Gaius Silius (c. AD 13 – 48) was a

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

who was nominated as consul designate for 49 AD, but was executed by the emperor

Claudius Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (; 1 August 10 BC – 13 October AD 54) was the fourth Roman emperor, ruling from AD 41 to 54. A member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, Claudius was born to Nero Claudius Drusus, Drusu ...

for his affair with the empress

Valeria Messalina Valeria Messalina (; ) was the third wife of Roman emperor Claudius. She was a paternal cousin of Emperor Nero, a second cousin of Emperor Caligula, and a great-grandniece of Emperor Augustus. A powerful and influential woman with a reputatio ...

Biography

The son of

Gaius Silius Gaius Silius (died AD 24) was a Roman senator who achieved successes as a general over German barbarians following the disaster of the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest. For this achievement he was appointed consul in AD 13 with Lucius Munatius Planc ...

, Silius was described by the ancient sources as an intelligent, noble and attractive man. He had married the aristocratic

Junia Silana Junia Silana (died 59 C.E.) was a Roman patrician. She was the sister of Junia Claudilla, the first wife of Caligula, before he became emperor. Silana was a prominent figure in the power struggles that transpired in the reign of three different em ...

, and had been inducted into the Senate sometime shortly before 47. During this year he demanded in the Senate the enforcement of the Lex Cincia, forbidding the acceptance of money or gifts in exchange for legal services, in an attempt to bring down his enemy,

Publius Suillius Rufus Publius may refer to: Roman name * Publius (praenomen) * Ancient Romans with the name: ** Publius Valerius Publicola (died 503 BC), Roman consul, co-founder of the Republic **Publius Clodius Pulcher (c. 93 BC – 52 BC), Republican politician * ...

, who was prosecuting many of Silius' clients. The Senate agreed with this proposal, but before a formal motion could be put before the people, those intended to be prosecuted under this law, including Suillius Rufus, had successfully appealed to Claudius to amend the law by establishing a maximum fee that could be charged. Silius was then made a consul-designate in 48 (presumably for the following year). Through the infatuation of the Empress

, they had become lovers. Messalina forced him to divorce his wife to marry her, committing bigamy and marrying before witnesses, while Claudius was at Ostia. Silius was childless and wanted to adopt

Britannicus Tiberius Claudius Caesar Britannicus (12 February AD 41 – 11 February AD 55), usually called Britannicus, was the son of Roman emperor Claudius and his third wife Valeria Messalina. For a time he was considered his father's heir, but that ...

. Narcissus exposed their mock marriage and the plot to kill Claudius.Smith, pg. 824 The Emperor ordered their executions in 48. His former wife, whom he divorced in 47, Junia Silana, was a friend of

Agrippina the Younger Julia Agrippina (6 November AD 15 – 23 March AD 59), also referred to as Agrippina the Younger, was Roman empress from 49 to 54 AD, the fourth wife and niece of Emperor Claudius. Agrippina was one of the most prominent women in the Julio-Claud ...

and the two later became bitter rivals. Likely due to the machinations of Agrippina, she was exiled and later died at

Tarentum Tarentum may refer to: * Taranto, Apulia, Italy, on the site of the ancient Roman city of Tarentum (formerly the Greek colony of Taras) **See also History of Taranto * Tarentum (Campus Martius), also Terentum, an area in or on the edge of the Camp ...

in 59.

References

Sources

* Smith, William, ''Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology'', Vol III (1849). {{DEFAULTSORT:Silius, Gaius 1st-century Romans Roman consuls designate 10s births 48 deaths Year of birth uncertain Executed ancient Roman people 1st-century executions People executed by the Roman Empire Silii Lovers of Roman royalty Male lovers of royalty