to as Censorius , Sapiens , Priscus , or Major, Cato the Elder, or Cato the Censor, to distinguish him from his great-grandson, Cato the Younger.He came of an ancient Plebeian family who all were noted for some...
, whom he brought to the notice of the Roman political elite.
Family
Flaccus was a patrician and son of the Publius Valerius Flaccus who was consul in 227 BC. His brother was the flamen dialisFlamen Dialis
In ancient Roman religion, the Flamen Dialis was the high priest of Jupiter. There were 15 flamines, of which three were flamines maiores, serving the three gods of the Archaic Triad...
Gaius Valerius Flaccus, who made a respectable political career as praetor
Praetor
Praetor was a title granted by the government of Ancient Rome to men acting in one of two official capacities: the commander of an army, usually in the field, or the named commander before mustering the army; and an elected magistratus assigned varied duties...
, though not consul. Both men were apparently sons of the consul Publius Valerius Flaccus; the father had been elected consul for 227 BC with M. Atilius Regulus
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...
.
Career
The patrician Flaccus became a friend, political patron, and ally of the young plebeianPlebs
The plebs was the general body of free land-owning Roman citizens in Ancient Rome. They were distinct from the higher order of the patricians. A member of the plebs was known as a plebeian...
soldier Marcus Porcius Cato, later called Cato the Elder, during the earlier years of the Second Punic War
Second Punic War
The Second Punic War, also referred to as The Hannibalic War and The War Against Hannibal, lasted from 218 to 201 BC and involved combatants in the western and eastern Mediterranean. This was the second major war between Carthage and the Roman Republic, with the participation of the Berbers on...
. Flaccus is possibly the Valerius Flaccus who was a military tribune
Military tribune
A military tribune was an officer of the Roman army who ranked below the legate and above the centurion...
in 212 BC, serving under the consuls who captured Hanno
Hanno the Elder
Hanno the Elder was a Carthaginian general who served under Hannibal during the Second Punic War. According to the historian Livy, his track record was terrible: in 215 BC he was defeated by Tiberius Sempronius Longus at Grumentum, in 214 BC he was defeated by Gracchus at Beneventum, two years...
's camp at Beneventum.
Flaccus was curule aedile in 201 BC. He was probably the L. Valerius Flaccus who was a legate
Legatus
A legatus was a general in the Roman army, equivalent to a modern general officer. Being of senatorial rank, his immediate superior was the dux, and he outranked all military tribunes...
under the praetor L. Furius Purpurio in Gaul
Cisalpine Gaul
Cisalpine Gaul, in Latin: Gallia Cisalpina or Citerior, also called Gallia Togata, was a Roman province until 41 BC when it was merged into Roman Italy.It bore the name Gallia, because the great body of its inhabitants, after the expulsion of the Etruscans, consisted of Gauls or Celts...
in 200. As praetor
Praetor
Praetor was a title granted by the government of Ancient Rome to men acting in one of two official capacities: the commander of an army, usually in the field, or the named commander before mustering the army; and an elected magistratus assigned varied duties...
in 199, he was assigned to the province of Sicily
Sicilia (Roman province)
Sicilia was the first province acquired by the Roman Republic, organized in 241 BC as a proconsular governed territory, in the aftermath of the First Punic War with Carthage. It included Sicily and Malta...
. Flaccus received Italy as his province when he was consul in 195 BC, and continued to wage war as proconsul
Proconsul
A proconsul was a governor of a province in the Roman Republic appointed for one year by the senate. In modern usage, the title has been used for a person from one country ruling another country or bluntly interfering in another country's internal affairs.-Ancient Rome:In the Roman Republic, a...
the following year against the Gauls, with a victory over the Insubres
Insubres
The Insubres were a Gaulish population settled in Insubria, in what is now Lombardy . They were the founders of Milan . Though ethnically Celtic at the time of Roman conquest , they were most likely the result of the fusion of pre-existing Ligurian, Celtic and "Italic" population strata with Gaulish...
at Mediolanum (Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
). In 191 Flaccus was a legate under M'. Acilius Glabrio
Manius Acilius Glabrio
Manius Acilius Glabrio, Roman statesman and general, grandson of the famous jurist P. Mucius Scaevola.When praetor urbanus he presided at the trial of Verres. According to Dio Cassius , in conjunction with L...
in the war against the Aetolians
Aetolian League
The Aetolian League was a confederation of tribal communities and cities in ancient Greece centered on Aetolia in central Greece. It was established, probably during the early Hellenistic era, in opposition to Macedon and the Achaean League. Two annual meetings were held in Thermika and Panaetolika...
and at the Battle of Thermopylae
Battle of Thermopylae (191 BC)
The Battle of Thermopylae was fought in 191 BC between a Roman army led by consul Manius Acilius Glabrio and a Seleucid force led by King Antiochus III the Great. The Romans were victorious, and as a result, Antiochus was forced to flee Greece. It was described by Appian and by Livy at...
