Mark Valery Messala Rufus

Mark Valery belonged to one of the most noble patrician families of Rome. The legendary ancestor Valeriyev was a Sabine and moved to Rome with the co-ruler of Romulus Titus Tatsiy ^[1] . His descendant Publius Valery Publikola became one of the founders of the Roman Republic and consul in the first year of its existence, and later Valeria regularly appeared in Capitoline fasts ^[2] .

Father and grandfather of Mark Valery wore the same name , Mark . Nothing more is known about them. The sources mention a certain Valery Messala , a legate during the Allied War ^[3] , and this could be the father of Messala Ruf or the father of his alleged second cousin, Mark Valery Messala Nigra ^[4] . The great-grandfather of both cousins ​​was Mark Valery Messala , consul of 161 BC. e. ^[5] Nickname Rufus ( Rufus , "red") to the future consul 53 years BC. e. given to distinguish it from a relative, "Black" ( Niger ) ^[6] .

The mother of Messala Rufa was Hortense, daughter of Lucius Hortense and sister of the prominent speaker of Quintus Hortense Gortala . Mark is known to have brothers and sisters; in particular, his sister Valeria became the fifth and last wife of dictator Lucius Cornelius Sulla shortly before his death ^{[7] [5]} .

The Early Years and Early Careers

Given the chronology of Mark Valery’s career and the requirements of the Corneliev Law, the German anti-critic Friedrich Münzer dates his birth at the latest 103 BC. e. Even in his youth, Messala Rufus became an Augur ; this could have happened in 82/81 BC. e., when Sulla who had just come to power massively replenished the priestly colleges, which had thinned during the civil war ^[8] .

The first mention of Messala Ruth may date back to 80 BC. e. Someone Sextus of Russia from Ameria was accused of patricide, and then a young aristocrat named Mark Messala supported the accused. He "himself would have defended Sextus Roscius, had he been older and more determined"; but because of his shyness and lack of experience, this noble passed the defense into the hands of Mark Tullius Cicero ^[9] , who obtained an acquittal. It could be a matter of both Messala Ruth and Messala Nigra. Wilhelm Druman is sure that this refers to Messala Niger, but Friedrich Münzer believes that the option with Messala Ruf is no less probable ^[10] .

Presumably in 61 BC e. Mark Valery served as praetor ^[11] .

Consulate

In 54 BC e. Mark Valery put forward his candidacy for consul. Other applicants were another patrician Mark Emilius Skavr , plebeians Guy Memmius and Gnei Domitius Calvin . Skavr had a good chance of winning thanks to his father's popularity in rural tribes , but he was brought to trial on charges of abuse in the province and thus deprived of hope of being elected. Memmia was supported by Guy Julius Caesar , Calvin - Gnei Pompey the Great ^[12] . The plebeian candidates, who had equal chances of victory, united against Messala Rufa ^[13] , and that one in this situation was, according to Cicero, “weak” due to the opposition of Pompey ^[14] .

Memmius and Calvin spent huge amounts of money on bribing voters and secured the support of the current consuls, Appia Claudius Pulhra and Lucius Domitius Agenobarba ^[15] . In the end, all four candidates for the consulate were brought to trial for buying votes. No one was convicted, but the elections did not take place before the end of the year - largely because of Pompey, who hoped to gain sole power. As a result, in 53 BC. e. interregnum was announced, which lasted until mid-summer, with cousin Mark Valery, Messala Niger becoming interrex. Only in sextile did consuls finally be elected for the remainder of the year; it was Mark Valery Messala Rufus and Gnei Domitius Calvin ^[16] . During this short-lived consul, the political crisis continued to deepen: the next year's consul candidates, Titus Annius Milon , Quint Cecilius Metellus Pius Scipio Nazika and Publius Plavius ​​Gipsey , as well as Claude Pulchr , who claimed to be a public candidate, fought for power using all means, including illegal ones. It came to open street clashes between their adherents, and in one of these skirmishes, a colleague of Messala Ruf was even wounded by a stone. In the end, the consuls resigned when the successors had not yet been elected ^[17] .

During the consul of Mark Valery, a bill was discussed that magistrates should not receive the province in management immediately after leaving office, but only after five years. Presumably, this initiative became law next year ^[18] .

Later, in 51 BC. e., Mark Valery was brought to trial on charges of violation of electoral law. He was defended by his uncle, Quintus Hortensius Gortal, and the jury passed an acquittal, but public opinion was certain that Messala Ruf was guilty. As a result, Gortal was booed by the public at the Kourion Theater ^[19] , and Mark Valery again became the defendant, and this time he was sentenced to a large monetary fine ^[18] .

