Marc Valery Messala (Consul of 188 BC)

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] .

Mark Valery's father was Mark Valery Maxim Messala , consul of 226 BC. e .; grandfather - Maniy Valery Maxim Corvin Messala , consul 263 BC e. The latter received the honorary nickname of Messala , which became a cognom for his descendants, for his victories in the First Punic War ^[3] .

The political career of Mark Valery began with the post of Curul Edil , which he held presumably in 195 BC. e. - together with Lucius Cornelius Scipio (later Asian ) ^[4] . In 193 BC e. Messala was a praetor (again with Lucius Scipio); he had to engage in litigation between Roman citizens and foreigners ^[5] .

In 190 BC e. Mark Valery nominated himself as consul, but during the election campaign he encountered Gnei Manliy Wulson and Mark Emilius Lepidus . In this battle, according to Livius , Messala “could not count on anything at all” ^[6] . Of all the candidates, only the plebeian Marc Fulvius Nobilior got the required number of votes, who announced his colleague Wolson the next day after the election ^[7] . A year later, Mark Valery again became a consulate candidate and rival of Marc Emilia Lepidus and this time won. He was helped by the enmity that existed between Lepidus and Nobilior ^[8] .

Messala's colleague was the plebeian Guy Livy Salinator ^[9] . Mark Fulvius was ordered to command in Liguria , but he did not win any victories in his province and returned to Rome at the end of the year to hold the next election of magistrates. The next time Messala appears in sources in 181 BC. e. as a legate in the army of Lucius Emilia Paul , who fought with the ligurs ^[8] . In 174 BC e. he was part of an embassy sent to Macedonia because of information that appeared about the union of King Perseus with Carthage ; Guy Lelius and Sextus Digitius ^{[10] [11]} became his comrades in this mission. In 172 BC e. Messala was elected by decemvir to perform rituals instead of the deceased Lucius Emilia Papa ^[12] .

The sources do not name the death date of Mark Valery. Messala supposedly died after 167 BC. e. ^[eight]

Mark Valery had a son of the same name , consul of 161 BC. e. ^[13]

Sources

1. Titus Livy. The history of Rome from the foundation of the city. - M .: Nauka, 1994 .-- T. 3 .-- 768 p. - ISBN 5-02-008959-1 .

Literature

1. Broughton R. Magistrates of the Roman Republic. - New York, 1951. - Vol. I. - P. 600.
2. Münzer F. Valerius 251 // Paulys Realencyclopädie der classischen Altertumswissenschaft . - 1955. - Bd. VIII A, 1. - Kol. 126.
3. Münzer F. Valerius 252 // Paulys Realencyclopädie der classischen Altertumswissenschaft . - 1955. - Bd. VIII A, 1. - Kol. 126-127.
4. Münzer F. Valerius Messala // Paulys Realencyclopädie der classischen Altertumswissenschaft . - 1955. - Bd. VIII A, 1. - Kol. 144-145.
5. Volkmann H. Valerius // Paulys Realencyclopädie der classischen Altertumswissenschaft . - 1948. - Bd. VII A, 1. - Kol. 2292-2296.
6. Volkmann H. Valerius 89 // Paulys Realencyclopädie der classischen Altertumswissenschaft . - 1948. - Bd. VII A, 1. - Kol. 2311.

• Mark Valery Messala (Consul of 188 BC) (English) . - in Smith 's Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology.