Marc Fulvius Flaccus (consul 125 BC)

Mark Fulvius Flaccus belonged to the plebeian family Fulviev , whose representatives moved to Rome from Tusculum in the middle of the IV century or a little later and first reached the consulate in 322 BC. er ^[1] The first carrier of the Flaccus cognomen was Mark’s great-grandfather, consul of 264 BC. er . Quint , the four-time consul (in 237, 224, 212, and 209 BC), was his grandfather, and Mark, the military tribune in 180 BC, was his father. e., which was later expelled from the Senate and could not make a career ^[2] . Accordingly, the uncles of Mark Jr. were Quintus Fulvius Flaccus and Lucius Manlius Acidin Fulvian , who held a consular post in one year - 179 BC. er ^[3]

Friedrich Müntzer suggested that because of the severe punishment suffered by his father, Mark Fulvius hated the Roman aristocracy from a young age. Perhaps ^[4] , it is precisely Plutarch who refers to it, saying that in 133 BC. er Senator Fulvius Flaccus warned the tribune of the people of Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus about the danger that threatened him. Flaccus said that “the rich cannot attract the consul to their side, and therefore plan to deal with Tiberius themselves and that they have many armed slaves and friends at their disposal” ^[5] . Nevertheless, the tribune was killed on the same day. Marc Fulvius, who sympathized with the agrarian reform initiated by Tiberius, no later than 130 BC. er took his place in the commission, which was engaged in the division of state land between the poorest citizens of Rome; the other two triumvirs were Guy Sempronius Gracchus and Guy Papirius Carbon ^[4] .

Reform was opposed by one of the most influential Romans of the time - Publius Cornelius Scipio Emilian . In 129 BC er this nobile died suddenly, and it was rumored in Rome that he had been killed. Accused of what happened, along with Carbon, Guy Gracchus, wife and mother-in-law of the deceased, and Flaccus, but an official investigation was never conducted ^[6] . Around these years (no later than 128 BC, in accordance with the requirements of the law of Villius ), Mark Fulvius held the position of praetor ^[7] , and in 125 BC. er he became consul ^[8] .

Flaccus's colleague was another plebeian, Mark Platius Gypsum . Mark Fulvius at that time advocated the expansion of reforms - in particular, the provision of civil law to the Allies ; Gypsum and most of the Senate were strongly opposed. In order to neutralize Flaccus for a while, the senators found a convenient excuse to expel him from Rome. The Consul was entrusted with helping Massilius against the Ligurian tribes of the Salluvians and Vocontius. Mark Fulvius went to Transalpine Gaul (he was one of the first Roman generals operating in this region), defeated the enemy, and on his return to Rome he celebrated a triumph ^[9] . This return took place in 123 BC. er .: the whole 124 year Flaccus spent in Gaul ^[10] .

In Rome at that time the brother of Tiberius Gracchus Guy, who put forward a whole conversion program, became a tribune of the people. To support the ally, Mark Fulvius also put forward his candidacy for the people's tribunes in 122 BC. er (although it was nonsense to run for this position for the consul ) and won the election. The sources of his activities during the tribunal diverge ^[10] : Appian writes that Flaccus and Gracchus went to Africa to found a colony on the site of Carthage ^[11] , Plutarch - that Flaccatus was in Rome and in the absence of Gracchus he was attacked side of another tribune, Mark Libya Drusus . The latter accused his colleague of inciting the Italians to rebel against Rome; it was precisely the news that "that Druz was crowding Fulvius," forced Gracchus to return to the capital ahead of time ^[12] .

In 121 BC Oe., when Lucius Opimius , a protege of the senate, became one of the consuls, the confrontation between the two “parties” turned into real street battles. Ancient authors point out that Flaccus was more determined than Gracchus: at a critical moment he distributed to his supporters the weapons kept in his house, occupied the Aventine hill and sat down in the temple of Diana . Guy Sempronius still persuaded him to begin negotiations with the Senate. Marc Fulvius sent his youngest son to the forum as an ambassador, but Opimius demanded unconditional surrender; Fulvius Jr. reported this to his father, and he “again sent his son with offers and conditions that differed little from the previous ones”. Then Opimius ordered the arrest of the messenger and moved his people to the Aventine. In the ensuing fight, the reformists were defeated. Mark Fulvius and his eldest son hid in an abandoned bathhouse or in someone’s house, but were found and killed right there ^{[13] [14] [15] [10]} .

Even before the start of the battle, Opimius announced that he would pay for Flaccus’s head with gold of the same weight. According to Plutarch, “those who brought the head of Fulvius were completely unknown people and did not receive anything” ^[16] , according to Appian , the award was still paid ^[17] . Mark's body was dumped along with the bodies of other Grakhants into the Tiber , his house was demolished, and the widow was forbidden to mourn her husband. Mark's youngest son was executed or forced to commit suicide ^[18] .

The sons of Mark Fulvius wore supposedly the prenomenes Mark and Quint . Flaccus also had a daughter ^[3] , the wife of Lucius Julius Caesar , consul of 90 BC. er Accordingly, Mark’s grandson was Lucius Julius Caesar , Consul, 64 BC. er ^[19] , and great-grandson - Mark Antony . Through the latter, Flaccus was the ancestor of the Julius-Claudian series, including the emperors Caligula , Claudius and Nero .

Mark Fulvius Flaccus became the hero of the novel Gracchi by Milii Jezierski .

Sources

1. Appian of Alexandria . Roman history . - M .: Ladomir, 2002. - 880 p. - ISBN 5-86218-174-1 .
2. Titus Livy . The history of Rome from the foundation of the city. - M .: Science, 1994. - T. 2. - 528 p. - ISBN 5-02-008995-8 .
3. Pavel Oroziy . The story against the pagans. - SPb. : Publisher Oleg Abyshko, 2004. - 544 p. - ISBN 5-7435-0214-5 .
4. Plutarch . Comparative biographies . - M .: Science, 1994. - T. 3. - 672 p. - ISBN 5-306-00240-4 .
5. Mark Tullius Cicero . Speech . - M .: Science, 1993. - ISBN 5-02-011168-6 .

Literature

1. Trukhina N. Politics and Politics of the “Golden Age” of the Roman Republic. - M .: Publishing House of Moscow State University, 1986. - 184 p.
2. Broughton T. Magistrates of the Roman Republic. - New York, 1951. - Vol. I. - P. 600.
3. Münzer F. Fulvius // Paulys Realencyclopädie der classischen Altertumswissenschaft . - 1910. - Bd. VII, 1. - Kol. 229.
4. Münzer F. Fulvius 57 // Paulys Realencyclopädie der classischen Altertumswissenschaft . - 1910. - Bd. VII, 1. - Kol. 240-241.
5. Münzer F. Fulvius 58 // Paulys Realencyclopädie der classischen Altertumswissenschaft . - 1910. - Bd. VII, 1. - Kol. 241-243.

• Mark Fulvius Flaccus (Consul 125 BC ) - in Smith 's Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology.