Pacuvius Calavius
Encyclopedia
Pacuvius Calavius was the chief magistrate of Capua
during the Second Punic War
. In the aftermath of the Battle of Lake Trasimene
, he prevented the people of Capua from surrendering the city to Hannibal. When the Capuans finally capitulated, he dissuaded his son from a rash attempt on the life of the Carthaginian
general.
n family of the Calavii
, which first appeared in history a century earlier, during the Great Samnite War
. He was connected by marriage with some of the leading families at Rome. His wife, Claudia, was the daughter of Publius Claudius Pulcher, consul in 249 B.C., and his daughter, Calavia, married Marcus Livius Salinator
, consul in 219 and 207 B.C. He may have had a brother, Sthenius, but the historian Livius
states that he was one of the Ninnii Celeres
.
In 218 B.C., Hannibal invaded Italy, and began his relentless march down the peninsula, inflicting devastating losses at the Battle of the Trebia
, and the following year at the Battle of Lake Trasimene. As Hannibal approached Campania, Calavius, who was chief magistrate of Capua, apprehended that the people were so frightened by the approach of the Carthaginian forces, that they would demand the surrender of the city, and perhaps massacre the Capuan senate, which opposed capitulation.
He proposed that the people should proceed with their plan to try the senators and sentence them as they saw fit; but for each senator executed, the people should first choose a better man to replace him. The citizens quickly found that it was easier to condemn their leaders than to agree on their replacements, and again entrusted themselves to the senate.
in 216 B.C., Hannibal entered Campania, and the city yielded to the inevitable. Making Capua his winter quarters, Hannibal invited Calavius and his son, Perolla, to a banquet at the house of another noble family, the Ninii Celeres
. Perolla was a supporter of Decius Magius, who had opposed Hannibal's entry into the city, and argued for an alliance with Rome. It was Hannibal's plan to win over the Capuan nobility, whom he knew to be hostile to him.
During the banquet, Perolla, who made no pretense of enjoying himself, followed his father into the garden, and revealed a sword, with which he proposed to assassinate the Carthaginian general. Horrified, Calavius pleaded with his son to reconsider, arguing that such a deed, even if accomplished, would be a betrayal both of the young man's father and his city; and furthermore, that the plan was unlikely to succeed, but Perolla would certainly be cut down in the attempt. Persuaded by his father's entreaties, the younger Calavius threw his sword over the garden wall and returned to the hall.
Capua
Capua is a city and comune in the province of Caserta, Campania, southern Italy, situated 25 km north of Naples, on the northeastern edge of the Campanian plain. Ancient Capua was situated where Santa Maria Capua Vetere is now...
during 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...
. In the aftermath of the Battle of Lake Trasimene
Battle of Lake Trasimene
The Battle of Lake Trasimene was a Roman defeat in the Second Punic War between the Carthaginians under Hannibal and the Romans under the consul Gaius Flaminius...
, he prevented the people of Capua from surrendering the city to Hannibal. When the Capuans finally capitulated, he dissuaded his son from a rash attempt on the life of the Carthaginian
Carthage
Carthage , implying it was a 'new Tyre') is a major urban centre that has existed for nearly 3,000 years on the Gulf of Tunis, developing from a Phoenician colony of the 1st millennium BC...
general.
Background
Calavius was descended from the noble CampaniaCampania
Campania is a region in southern Italy. The region has a population of around 5.8 million people, making it the second-most-populous region of Italy; its total area of 13,590 km² makes it the most densely populated region in the country...
n family of the Calavii
Calavia (gens)
The gens Calavia was a distinguished Campanian family of Roman times. Several members of the gens were involved in the events of the Samnite Wars and during the Second Punic War...
, which first appeared in history a century earlier, during the Great Samnite War
Samnite Wars
The First, Second, and Third Samnite Wars, between the early Roman Republic and the tribes of Samnium, extended over half a century, involving almost all the states of Italy, and ended in Roman domination of the Samnites...
