Manius Aemilius Lepidus (consul 66 BCE)
Encyclopedia
Manius Aemilius Lepidus was a Roman
politician who became consul
in 66 BC
alongside Lucius Volcatius Tullus
.
Aemilia clan, Lepidus was proquaestor in an eastern province between 84 BC
and 78 BC
. By 69 BC
he was elected to the post of praetor
and in 66 BC he was elected consul together with Lucius Volcatius Tullus
,
He is mentioned several times by Cicero
, but never attained much political importance. In 65, he is spoken of as one of the witnesses against Gaius Cornelius, whom Cicero defended. In 63 BC
, Catiline
offered to place himself in Lepidus's custody after Catiline was notified of an impending prosecution.
Aemilius belonged to the aristocratic party, but on the breaking out of the civil war
in 49 BC
, he retired to his Formia
n villa to watch the progress of events. Here he was in almost daily intercourse with Cicero, from whose letters we learn that Lepidus was resolved not to cross the sea with Gnaeus Pompeius
, but to yield to Julius Caesar
if the latter was likely to be victorious. He eventually returned to Rome in March.
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...
politician who became consul
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 66 BC
66 BC
Year 66 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Lepidus and Tullus...
alongside Lucius Volcatius Tullus
Lucius Volcatius Tullus (consul 66 BC)
Lucius Volcatius Tullus was a Roman politician who became consul in 66 BC alongside Manius Aemilius Lepidus.-Biography:Elected to the office of Praetor by 69 BC, and possibly Curator Viarum in 68 BC, Tullus was elected consul in 66 BC. During his consulate, it was brought to his attention that...
.
Biography
A member of the patricianPatrician
The term patrician originally referred to a group of elite families in ancient Rome, including both their natural and adopted members. In the late Roman Empire, the class was broadened to include high council officials, and after the fall of the Western Empire it remained a high honorary title in...
Aemilia clan, Lepidus was proquaestor in an eastern province between 84 BC
84 BC
Year 84 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Carbo and Cinna...
and 78 BC
78 BC
Year 78 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Lepidus and Catulus...
. By 69 BC
69 BC
Year 69 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Hortalus and Metellus...
he was elected to the post of 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...
and in 66 BC he was elected consul together with Lucius Volcatius Tullus
Lucius Volcatius Tullus (consul 66 BC)
Lucius Volcatius Tullus was a Roman politician who became consul in 66 BC alongside Manius Aemilius Lepidus.-Biography:Elected to the office of Praetor by 69 BC, and possibly Curator Viarum in 68 BC, Tullus was elected consul in 66 BC. During his consulate, it was brought to his attention that...
,
He is mentioned several times by 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...
, but never attained much political importance. In 65, he is spoken of as one of the witnesses against Gaius Cornelius, whom Cicero defended. In 63 BC
63 BC
Year 63 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Cicero and Hibrida...
, 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...
offered to place himself in Lepidus's custody after Catiline was notified of an impending prosecution.
Aemilius belonged to the aristocratic party, but on the breaking out of the civil war
Caesar's civil war
The Great Roman Civil War , also known as Caesar's Civil War, was one of the last politico-military conflicts in the Roman Republic before the establishment of the Roman Empire...
in 49 BC
49 BC
Year 49 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Lentulus and Marcellus...
, he retired to his Formia
Formia
Formia is a city and comune in the province of Latina, on the Mediterranean coast of Lazio . It is located halfway between Rome and Naples, and lies on the Roman-era Appian Way.-History:...
n villa to watch the progress of events. Here he was in almost daily intercourse with Cicero, from whose letters we learn that Lepidus was resolved not to cross the sea with Gnaeus Pompeius
Pompey
Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, also known as Pompey or Pompey the Great , was a military and political leader of the late Roman Republic...
, but to yield to Julius Caesar
Julius Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar was a Roman general and statesman and a distinguished writer of Latin prose. He played a critical role in the gradual transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire....
if the latter was likely to be victorious. He eventually returned to Rome in March.
Original Sources
- SallustSallustGaius Sallustius Crispus, generally known simply as Sallust , a Roman historian, belonged to a well-known plebeian family, and was born at Amiternum in the country of the Sabines...
, Bellum Catilinae, 18 - CiceroCiceroMarcus 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 CatilinamCatiline OrationsThe Catiline Orations or Catilinarian Orations were speeches given in 63 BC by Marcus Tullius Cicero, the consul of Rome, exposing to the Roman Senate the plot of Lucius Sergius Catilina and his allies to overthrow the Roman government....
, 1.6; Pro Sulla, 4; Ad Atticum, 7.12, 7.23, 8.1, 8.6, 8.9, 8.15, 9.1 - Dio CassiusDio CassiusLucius Cassius Dio Cocceianus , known in English as Cassius Dio, Dio Cassius, or Dio was a Roman consul and a noted historian writing in Greek...
, Roman History, 36.42 - AsconiusAsconius PedianusQuintus Asconius Pedianus , Roman grammarian and historian, was probably a native of Patavium .In his later years he resided in Rome, and there he died, after having been blind for twelve years, at the age of eighty-five. During the reigns of Claudius and Nero he compiled for his sons, from various...
, in Cornel. p. 66, ed. Orelli