Guy Claudius Nero

Origin

Guy Claudius belonged to one of the most noble and influential patrician clans of Rome, which was of Sabine origin. The first bearer of the Nero cognition was the grandfather of Gaius Claudius, Tiberius, the youngest of the sons of Appius Claudius Tsek . Guy's father, also Tiberius ^[1] , did not show himself. The cousin of Gaius Claudius was Tiberius Claudius Nero , consul of 202 BC. e., known for his attempt to take command of Africa from the Publius Cornelius Scipio at the final stage of the Second Punic War ^[2] .

In a somewhat more distant kinship, Guy Claudius was with the eldest branch of the clan - Claudius Pulchrami . Consul 212 BC e. he had a cousin uncle ^[2] .

Career start

Guy Claudius was first mentioned in sources in connection with the events of 218 BC. e. The consuls of the previous year, Lucius Emilius Pavel and Mark Livy Salinator , were brought to trial on charges of misappropriation of the booty captured in the Illyrian War. The main evidence of the accusation was the testimony of Nero ^[3] , and Titus Livius speaks of them as perjury ^[4] ; German anti-historian F. Münzer suggested that Guy Claudius was a military tribune in the army of Marc Liby and, thus, participated in hostilities in Illyria in 219 ^[5] . Lucius Emilius hardly justified himself, and Marc Livius was convicted and, having paid a fine, retired into exile. As a result, Nero became his enemy for life.

Guy Claudius career unfolded during the Second Punic War . In 214 BC e. Nero was a legate in the army of the consul Mark Claudius Marcellus , who fought with Hannibal in Campania ^[6] . Marcellus fought the Carthaginians near the city of Nola , and Gaius Claudius sent in advance bypass, so that at a decisive moment he would hit the enemy in the rear. But the legate, for some unknown reason, lingered on the road and ended up on the battlefield only late in the evening, when the Carthaginians had already retreated to their camp ^[7] .

In 212 BC e. Guy Claudius became praetor ^[8] . First, the senate sent him with two legions to the city of Suessula in Campania, later Nero joined the consuls Quint Fulvius Flaccus and Appius Claudius Pulchre , besieging Capua - Hannibal's main ally in Italy. Guy Claudius participated in this siege and the next year, already with the authority of the prophet ^{[9] [10]} .

After Capua fell, Nero was sent to Spain . In this region, or in 212, or in 211 BC. e. the Roman troops suffered a serious defeat, and both proconsuls , the brothers Publius Cornelius Scipio and Gnei Cornelius Scipio Calvus , were killed. Guy Claudius was to succeed Publius Cornelius. At the same time, researcher G. Sumner suggests that Nero was granted pro-consular empires ^[11] . 6 thousand foot soldiers and 300 horsemen from the two legions of Nero, as well as 6 thousand foot soldiers and 800 horsemen from among the Latin allies of Rome, went to Spain. Having landed in Tarracon , Guy Claudius took under his command the remains of the army of Publius Cornelius Scipio, who was temporarily led by the legate Tiberius Fontay ^{[12] [13]} .

Nero managed to immediately put in a difficult position one of the Carthaginian commanders, Hasdrubal Barkid , locking him with the army in the gorge near the Black Stones, between the cities of Iliturgis and Mentissa. He could only use the trick: Gasdrubal began negotiations, promising to withdraw all the troops of Carthage from Spain if he was released from the gorge. Nero happily supported this idea. For several days, Hasdrubal delayed negotiations on the slightest occasion, and at night his people seeped out of the camp along small paths. Guy Claudius realized what was happening only when all the Carthaginians had already left the encirclement; his pursuit of results did not bring ^{[14] [15]} .

Shortly after this incident, the authorities of the Roman Republic appointed new military leaders for Spain. According to some reports, these were Publius Cornelius Scipio (in the future African ) and Mark Junius Silan (it was the latter who became the direct successor of Nero) ^{[16] [13]} , according to others - only Scipio ^{[17] [18]} . Guy Claudius returned to Italy, and in 209 BC e. he is referred to as a legate in the army of Mark Claudius Marcellus ^[19] .

In 208 BC e. Hasdrubal moved to Italy to join his brother. This meant the onset of a critical moment in the entire war, and therefore Rome, more than ever, needed experienced generals. In previous years, the most prominent military leaders were killed - Marcellus, Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus , Appius Claudius Pulhr, Titus Quincius Crispin . Therefore, Guy Claudius was chosen as consul for the year 207. Further, according to Titus Libya , the Senate was preoccupied with the need to find a candidate for a second consular seat - a plebeian and a man of “reasonable and prudent” who would restrain Nero too ardent in character. With a shortage of experienced personnel, there was only one such option - Mark Livy Salinator ^[20] . He was elected, although for a long time he resigned ^[21] .

F. Münzer, studying this episode, drew attention to the fact that in the Praetor election of 208, held immediately after the election of Salinator and Nero, four plebeians became the winners for the first time in history. According to the researcher, this may indicate a sharp internal political struggle taking place in Rome at that time, during which Mark Livy could win the elections on his own initiative and contrary to the will of the Senate, while Guy Claudius turned out to be a protege of the hostile “party” ^[22] .

The new consuls did not hide their hatred for each other. The Senate demanded that they reconcile and act against the enemy in full agreement. Further events showed that Salinator and Nero were able to establish cooperation, but their personal relationship remained the same ^[22] .

Consulate

By lot, Guy Claudius had to restrain Hannibal in southern Italy, while Mark Livy was supposed to meet Hasdrubal in Cisalpian Gaul . Both consuls faced serious problems in recruiting armies, since the number of citizens during the ten years of the war halved - from 270 to 137 thousand ^[23] . Having finally gathered people, Nero moved to Lucania . Here, near the city of Grument, he ran into Hannibal. A series of minor skirmishes occurred, with the Romans avoiding a big battle: their task was only to keep Hannibal in one place. Finally, one night the consul hid several cohorts behind the hills, and in the morning he led the army out for a full-scale battle. At the decisive moment, the military stands Tiberius Claudius Azell and the prefect of the Allies Publius Claudius hit Hannibal in the rear, and he hastened to retreat so as not to be cut off from his own camp. Titus Livy reports about 8 thousand killed by the Carthaginians ^[24] , but researcher E. Rodionov suggested that these data may be overestimated ^[25] .

A few days later, Hannibal led his army north to Puglia . Guy Claudius followed him and caught up with the enemy at Venusia . In the next battle, which did not develop into a big battle, the Carthaginians suffered serious losses - up to 2 thousand killed. Hannibal retreated south to Metapont , replenished his army at the expense of the gross , returned to Venusia, and then moved to Canusius . Nero followed all this time ^{[26] [27]} .

The situation was abruptly changed by one accident. At Tarent, the Roman foragers captured the messengers sent by Hasdrubal to his brother. From the intercepted letter, Guy Claudius found out which route the younger Barkid plans to move south (along the Adriatic coast and further to Umbria ), and realized that this gives him a unique opportunity to turn the tide of the campaign, and possibly the whole war. Nero sent an enemy letter to the Senate along with his, in which he did not ask the "fathers" for permission, but only informed them of what he intended to do. His plan involved invisible to Hannibal transferring part of the forces to the north for the speedy destruction of the army of Hasdrubal. To the senators, he advised to defend Rome to withdraw the legion from Capua and conduct an additional military set ^[28] ; as a result, according to Titus Livius, the same fear and confusion reigned in the city as two years earlier when Hannibal went to Rome ^[29] .

Then Guy Claudius took 6 thousand of his best infantrymen and a thousand cavalrymen, at night brought them out of the camp and led large transitions to the north, to join Mark Livy. He was not able to keep his plans secret, since he had to start procuring provisions and fodder along the route in advance. The population of the lands through which the detachment of Nero passed very warmly greeted the soldiers:

... The soldiers marched through the ranks of men and women who had fled from the fields; they were praised, prayed for, vows made; called the stronghold of the state, the intercessors of Rome and the Roman power; in their hands is salvation and freedom of both fellow citizens and descendants. People prayed to all gods and goddesses: may they send the army a safe path, a happy battle, a speedy victory over the enemy, and vowed to fulfill their vows. Now in alarm they are escorting the soldiers; may they come out with joy in a few days to meet them, the victors. Each invited them to him, asked him to take what he needed for people and animals from him, was given from a pure heart and in abundance.