. He was connected by marriage with some of the leading families at Rome. His wife, Claudia, was the daughter of Publius Claudius Pulcher, consul in 249 B.C., and his daughter, Calavia, married Marcus Livius Salinator
Marcus Livius Salinator
Marcus Livius Drusus Salinator , the son of Marcus , was a Roman consul who fought in both the First Punic wars and Second Punic wars most notably during the Battle of Zama....
, consul in 219 and 207 B.C. He may have had a brother, Sthenius, but the historian Livius
Livy
Titus 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...
states that he was one of the Ninnii Celeres
Sthenius and Pacuvius Ninnius Celer
Sthenius and Pacuvius Ninnius Celer were brothers, and members of the noble Capuan house of the Ninnii Celeres, during the Second Punic War. Following the Battle of Cannae in 216 B.C., Hannibal advanced upon the city of Capua, which opened its gates to him, as defeat otherwise seemed inevitable...
.
In 218 B.C., Hannibal invaded Italy, and began his relentless march down the peninsula, inflicting devastating losses at the Battle of the Trebia
Battle of the Trebia
The Battle of the Trebia was the first major battle of the Second Punic War, fought between the Carthaginian forces of Hannibal and the Roman Republic in December of 218 BC, on or around the winter solstice...
, and the following year at the Battle of Lake Trasimene. As Hannibal approached Campania, Calavius, who was chief magistrate of Capua, apprehended that the people were so frightened by the approach of the Carthaginian forces, that they would demand the surrender of the city, and perhaps massacre the Capuan senate, which opposed capitulation.
Calavius reconciles the senate and the people
In order to prevent the collapse of the Capuan government, Calavius devised a clever plan to bring about the reconciliation of the senate and the people. He assembled the senate, and warned them of their peril. On his assurance that he could preserve their lives, the senators allowed themselves to be shut in the senate-house under guard. Calavius went out to meet the people, and presented them with a surprising option.He proposed that the people should proceed with their plan to try the senators and sentence them as they saw fit; but for each senator executed, the people should first choose a better man to replace him. The citizens quickly found that it was easier to condemn their leaders than to agree on their replacements, and again entrusted themselves to the senate.
The attempt on Hannibal
Following the disaster of the Battle of CannaeBattle of Cannae
The Battle of Cannae was a major battle of the Second Punic War, which took place on August 2, 216 BC near the town of Cannae in Apulia in southeast Italy. The army of Carthage under Hannibal decisively defeated a numerically superior army of the Roman Republic under command of the consuls Lucius...
in 216 B.C., Hannibal entered Campania, and the city yielded to the inevitable. Making Capua his winter quarters, Hannibal invited Calavius and his son, Perolla, to a banquet at the house of another noble family, the Ninii Celeres
Sthenius and Pacuvius Ninnius Celer
Sthenius and Pacuvius Ninnius Celer were brothers, and members of the noble Capuan house of the Ninnii Celeres, during the Second Punic War. Following the Battle of Cannae in 216 B.C., Hannibal advanced upon the city of Capua, which opened its gates to him, as defeat otherwise seemed inevitable...
. Perolla was a supporter of Decius Magius, who had opposed Hannibal's entry into the city, and argued for an alliance with Rome. It was Hannibal's plan to win over the Capuan nobility, whom he knew to be hostile to him.
During the banquet, Perolla, who made no pretense of enjoying himself, followed his father into the garden, and revealed a sword, with which he proposed to assassinate the Carthaginian general. Horrified, Calavius pleaded with his son to reconsider, arguing that such a deed, even if accomplished, would be a betrayal both of the young man's father and his city; and furthermore, that the plan was unlikely to succeed, but Perolla would certainly be cut down in the attempt. Persuaded by his father's entreaties, the younger Calavius threw his sword over the garden wall and returned to the hall.