Publius Servilius Vatia Isauricus (consul 48 BCE)
Encyclopedia
Publius Servilius Vatia Isauricus was a Roman
Consul
elected in 48 BC
along with Gaius Julius Caesar
. He is generally regarded as a puppet of Caesar, having a long friendship with the Dictator. He was the son of Publius Servilius Vatia Isauricus
.
In 54 BC
Vatia was praetor
. As praetor he opposed Pomptinus in his endeavour to obtain a triumph. At the start of the civil war, Vatia defected from the optimates to Caesar. Caesar made him his colleague as consul for 48 BC
. Caesar soon left Rome to fight Pompey in Greece and left Vatia in command of the city.
Vatia Isauricus became a very controversial figure after Caesar left him in Rome as the sole head of state while Caesar went to do battle with Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus. Along with Gaius Trebonius
, Vatia Isauricus was seen as the perpetrator of the complete destruction of the Roman economy in the 1st Century B.C., and of the populist
leader and magistrate
Marcus Caelius Rufus
who led a mob against the regime in 48 B.C.
In March, Caelius began talking of abolishing all debt in the city, as even the upper classes had begun to feel the pressure of money, Marcus Tullius Cicero's wife Terentia was forced to sell most of her jewelry. Caelius had no jurisdiction on the standing of debts, his only magistracy being in the administration of foreigners in Rome. Trebonius was to handle debts.
After setting up a tribunal
within earshot of Trebonius's in the Forum
for the second time, Vatia Isauricus himself went to the Forum to confront the rogue magistrate, followed by a retinue of fasces
-wielding guards. After a heated argument on the tribunal, Vatia Isauricus famously pulled an axe out of one of the fasces and destroyed Caelius's wooden magistrate's chair. Caelius and Vatia Isauricus nearly came to blows, and the mob became so confrontational with the Consul that the guards actually needed to unsheathe their axes to ward off the mobbing crowd.
Vatia Isauricus was further insulted by Caelius in May of the same year, when he returned to the Forum to demand an abolishment of all debts, no matter what size or to whom, in Rome. Some believe that Caelius's demands were in reaction to Vatia Isauricus's whispered threats of arresting Caelius. No matter who made the first wrong move, Vatia Isauricus had troops that were passing through Rome on their way to the war between Caesar and Pompey, and used them. They fought their way through the Forum to try and reach Caelius, but were attacked by the Roman mob, the first time Roman citizens had attacked their own troops within the city.
Caelius made fun of Vatia Isauricus by holding up his repaired magistrate's chair, which was held together with leather straps. Famously, Vatia Isauricus was beaten by his father with a strap of leather, which was shameful for the family name, though Vatia Isauricus himself claimed it had toughened him up. Caelius repeatedly escaped Vatia Isauricus, and was not arrested but went to join Titus Annius Milo
in an insurrection against Caesar, and were both captured and executed.
After Caesar's murder, Vatia took the side of the Senate against Mark Antony
. When Octavian
, to whom Vatia's daughter Servilia was engaged to be married, deserted the cause of the Senate and made peace with Mark Anthony, Vatia deserted the cause of the Senate as well. On the formation of the triumvirate, Octavian broke his engagement with Servilia in order to marry Claudia, the daughter of Fulvia
, the wife of Antonius. As a compensation for this injury Vatia was made consul in 41 BC
with Lucius Antonius
as his colleague.
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...
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...
elected in 48 BC
48 BC
Year 48 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Caesar and Vatia...
along with Gaius 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....
. He is generally regarded as a puppet of Caesar, having a long friendship with the Dictator. He was the son of Publius Servilius Vatia Isauricus
Publius Servilius Vatia Isauricus (consul 79 BCE)
Publius Servilius Vatia Isauricus , son of Gaius Servilius Vatia and wife Caecilia Metella, daughter of Quintus Caecilius Metellus Macedonicus, was a Praetor in 84 BC and a Roman Consul, appointed by the dictator Lucius Cornelius Sulla for 79 BC...
.
In 54 BC
54 BC
Year 54 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Appius and Ahenobarbus...
Vatia was 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...
. As praetor he opposed Pomptinus in his endeavour to obtain a triumph. At the start of the civil war, Vatia defected from the optimates to Caesar. Caesar made him his colleague as consul for 48 BC
48 BC
Year 48 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Caesar and Vatia...
. Caesar soon left Rome to fight Pompey in Greece and left Vatia in command of the city.
Vatia Isauricus became a very controversial figure after Caesar left him in Rome as the sole head of state while Caesar went to do battle with Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus. Along with Gaius Trebonius
Trebonius
Gaius Trebonius was a military commander and politician of the late Roman Republic, a trusted associate of Julius Caesar who was later among those instigating the plot to assassinate the Dictator.-Biography:...
, Vatia Isauricus was seen as the perpetrator of the complete destruction of the Roman economy in the 1st Century B.C., and of the populist
Populism
Populism can be defined as an ideology, political philosophy, or type of discourse. Generally, a common theme compares "the people" against "the elite", and urges social and political system changes. It can also be defined as a rhetorical style employed by members of various political or social...
leader and magistrate
Magistrate
A magistrate is an officer of the state; in modern usage the term usually refers to a judge or prosecutor. This was not always the case; in ancient Rome, a magistratus was one of the highest government officers and possessed both judicial and executive powers. Today, in common law systems, a...
Marcus Caelius Rufus
Marcus Caelius Rufus
Marcus Caelius Rufus was an orator and politician in the late Roman Republic. He was born into a wealthy equestrian family from Interamnia Praetuttiorum , on the central east coast of Italy...
who led a mob against the regime in 48 B.C.
In March, Caelius began talking of abolishing all debt in the city, as even the upper classes had begun to feel the pressure of money, Marcus Tullius Cicero's wife Terentia was forced to sell most of her jewelry. Caelius had no jurisdiction on the standing of debts, his only magistracy being in the administration of foreigners in Rome. Trebonius was to handle debts.
After setting up a tribunal
Tribunal
A tribunal in the general sense is any person or institution with the authority to judge, adjudicate on, or determine claims or disputes—whether or not it is called a tribunal in its title....
within earshot of Trebonius's in the Forum
Roman Forum
The Roman Forum is a rectangular forum surrounded by the ruins of several important ancient government buildings at the center of the city of Rome. Citizens of the ancient city referred to this space, originally a marketplace, as the Forum Magnum, or simply the Forum...
for the second time, Vatia Isauricus himself went to the Forum to confront the rogue magistrate, followed by a retinue of fasces
Fasces
Fasces are a bundle of wooden sticks with an axe blade emerging from the center, which is an image that traditionally symbolizes summary power and jurisdiction, and/or "strength through unity"...
-wielding guards. After a heated argument on the tribunal, Vatia Isauricus famously pulled an axe out of one of the fasces and destroyed Caelius's wooden magistrate's chair. Caelius and Vatia Isauricus nearly came to blows, and the mob became so confrontational with the Consul that the guards actually needed to unsheathe their axes to ward off the mobbing crowd.
Vatia Isauricus was further insulted by Caelius in May of the same year, when he returned to the Forum to demand an abolishment of all debts, no matter what size or to whom, in Rome. Some believe that Caelius's demands were in reaction to Vatia Isauricus's whispered threats of arresting Caelius. No matter who made the first wrong move, Vatia Isauricus had troops that were passing through Rome on their way to the war between Caesar and Pompey, and used them. They fought their way through the Forum to try and reach Caelius, but were attacked by the Roman mob, the first time Roman citizens had attacked their own troops within the city.
Caelius made fun of Vatia Isauricus by holding up his repaired magistrate's chair, which was held together with leather straps. Famously, Vatia Isauricus was beaten by his father with a strap of leather, which was shameful for the family name, though Vatia Isauricus himself claimed it had toughened him up. Caelius repeatedly escaped Vatia Isauricus, and was not arrested but went to join Titus Annius Milo
Titus Annius Milo
Titus Annius Milo Papianus was a Roman political agitator, the son of Gaius Papius Celsus, but adopted by his maternal grandfather, Titus Annius Luscus...
in an insurrection against Caesar, and were both captured and executed.
After Caesar's murder, Vatia took the side of the Senate against Mark Antony
Mark Antony
Marcus Antonius , known in English as Mark Antony, was a Roman politician and general. As a military commander and administrator, he was an important supporter and loyal friend of his mother's cousin Julius Caesar...
. When Octavian
Augustus
Augustus ;23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14) is considered the first emperor of the Roman Empire, which he ruled alone from 27 BC until his death in 14 AD.The dates of his rule are contemporary dates; Augustus lived under two calendars, the Roman Republican until 45 BC, and the Julian...
, to whom Vatia's daughter Servilia was engaged to be married, deserted the cause of the Senate and made peace with Mark Anthony, Vatia deserted the cause of the Senate as well. On the formation of the triumvirate, Octavian broke his engagement with Servilia in order to marry Claudia, the daughter of Fulvia
Fulvia
Fulvia Flacca Bambula , commonly referred to as simply Fulvia, was an aristocratic Roman woman who lived during the Late Roman Republic. Through her marriage to three of the most promising Roman men of her generation, Publius Clodius Pulcher, Gaius Scribonius Curio and Mark Antony, she gained...
, the wife of Antonius. As a compensation for this injury Vatia was made consul in 41 BC
41 BC
Year 41 BC was either a common year starting on Wednesday or Thursday or a leap year starting on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday of the Julian calendar and a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Proleptic Julian calendar...
with Lucius Antonius
Lucius Antonius (brother of Mark Antony)
Lucius Antonius was the younger brother and supporter of Mark Antony, a Roman politician.Lucius was son of Marcus Antonius Creticus, son of the rhetorician Marcus Antonius Orator executed by Gaius Marius' supporters in 86 BC, and Julia Antonia, a cousin of Julius Caesar...
as his colleague.
See also
- Servilia (gens)Servilia (gens)The gens Servilia was a patrician family at Rome. The gens was celebrated during the early ages of the Republic, and the names of few gentes appear more frequently at this period in the consular Fasti. It continued to produce men of influence in the state down to the latest times of the Republic,...