- Titus Livy. The history of Rome from the founding of the city, xxvii, 45, 7-10. ^[thirty]

By the time Nero appeared in northern Italy, Mark Livy was already blocking the path of Hasdrubal at the Seine of Gall ; two armies stood at a distance of five hundred steps from each other. Guy Claudius met with a colleague at night, and together the consuls decided to unite their troops secretly from the enemy. The people of Nero camped at the Salinator; at the meeting, some officers suggested giving the legionnaires a few days to rest, but Gaius Claudius insisted on giving the battle the very next day: he sought to end Hasdrubal as soon as possible and return to Apulia, until Hannibal found out the real situation ^{[31 ]} .

But the Carthaginians, who had left the camp, evaded the battle. Hasdrubal, looking at the Romans lining up for battle, noticed that many legionnaires were holding old shields that were not there before, and that some riders had clearly exhausted horses, as after a long march. Therefore, he returned his army to the camp and began to collect additional information through scouts. The latter found out that among the Romans the signals of battle horns were given twice, and not once, as before; this meant that there were both consuls in the camp. Probably, the Carthaginians could not take prisoners, so they did not know how the arrival of Nero to the north of Italy became possible ^{[32] [33]} . According to Titus Livy, Hasdrubal even decided that his brother had already been defeated by Guy Claudius ^[34] .

That night, Hasdrubal began a retreat. But the Romans managed to overtake him and force him to accept the battle, because he lost his guides and, not knowing the area, walked along the banks of the Metavr River, which turned out to be very winding. Nero led the right flank opposing the Gauls. The main battle unfolded on the other flank, where Gasdrubal himself led the attack of the most combat-ready units of his army; Guy Claudius, on the other hand, was prevented by a high hill against the enemy. In the end, he took several cohorts, led them to the rear of the Roman battle formation and hit the Iberians of Gasdrubal on the flank and rear. This maneuver decided the outcome of the battle: most of the Carthaginian army was killed, and its commander also died ^{[35] [36] [37]} .

Immediately after the battle, Nero moved south. Six days later he reached Canusia, in which Hannibal was still unsuspecting. Guy Claudius ordered that the severed head of Hasdrubal be thrown in front of Carthaginian posts; according to Libya, recognizing his brother’s head, Hannibal exclaimed: “I recognize the evil rock of Carthage” ^{[38] [39]} .

In late summer, the Senate recalled both consuls to Rome and granted them the right to a joint triumph. Since the victory at Metavr was won in the province of Mark Libya and under his auspices , Salinator entered the city in a chariot and accompanied by an army, and Nero was alone and on horseback. Nevertheless, it was Guy Claudius who considered the people to be the main culprit of the victory ^{[40] [41]} .

Censorship

In 204 BC e. Guy Claudius became a censor along with his old enemy and colleague Mark Livy Salinator ^[42] . Nero and Salinator established strict control over the contracts and introduced a new tax on the extraction of salt ^[43] .

Twice the censors started, in the words of Titus Livius, "ugly bickering." During the census of the riders, it turned out that the Salinator and Nero themselves have state horses. Then Guy Claudius demanded that Mark Livy sell his horse as a people condemned at one time. The salinator presented a similar demand to his colleague - both as a false witness and as a person who reconciled with him pretending to be. When the term of office of the censors expired, Nero included his colleague among the Erarians - citizens of the lowest category. In response, the salinator recorded not only Gaius Claudius, but also citizens of all Roman tribes, except Metsieva, in the eraria, since they condemned the innocent and elected the condemned to consuls and censors. The tribune of the people, Gnei, Bebiy Tamfil, in connection with these events, tried to bring both censors to court, but retreated before the Senate ban ^{[44] [45]} .

