Servius Sulpicius Galba (praetor 54 BC)

Servius Sulpicius belonged to the noble patrician family Sulpicius , allegedly descending from Camerina . The first Sulpicius (from the sources mentioned) was consul in 500 BC. e., and later representatives of this genus regularly occupied the highest Roman posts ^[1] . The great-grandfather of Servius , who bore the same name , was consul in 144 BC. e., was considered an outstanding speaker and one of the richest Romans ^[2] ; Guy’s grandfather was a prominent lawyer, and his father, another Servius , is known only as a legate in the 80s BC. e. ^[3]

Given the requirements of the Cornelian law, which established the minimum age for each of the highest Roman magistrates, and the date of the servant of Servius Sulpicius, the researchers date the birth of this noble about 94 BC. e. ^[4] The first references to it in the surviving sources date back to 61 BC. e., when he was a legate in Narbonne Gaul under the Prophet Gaia Pomptin ^[5] . Galba fought with allobrogs , and relatively successfully, but a decisive victory was won only when Pomptin concentrated his command in his hands ^{[6] [7]} .

From 58 BC e. Servius was a legate in the army of Guy Julius Caesar , who began the conquest of Shaggy Gaul ^[8] ; according to Aulus Girtius , Caesar and Galba were tied up with "bonds of personal friendship" ^[9] . It is known that in the fall of 57 BC. e. Servius acted at the head of the XII legion in the AlpsAlps. He defeated and forced the Gallic times of the Nanuats, Seduns and Varagras to peace, and settled in their lands for the winter, but the Seduns and Varagras soon rebelled. 30 thousand Gauls besieged the Roman camp. Having made an unexpected outing, Galba defeated the enemy and inflicted more losses on him, but still was forced to retreat to the Province ^{[10] [11] [12]} .

Presumably in 56 BC. e. Galba returned to Rome. In 54 BC e. Thanks to his friendship with Caesar, he became a praetor ^[13] and, as such, actively contributed to making Guy Pomptin triumph for the Allobrog War ^[14] . At the beginning of 52 BC e., according to Plutarch , an interrex named Servius Sulpicius proclaimed the consul “without a colleague” Gnei Pompey the Great ^[15] , but in historiography it is generally accepted that it was not Galba, but his relative Ruf ^{[16] [12]} .

In 50 BC e. Servius nominated himself as consul. It was a time of deepening conflict between Caesar and Pompey, and the first of these politicians supported Galba in the elections, and the second supported the other patrician candidate, Lucius Cornelius Lentulus Cruz . Sources say that Servius won more votes, but was not elected nevertheless ^[17] - either because of the peculiarity of the Roman electoral system, or because of some illegal fraud ^[18] . As a result, two supporters of Pompey ^{[19] [20]} became consuls.

Shortly after these events, a civil war broke out. Little is known about the activities of Galba in those years. From one letter of Cicero ^[21] it follows that in 49 BC. e. Servius was a member of the priestly college of the Augurs and that Caesar hoped for him in solving one serious problem: both consuls went after Pompey to the Balkans, and in Rome it was necessary to organize the next election of magistrates; Guy Julius planned to entrust the holding of the election to the praetor and counted on the approval of the augurs. Galba supported Caesar until his complete victory and clearly counted on significant rewards, but remained deprived (some sources even report that he “was not allowed to the consulate” ^{[22] [23]} ), and therefore in 44 BC. e. sided with the conspiracy of Brutus and Cassius ^[24] .

The last mention of Servius dates back to 43 BC. e. At the head of the Mars Legion, he moved under the command of Consul Aul Girius (a moderate Caesarian who joined the Senate "party") against the radical Caesarian Mark Anthony , besieging Mutina . Girtius later directed him towards his colleague, Guy Vibius Panse . On April 14, a battle took place at the Gallic Forum : Anthony attacked Pansu and defeated him, but he was immediately attacked by Girtius and, in turn, was defeated. Galba in this battle commanded eight cohorts on the right flank of Pansa's troops. His letter to Cicero, which tells of the battle ^[25] , has been preserved; it is a very valuable historical source ^[24] .

Autumn 43 BC e. Servius Sulpicius, along with other participants in the conspiracy against Caesar, was outlawed according to Lex Pedia ^[22] . Nothing is known of his further fate ^[24] .

Servius' son was Gaius Sulpicius Galba , who had advanced in his political career to praetorship and wrote a voluminous historical work ^[26] . Presumably Servius Sulpicius , known only by the inscription on one denarius , also bore the homnogue of Galba and was the eldest son of the praetor 54 years BC. e. ^{[27] [3]}

Sources

1. Appian of Alexandria . Roman history. - M .: Ladomir, 2002 .-- 878 p. - ISBN 5-86218-174-1 .
2. Dion Cassius . Roman history (neopr.) . Date of treatment January 10, 2019.
3. Plutarch . Comparative biographies. - M .: Nauka, 1994 .-- T. 2 .-- 672 p. - ISBN 5-306-00240-4 .
4. Guy Suetonius Tranquill . Life of the Twelve Caesars // Life of the Twelve Caesars. The lords of Rome. - M .: Nauka, 1999 .-- S. 12-281. - ISBN 5-02-012792-2 .
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. Guy Julius Caesar . Notes on the Gallic War. Civil War Notes. - SPb. : AST, 2001 .-- 752 s. - ISBN 5-17-005087-9 .

Literature

1. Egorov A. Julius Caesar. Political biography. - SPb. : Nestor-Istoriya, 2014 .-- 548 p. - ISBN 978-5-4469-0389-4 .
2. Broughton R. Magistrates of the Roman Republic. - New York, 1951. - Vol. I. - P. 600.
3. Münzer F. Sulpicius // Paulys Realencyclopädie der classischen Altertumswissenschaft . - 1931. - Bd. II, 7. - Kol. 731-733.
4. Münzer F. Sulpicius 20 // Paulys Realencyclopädie der classischen Altertumswissenschaft . - 1931. - Bd. II, 7. - Kol. 737.
5. Münzer F. Sulpicius 47ff // Paulys Realencyclopädie der classischen Altertumswissenschaft . - 1931. - Bd. II, 7. - Kol. 751-754.
6. Münzer F. Sulpicius 52 // Paulys Realencyclopädie der classischen Altertumswissenschaft . - 1931. - Bd. II, 7. - Kol. 755-756.
7. Münzer F. Sulpicius 61 // Paulys Realencyclopädie der classischen Altertumswissenschaft . - 1931. - Bd. II, 7. - Kol. 769-772.