.
In 190, Flaccus served on the three-man commission (triumviri coloniis deducendis) created to strengthen Placentia
Piacenza
Piacenza is a city and comune in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Piacenza...
and Cremona
Cremona
Cremona is a city and comune in northern Italy, situated in Lombardy, on the left bank of the Po River in the middle of the Pianura Padana . It is the capital of the province of Cremona and the seat of the local City and Province governments...
. His fellow commissioners were M. Atilius Serranus (praetor 174 BC) and L. Valerius Tappo (praetor 192 BC). The following year, the commission founded Bononia
Bononia
Bononia is the Roman name of several cities, including:* Bologna, Italy* Boulogne-sur-Mer, France* Vidin, Bulgaria* Banoštor, Serbia...
(modern Bologna
Bologna
Bologna is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna, in the Po Valley of Northern Italy. The city lies between the Po River and the Apennine Mountains, more specifically, between the Reno River and the Savena River. Bologna is a lively and cosmopolitan Italian college city, with spectacular history,...
) as a Roman colony (colonia).
In a "hotly contested" election, Flaccus became censor
Censor (ancient Rome)
The censor was an officer in ancient Rome who was responsible for maintaining the census, supervising public morality, and overseeing certain aspects of the government's finances....
along with Cato in 184. Their censorship was noted for its severity: L. Flaminius, the consul of 192, was kicked out of the senate
Roman Senate
The Senate of the Roman Republic was a political institution in the ancient Roman Republic, however, it was not an elected body, but one whose members were appointed by the consuls, and later by the censors. After a magistrate served his term in office, it usually was followed with automatic...
; Scipio Asiaticus
Scipio Asiaticus
Lucius Cornelius Scipio Asiaticus was a Roman general and statesman. He was the son of Publius Cornelius Scipio and the older brother of Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus...
, the consul of 190, lost his equestrian rank; and public contracts were leased stringently. The two men shared common conservative
Optimates
The optimates were the traditionalist majority of the late Roman Republic. They wished to limit the power of the popular assemblies and the Tribunes of the Plebs, and to extend the power of the Senate, which was viewed as more dedicated to the interests of the aristocrats who held the reins of power...
political sympathies and cultural outlook, and were loyal to the military and political views of the older generation represented by Quintus Fabius Maximus
Quintus Fabius Maximus
Quintus Fabius Maximus most commonly refers to;*Quintus Fabius Maximus*A number of ancient Romans from the gens Fabia.The ancient Romans that share the name Quintus Fabius Maximus include:* Quintus Fabius Maximus, augur 203–196 BC....
. Both he and Cato sought to defend Roman tradition against Hellenism
Hellenization
Hellenization is a term used to describe the spread of ancient Greek culture, and, to a lesser extent, language. It is mainly used to describe the spread of Hellenistic civilization during the Hellenistic period following the campaigns of Alexander the Great of Macedon...
.
Flaccus was a member of the College of Pontiffs
College of Pontiffs
The College of Pontiffs or Collegium Pontificum was a body of the ancient Roman state whose members were the highest-ranking priests of the polytheistic state religion. The college consisted of the Pontifex Maximus, the Vestal Virgins, the Rex Sacrorum, and the flamines...
from 196, when he succeeded M. Cornelius Cethegus
Marcus Cornelius Cethegus
Marcus Cornelius Cethegus was a Roman Republican consul and censor during the Second Punic War, best known as a political ally of his kinsman Scipio Africanus.-Political career:...
, until his death.
Flaccus became princeps senatus
Princeps senatus
The princeps senatus was the first member by precedence of the Roman Senate. Although officially out of the cursus honorum and owning no imperium, this office brought enormous prestige to the senator holding it.-Overview:...
when Scipio Africanus Major died in 183. He himself died three years later.