Later years

During the civil war between Pompey and Caesar, Messala, Rufus joined the latter. Starting from 48 BC e. he was a legate in the army of Guy Julius. It is known that in 47 BC. e. Mark Valery besieged the rebellious V Legion in Messana ^[20] ; after this, both Mark and his colleague Publius Cornelius Sulla had to flee ^[21] . Messala later took part in Caesar's African campaign, and after the Battle of Thaps (April 46 BC) he was entrusted with taking Utica ^[22] . Perhaps he participated in the Spanish campaign of 45 BC. e. ^[18]

After the assassination of Caesar, Mark Valery withdrew from politics. Until his death, he was engaged only in the affairs of the Augur College and literature. Sources say that Messala was augur 55 years old, and on the basis of these data, antiquologists date his death to 27/26 BC. e .; he lived at least 76 years ^[17] .

The sources mention the works of Mark Valery "On Auspices" ^[23] and "On Families" ^[24] , which became sources for Pliny the Elder and Aulus Gell . Festus writes that Messala Ruf also issued a commentary on the “ Laws of the Twelve Tables, ” but F. Münzer casts doubt ^on this message ^[25] .

Mark Valery had a son of the same name. According to F. Münzer, this noble died young, after which Messala Ruf adopted one of Claudius , named Marc Valery Messala Barbat Appian ^[25] . R. Saim believes that the sons of Messala Rufus were Potit Valery Messala and Mark Valery Messala , consuls-suffixes 29 and 32 BC. e. respectively, and that Messala Barbat was adopted last ^[26] .

Granddaughter of Messala Barbat Appian was Valeria Messalina , wife of Emperor Claudius ^[27] .

Sources

1. Appian of Alexandria . Roman history. - M .: Ladomir, 2002 .-- 880 p. - ISBN 5-86218-174-1 .
2. Aulus Gellius . Attic nights. Books 11-20. - SPb. : Publishing Center "Humanitarian Academy", 2008. - 448 p. - ISBN 978-5-93762-056-9 .
3. Pliny the Elder . Natural history (neopr.) . Date of treatment June 29, 2018.
4. Plutarch . Comparative biographies. - M .: Nauka, 1994 .-- T. 2 .-- 672 p. - ISBN 5-306-00240-4 .
5. Mark Tullius Cicero . Letters from Mark Tullius Cicero to Attica, relatives, brother Quintus, M. Brutus. - SPb. : Nauka, 2010 .-- V. 3 .-- 832 p. - ISBN 978-5-02-025247-9 , 978-5-02-025244-8.
6. Mark Tullius Cicero. Speech. - M .: Nauka, 1993 .-- ISBN 5-02-011169-4 .
7. Pseudo-Caesar. African war // Caesar. Sallust. - SPb. : AST, 2001 .-- S. 369-416. - ISBN 5-17-005087-9 .

Literature

1. Broughton R. Magistrates of the Roman Republic. - New York, 1952. - Vol. II. - P. 558.
2. Münzer F. Domitius 43 // Paulys Realencyclopädie der classischen Altertumswissenschaft . - 1905. - Bd. V, 2. - Kol. 1419-1424.
3. Münzer F. Valerius 248 // Paulys Realencyclopädie der classischen Altertumswissenschaft . - 1955. - Bd. VIII A, 1. - Kol. 125-126.
4. Münzer F. Valerius 266 // Paulys Realencyclopädie der classischen Altertumswissenschaft . - 1955. - Bd. VIII A, 1. - Kol. 162-165.
5. Münzer F. Valerius 268 // Paulys Realencyclopädie der classischen Altertumswissenschaft . - 1955. - Bd. VIII A, 1. - Kol. 166-169.
6. Münzer F. Valerius Messalla // Paulys Realencyclopädie der classischen Altertumswissenschaft . - 1955. - Bd. VIII A, 1. - Kol. 144-146.
7. Volkmann H. Valerius // Paulys Realencyclopädie der classischen Altertumswissenschaft . - 1948. - Bd. VII A, 1. - Kol. 2292-2296.
8. Volkmann H. Valerius 89 // Paulys Realencyclopädie der classischen Altertumswissenschaft . - 1948. - Bd. VII A, 1. - Kol. 2311.
9. Münzer F. Valerius 268 // Paulys Realencyclopädie der classischen Altertumswissenschaft . - 1955. - Bd. VIII A, 1. - Kol. 131-157.

• Mark Valery Messala Rufus . - in Smith 's Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology.
• Mark Valery Messala Rufus (Russian) . - biography on the site ancientrome.ru .