Lucius Valerius Flaccus (disambiguation)
Encyclopedia
Lucius Valerius Flaccus was the name of several notable Romans
of the Republican
era. Six held consulships
in the period from 261 BC to 86 BC; one also held a censorship.
Consuls include:
. He was flamen Martialis
at the time, and so was forbidden by his co-consul and religious superior, as Pontifex Maximus
since 132 BC, from taking the army to Asia Minor to fight the usurper Aristonicus
. Furthermore, Flaccus was fined by his co-consul. Mucianus was supported by the people of Rome who wished Flaccus to obey the ruling of the Pontifex, but they remitted the fine. Ironically, Mucianus himself violated prior taboos by leaving Italy with an army, something his kinsman the consul of 205 BC
had refused to do more than seventy years earlier. The subsequent political career or life of this Lucius Valerius Flaccus is unknown.
in 100 BC along with Gaius Marius
; Publius Rutilius Rufus
characterized Flaccus as "more slave than colleague" however. As censor in 97, he was noted for helping enroll more Italians as citizens.
He was made princeps senatus
in 86, and worked for agreement with Sulla
, eventually joining his party and securing Sulla's election as dictator
, for which Flaccus was rewarded with the post of magister equitum. Flaccus does not appear further, and is presumed to have died soon after.
Like his father, this Lucius Valerius Flaccus was also a Flamen Martialis
.
Another L. Valerius Flaccus was aedile
in 98 BC, but prosecuted (unsuccessfully) afterwards by Decianus
. Flaccus was then praetor
, then governor of Asia
. He was a suffect consul
in 86, taking command against Mithridates
, passing a law cancelling three-quarters of all debts, and leaving for Asia. He was murdered in a mutiny
by Gaius Flavius Fimbria
. He was the brother of the Gaius Valerius Flaccus
who was consul in 93 BC.
. He later served as military tribune
in Cilicia
, quaestor
in Hispania
under Piso
, a legate of Metellus
in Crete
. As urban praetor he was with Cicero
in the Conspiracy of Catiline
, and then governor in Asia. In 59 Cicero defended him in a speech. Flaccus was then a legate of a later Piso
, in Macedonia
.
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
of the Republican
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...
era. Six held consulships
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...
in the period from 261 BC to 86 BC; one also held a censorship.
Consuls include:
- Lucius Valerius Flaccus (consul 261 BC)Lucius Valerius Flaccus (consul 261 BC)Lucius Valerius Flaccus was a consul of the Roman Republic in 261 BC with Tiberius Otacilius Crassus. He was possibly the ancestor of all later consuls by that name, since he marks the first appearance of a Lucius Valerius Flaccus on the list of consuls. He and his consular colleague waged war in...
, the first consul bearing the name - Lucius Valerius Flaccus (consul 195 BC)Lucius Valerius Flaccus (consul 195 BC)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.-Family:...
L. Valerius Flaccus, consul 131 BC
Another Lucius Valerius Flaccus became consul in 131 BC, with Publius Licinius Crassus Dives MucianusPublius Licinius Crassus Dives Mucianus
Publius Licinius Crassus Dives Mucianus was the son by blood of Publius Mucius Scaevola, the consul of 175 BC, and brother of Publius Mucius Scaevola...
. He was flamen Martialis
Flamen Martialis
In ancient Roman religion, the Flamen Martialis was the high priest of the official state cult of Mars, the god of war. He was one of the flamines maiores, the three high priests who were the most important of the fifteen...
at the time, and so was forbidden by his co-consul and religious superior, as Pontifex Maximus
Pontifex Maximus
The Pontifex Maximus was the high priest of the College of Pontiffs in ancient Rome. This was the most important position in the ancient Roman religion, open only to patricians until 254 BC, when a plebeian first occupied this post...
since 132 BC, from taking the army to Asia Minor to fight the usurper Aristonicus
Aristonicus
Aristonicus may refer to:* Aristonicus of Pergamon, who as king became Eumenes III , and promised freedom to the slaves* Aristonicus of Alexandria, a grammarian and Homeric scholar* Aristonicus of Methymnae, a 4th century Lesbian tyrant...