The latest news sources about Gaius Claudius date back to 201 BC. e., when the Senate sent him on a diplomatic mission to Egypt . His official purpose was to inform the allied king of the victory of Rome in the Second Punic War, and unofficially - to secure the support of Egypt in case of a new war with Macedonia ^{[46] [41]} .

In the II century BC e. Claudia Nero did not fall into consular fasts and was generally mentioned only occasionally. Therefore, nothing is known about their genealogy in this era, including whether they were descendants of Guy Claudius ^[47] .

In Roman literature, they attached great importance to one of the events in which Guy Claudius participated - the defeat of Hasdrubal at Metavra. In a sense, this battle was considered revenge for Cannes ^[48] . Titus Livy and Oroziy call the clearly unbelievable figures of the losses of the Carthaginian side (56 ^[49] or 58 ^[50] thousand killed and 5,400 prisoners), and Livy claims that the news of the death of Hasdrubal and his army made the Roman citizens thank the gods as if war already been over; life in the city after the battle of Metavr clearly entered a peaceful course ^[51] . Hannibal himself in one of Horace's odes says:

I am proud to send messengers to Carthage already
From now on: all hopes have fallen
Since Hasdrubal was slain, -
Our name has fallen.

- Horace. Odes, IV, 4, 69-72. ^[52]

Horace confidently connects this victory with the name of Guy Claudius:

What do you owe to the family of Nero, Rome,
There is witness to the bank of the Metavra,
Was beaten Gazdrubal in that wonderful
The day that dispelled the gloom, for the first time

Victory sweet Lacy joy gave,
Since, like a flame in a dry forest,
Ile Hebrew over the Sicilian Sea,
Hannibal raced through the hail.

- Horace. Odes, IV, 4, 37-44. ^[53]

In the time of Tiberius, it was considered especially noteworthy that this ruler is simultaneously a descendant of both winners of Hasdrubal ^[45] .

Sources

1. Valery Maxim . Memorable deeds and sayings. - SPb. : Publishing House of St. Petersburg State University, 2007. - 308 p. - ISBN 978-5-288-04267-6 .
2. Quintus Horace Flaccus. Collected works. - SPb. : Биографический институт, 1993. — 448 с. — ISBN 5-900118-05-3 .
3. Тит Ливий. История Рима от основания города. — М. : Наука, 1994. — Т. 2. — 528 с. — ISBN 5-02-008995-8 .
4. Павел Орозий. История против язычников. - SPb. : Издательство Олега Абышко, 2004. — 544 с. — ISBN 5-7435-0214-5 .
5. Полибий. Всеобщая история. — М. , 2004. — Т. 1. — 768 с. — ISBN 5-02-028227-8 .
6. Fasti Capitolini (unspecified) . Сайт «История Древнего Рима». Дата обращения 19 августа 2016.

Literature

1. Кораблёв И. Ганнибал. — М. : Наука, 1981. — 360 с.
2. Лансель С. Ганнибал. — М. : Молодая гвардия, 2002. — 368 с. — ISBN 5-235-02483-4 .
3. Родионов Е. Пунические войны. - SPb. : СПбГУ, 2005. — 626 с. — ISBN 5-288-03650-0 .
4. Broughton T. Magistrates of the Roman Republic. — New York, 1951. — Vol. I. — P. 600.
5. Münzer F. Claudii Nerones // RE. — 1899. — Bd. III, 2. — Kol. 2773-2774.
6. Münzer F. Claudius // RE. — 1899. — Bd. III, 2. — Kol. 2662-2667.
7. Münzer F. Claudius 246 // RE. — 1899. — Bd. III, 2. — Kol. 2774-2776.
8. Münzer F. Livius 33 // RE. — 1926. — Т. XIII, 1 . — С. 891-899 .
9. Sumner G. Proconsuls and "Provinciae" in Spain, 218/7 - 196/5 BC // Arethusa. - 1970.- T. 3.1 . - S. 85-102 .

• Guy Claudius Nero (Eng.) . - in Smith 's Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology.