Decimus Laelius (born late-90s/early 80s BC) was a

tribune of the plebs Tribune of the plebs, tribune of the people or plebeian tribune ( la, tribunus plebis) was the first office of the Roman state that was open to the plebeians, and was, throughout the history of the Republic, the most important check on the power o ...

of the

Roman Republic The Roman Republic ( la, Res publica Romana ) was a form of government of Rome and the era of the classical Roman civilization when it was run through public representation of the Roman people. Beginning with the overthrow of the Roman Ki ...

in 54 BC. In 59 BC, he was the lead prosecutor in the extortion case against L. Valerius Flaccus, who was defended by

Cicero Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, and academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises that led to the esta ...

in the speech ''Pro Flacco''. Laelius served under Pompeius Magnus as envoy and naval

prefect Prefect (from the Latin ''praefectus'', substantive adjectival form of ''praeficere'': "put in front", meaning in charge) is a magisterial title of varying definition, but essentially refers to the leader of an administrative area. A prefect's ...

in 49 and 48 BC, during the civil war against Julius Caesar. Cicero accuses him of bringing the case against Flaccus at the instigation of Pompeius.

Prosecuting Flaccus

Cicero shows perhaps uncharacteristic regard for the opposing

counsel A counsel or a counsellor at law is a person who gives advice and deals with various issues, particularly in legal matters. It is a title often used interchangeably with the title of ''lawyer''. The word ''counsel'' can also mean advice given ...

by calling him "the son of the best sort of man" and "a good young man, from a respectable background, and eloquent," but emphasizes his youth by repeatedly referring to him as an ''adulescens'', the usual term in the Late Republic for a young man not yet having entered the ''

cursus honorum The ''cursus honorum'' (; , or more colloquially 'ladder of offices') was the sequential order of public offices held by aspiring politicians in the Roman Republic and the early Roman Empire. It was designed for men of senatorial rank. The ''c ...

'' or political career track. The implication is that the prosecution is an attempt to boost his career. Laelius appears to have had a strong and well-presented case, and yet: Laelius presented the

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

and

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

witnesses at the trial, while his co-counsel, the son of Gaius Appuleius Decianus, handled

Roman citizens Citizenship in ancient Rome (Latin: ''civitas'') was a privileged political and legal status afforded to free individuals with respect to laws, property, and governance. Citizenship in Ancient Rome was complex and based upon many different laws, t ...

who had been living abroad. One of the accusations brought by Laelius was that Flaccus had tried to bribe Decianus. Cicero impugns Laelius's witnesses by their ethnicity. Although

Macrobius Macrobius Ambrosius Theodosius, usually referred to as Macrobius (fl. AD 400), was a Roman provincial who lived during the early fifth century, during late antiquity, the period of time corresponding to the Later Roman Empire, and when Latin was ...

later records Flaccus's guilt, the former

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

was acquitted. Flaccus may have won the case because of bias, but a general awareness of his guilt is indicated by his failure to advance to the consulship, an achievement that would have been expected based on his family history.

Later career

Laelius was a consistent Pompeian supporter. As tribune in 54 BC, Laelius gave his support to

Aulus Gabinius Aulus Gabinius (by 101 BC – 48 or 47 BC) was a Roman statesman and general. He was an avid supporter of Pompey who likewise supported Gabinius. He was a prominent figure in the latter days of the Roman Republic. Career In 67 BC, when trib ...

, another Pompeian associate, when he was prosecuted and convicted by Memmius. During the civil war, Laelius recruited for Pompeius in

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

and

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...

. In February 49 BC, he was a special envoy to the consuls

Claudius Marcellus Marcus Claudius Marcellus (; 270 – 208 BC), five times elected as consul of the Roman Republic, was an important Roman military leader during the Gallic War of 225 BC and the Second Punic War. Marcellus gained the most prestigious award a Roma ...

and Lentulus Crus at

Capua Capua ( , ) is a city and ''comune'' in the province of Caserta, in the region of Campania, southern Italy, situated north of Naples, on the northeastern edge of the Campanian plain. History Ancient era The name of Capua comes from the Etrus ...

, with the task of urging their retreat to

Brundisium Brindisi ( , ) ; la, Brundisium; grc, Βρεντέσιον, translit=Brentésion; cms, Brunda), group=pron is a city in the region of Apulia in southern Italy, the capital of the province of Brindisi, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. Histo ...

Family connections

Laelius's loyalty to Pompeius dated back to his father, who had died serving under the young Pompeius in

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

around 77 BC. Cicero's use of the word "respectable" (''honestus'') instead of "noble" (''nobilis'') to describe his family background suggests that he was not descended from the

consular A consul is an official representative of the government of one state in the territory of another, normally acting to assist and protect the citizens of the consul's own country, as well as to facilitate trade and friendship between the people ...

Laelii The gens Laelia was a plebeian family at Ancient Rome, Rome. The first of the gens to obtain the Roman consul, consulship was Gaius Laelius in 190 BC.''Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology'', vol. II, p. 704 ("Laelia Gens"). Bran ...

. This Laelius was, however, an ancestor of the

Laelii Balbi The gens Laelia was a plebeian family at Rome. The first of the gens to obtain the consulship was Gaius Laelius in 190 BC.''Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology'', vol. II, p. 704 ("Laelia Gens"). Branches and cognomina The o ...

of the

Imperial era The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post- Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings around the Medite ...

. D.R. Shackleton Bailey, "The Roman Nobility in the Second Civil War," ''Classical Quarterly'' 10 (1960), p. 256.

References

Selected bibliography

*Alexander, Michael Charles. ''The Case for the Prosecution in the Ciceronian Era''. University of Michigan Press, 2002, pp. 80–97. Limited previe
online.
* Broughton, T.R.S. ''The Magistrates of the Roman Republic'', vol. 2, 99 B.C.–31 B.C. (New York: American Philological Association, 1952), pp. 223, 265, 270, 578. {{DEFAULTSORT:Laelius, Decimus 1st-century BC births 1st-century BC Romans Decimus Tribunes of the plebs Year of death unknown