. Furthermore, Flaccus was fined by his co-consul. Mucianus was supported by the people of Rome who wished Flaccus to obey the ruling of the Pontifex, but they remitted the fine. Ironically, Mucianus himself violated prior taboos by leaving Italy with an army, something his kinsman the consul of 205 BC
Publius Licinius Crassus Dives (consul 205 BC)
Publius Licinius Crassus Dives Pontifex Maximus was consul in 205 BC with Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus ; he was also Pontifex Maximus since 213 or 212 BC , and held several other important positions. Licinius Crassus is mentioned several times in Livy's Histories...
had refused to do more than seventy years earlier. The subsequent political career or life of this Lucius Valerius Flaccus is unknown.
L. Valerius Flaccus, consul 100 BC
Another L. Valerius Flaccus, apparently son of the consul of 131 BC, was consulConsul
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...
in 100 BC along with Gaius Marius
Gaius Marius
Gaius Marius was a Roman general and statesman. He was elected consul an unprecedented seven times during his career. He was also noted for his dramatic reforms of Roman armies, authorizing recruitment of landless citizens, eliminating the manipular military formations, and reorganizing the...
; Publius Rutilius Rufus
Publius Rutilius Rufus
Publius Rutilius Rufus was a Roman statesman, orator and historian of the Rutilius family, as well as great-uncle of Gaius Julius Caesar....
characterized Flaccus as "more slave than colleague" however. As censor in 97, he was noted for helping enroll more Italians as citizens.
He was made 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:...
in 86, and worked for agreement with Sulla
Lucius Cornelius Sulla
Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix , known commonly as Sulla, was a Roman general and statesman. He had the rare distinction of holding the office of consul twice, as well as that of dictator...
, eventually joining his party and securing Sulla's election as dictator
Roman dictator
In the Roman Republic, the dictator , was an extraordinary magistrate with the absolute authority to perform tasks beyond the authority of the ordinary magistrate . The office of dictator was a legal innovation originally named Magister Populi , i.e...
, for which Flaccus was rewarded with the post of magister equitum. Flaccus does not appear further, and is presumed to have died soon after.
Like his father, this Lucius Valerius Flaccus was also a Flamen Martialis
Flamen Martialis
In ancient Roman religion, the Flamen Martialis was the high priest of the official state cult of Mars, the god of war. He was one of the flamines maiores, the three high priests who were the most important of the fifteen...
.
L. Valerius Flaccus, suffect consul 86 BC
- Main article: Lucius Valerius Flaccus (suffect consul 86 BC)Lucius Valerius Flaccus (suffect consul 86 BC)Lucius Valerius Flaccus was the suffect consul who completed the term of Gaius Marius in 86 BC. He was sent as governor in that year to the Roman province of Asia, but was murdered in a mutiny by Fimbria during the turmoil of the Sullan civil wars and the Mithridatic Wars.Flaccus is also known for...
.
Another L. Valerius Flaccus was aedile
Aedile
Aedile was an office of the Roman Republic. Based in Rome, the aediles were responsible for maintenance of public buildings and regulation of public festivals. They also had powers to enforce public order. There were two pairs of aediles. Two aediles were from the ranks of plebeians and the other...
in 98 BC, but prosecuted (unsuccessfully) afterwards by Decianus
C. Appuleius Decianus
Gaius Appuleius Decianus was tribune of the plebs in 98 BC, known primarily for his connection to politically motivated prosecutions in the Late Roman Republic.-The case against P...
. Flaccus was then 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...
, then governor of Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
. He was a suffect 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...
in 86, taking command against Mithridates
Mithridates VI of Pontus
Mithridates VI or Mithradates VI Mithradates , from Old Persian Mithradatha, "gift of Mithra"; 134 BC – 63 BC, also known as Mithradates the Great and Eupator Dionysius, was king of Pontus and Armenia Minor in northern Anatolia from about 120 BC to 63 BC...
