Lucius Verginius Rufus
Encyclopedia
Lucius Verginius Rufus was a Roman
commander of upper Germany during the late 1st century. He was three times consul
(in 63, 69, and 97), born near Comum, the birthplace of the two Pliny
s.
Verginius Rufus was born in Northern Italy as a member of an equestrian family. He became consul in 63 under the emperor Nero
. After his consulship Verginius Rufus was made governor of Germania Superior
. When Gaius Iulius Vindex
revolted against Nero in 67, Verginius Rufus lead an army against him and defeated the rebel in 68 near modern day Besançon
. After Nero's fall, the legions under Verginius Rufus hailed him emperor as opposite to Servius Sulpicius Galba
but Verginius Rufus refused to accept the crown. After the death of Otho
in April 69, the soldiers again offered the throne to Verginius, but he again refused it. Verginius retreated to an estate at Alsium to the northwest of Rome, where he studied, composed poems, and had a literary salon, living calmly for thirty years, chiefly in his villa at Alsium
, on the coast of Etruria
. After the murder of Emperor Domitian
, Marcus Cocceius Nerva
was elected emperor by the senate. Nerva chose as his co-consul for 97 the elderly Verginius Rufus who was enticed out of retirement. However, when Verginius Rufus was to hold a speech, he dropped a book he was carrying, and while bending down to pick it up, slipped and broke his hip. He died not long afterward and was given a state funeral.
At the public burial with which he was honored, the historian Tacitus
(then consul) delivered the funeral oration. Pliny the Younger
, his neighbor and ward, has recorded the lines which Verginius had ordered to be engraved upon his tomb: Hic situs est Rufus, pulso qui Vindice quondam Imperium asseruit non sibi sed patriae ("Here lies Rufus, who after defeating Vindex, did not take power, but gave it to the fatherland").
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
commander of upper Germany during the late 1st century. He was three times 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 63, 69, and 97), born near Comum, the birthplace of the two Pliny
Pliny
- Persons :* Pliny the Elder , ancient Roman nobleman, scientist and historian, author of Naturalis Historia, "Pliny's Natural History"...
s.
Verginius Rufus was born in Northern Italy as a member of an equestrian family. He became consul in 63 under the emperor Nero
Nero
Nero , was Roman Emperor from 54 to 68, and the last in the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Nero was adopted by his great-uncle Claudius to become his heir and successor, and succeeded to the throne in 54 following Claudius' death....
. After his consulship Verginius Rufus was made governor of Germania Superior
Germania Superior
Germania Superior , so called for the reason that it lay upstream of Germania Inferior, was a province of the Roman Empire. It comprised an area of western Switzerland, the French Jura and Alsace regions, and southwestern Germany...
. When Gaius Iulius Vindex
Vindex
Gaius Iulius Vindex, of a noble Gaulish family of Aquitania given senatorial status under Claudius, was a Roman governor in the province of Gallia Lugdunensis. In either late 67 or early 68, he rebelled against the tax policy of the Emperor Nero...
revolted against Nero in 67, Verginius Rufus lead an army against him and defeated the rebel in 68 near modern day Besançon
Besançon
Besançon , is the capital and principal city of the Franche-Comté region in eastern France. It had a population of about 237,000 inhabitants in the metropolitan area in 2008...
. After Nero's fall, the legions under Verginius Rufus hailed him emperor as opposite to Servius Sulpicius Galba
Galba
Galba , was Roman Emperor for seven months from 68 to 69. Galba was the governor of Hispania Tarraconensis, and made a bid for the throne during the rebellion of Julius Vindex...
but Verginius Rufus refused to accept the crown. After the death of Otho
Otho
Otho , was Roman Emperor for three months, from 15 January to 16 April 69. He was the second emperor of the Year of the four emperors.- Birth and lineage :...
in April 69, the soldiers again offered the throne to Verginius, but he again refused it. Verginius retreated to an estate at Alsium to the northwest of Rome, where he studied, composed poems, and had a literary salon, living calmly for thirty years, chiefly in his villa at Alsium
Alsium
Alsium was an ancient city on the coast of Etruria, between Pyrgi and Fregenae, at the distance of 18 miles from the Portus Augusti at the mouth of the Tiber , on the Via Aurelia, by which it is about 35 km from Rome...
, on the coast of Etruria
Etruria
Etruria—usually referred to in Greek and Latin source texts as Tyrrhenia—was a region of Central Italy, an area that covered part of what now are Tuscany, Latium, Emilia-Romagna, and Umbria. A particularly noteworthy work dealing with Etruscan locations is D. H...
. After the murder of Emperor Domitian
Domitian
Domitian was Roman Emperor from 81 to 96. Domitian was the third and last emperor of the Flavian dynasty.Domitian's youth and early career were largely spent in the shadow of his brother Titus, who gained military renown during the First Jewish-Roman War...
, Marcus Cocceius Nerva
Nerva
Nerva , was Roman Emperor from 96 to 98. Nerva became Emperor at the age of sixty-five, after a lifetime of imperial service under Nero and the rulers of the Flavian dynasty. Under Nero, he was a member of the imperial entourage and played a vital part in exposing the Pisonian conspiracy of 65...
was elected emperor by the senate. Nerva chose as his co-consul for 97 the elderly Verginius Rufus who was enticed out of retirement. However, when Verginius Rufus was to hold a speech, he dropped a book he was carrying, and while bending down to pick it up, slipped and broke his hip. He died not long afterward and was given a state funeral.
At the public burial with which he was honored, the historian Tacitus
Tacitus
Publius Cornelius Tacitus was a senator and a historian of the Roman Empire. The surviving portions of his two major works—the Annals and the Histories—examine the reigns of the Roman Emperors Tiberius, Claudius, Nero and those who reigned in the Year of the Four Emperors...
(then consul) delivered the funeral oration. Pliny the Younger
Pliny the Younger
Gaius Plinius Caecilius Secundus, born Gaius Caecilius or Gaius Caecilius Cilo , better known as Pliny the Younger, was a lawyer, author, and magistrate of Ancient Rome. Pliny's uncle, Pliny the Elder, helped raise and educate him...
, his neighbor and ward, has recorded the lines which Verginius had ordered to be engraved upon his tomb: Hic situs est Rufus, pulso qui Vindice quondam Imperium asseruit non sibi sed patriae ("Here lies Rufus, who after defeating Vindex, did not take power, but gave it to the fatherland").