, passing a law cancelling three-quarters of all debts, and leaving for Asia. He was murdered in a mutiny
Mutiny
Mutiny is a conspiracy among members of a group of similarly situated individuals to openly oppose, change or overthrow an authority to which they are subject...
by Gaius Flavius Fimbria
Gaius Flavius Fimbria
Gaius Flavius Fimbria was a Roman politician and a violent partisan of Gaius Marius. He fought in the First Mithridatic War.-Partisan of Marius:...
. He was the brother of the Gaius Valerius Flaccus
Gaius Valerius Flaccus (consul 93 BCE)
Gaius Valerius Flaccus was a consul of the Roman Republic in 93 BC and a provincial governor in the late-90s and throughout the 80s...
who was consul in 93 BC.
L. Valerius Flaccus, praetor 63 BC
The previous Flaccus' son was also L. Valerius Flaccus (d. 54 BC). He served in Asia under his father, but fled to his uncle Gaius, who was in GaulGaul
Gaul was a region of Western Europe during the Iron Age and Roman era, encompassing present day France, Luxembourg and Belgium, most of Switzerland, the western part of Northern Italy, as well as the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the left bank of the Rhine. The Gauls were the speakers of...
. He later served as military tribune
Tribune
Tribune was a title shared by elected officials in the Roman Republic. Tribunes had the power to convene the Plebeian Council and to act as its president, which also gave them the right to propose legislation before it. They were sacrosanct, in the sense that any assault on their person was...
in Cilicia
Cilicia
In antiquity, Cilicia was the south coastal region of Asia Minor, south of the central Anatolian plateau. It existed as a political entity from Hittite times into the Byzantine empire...
, quaestor
Quaestor
A Quaestor was a type of public official in the "Cursus honorum" system who supervised financial affairs. In the Roman Republic a quaestor was an elected official whereas, with the autocratic government of the Roman Empire, quaestors were simply appointed....
in Hispania
Hispania
Another theory holds that the name derives from Ezpanna, the Basque word for "border" or "edge", thus meaning the farthest area or place. Isidore of Sevilla considered Hispania derived from Hispalis....
under Piso
Piso
The Piso family of ancient Rome was a prominent plebeian branch of the gens Calpurnia, descended from Calpus the son of Numa Pompilius. with at least 50 prominent Roman family members recognized...
, a legate of Metellus
Quintus Caecilius Metellus Creticus (died 55 BC)
Quintus Caecilius Metellus Creticus was a politically active member of theRoman upper class. He was praetor in 74 BC and pontifex from 73 BC until his death...
in Crete
Crete
Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...
. As urban praetor he was with Cicero
Cicero
Marcus Tullius Cicero , was a Roman philosopher, statesman, lawyer, political theorist, and Roman constitutionalist. He came from a wealthy municipal family of the equestrian order, and is widely considered one of Rome's greatest orators and prose stylists.He introduced the Romans to the chief...
in the Conspiracy of Catiline
Catiline
Lucius Sergius Catilina , known in English as Catiline, was a Roman politician of the 1st century BC who is best known for the Catiline conspiracy, an attempt to overthrow the Roman Republic, and in particular the power of the aristocratic Senate.-Family background:Catiline was born in 108 BC to...
, and then governor in Asia. In 59 Cicero defended him in a speech. Flaccus was then a legate of a later Piso
Piso
The Piso family of ancient Rome was a prominent plebeian branch of the gens Calpurnia, descended from Calpus the son of Numa Pompilius. with at least 50 prominent Roman family members recognized...
, in Macedonia
Macedonia (Roman province)
The Roman province of Macedonia was officially established in 146 BC, after the Roman general Quintus Caecilius Metellus defeated Andriscus of Macedon, the last Ancient King of Macedon in 148 BC, and after the four client republics established by Rome in the region were dissolved...
.