Gaius Julius Iullus was

consul Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states throug ...

in 447 BC, and again in 435.''Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology'', vol. II, pp. 656, 657.

Family

Julius was the son of the Gaius Julius Iullus who had been consul in 482 BC, and a member of the first

decemvirate The decemviri or decemvirs (Latin for "ten men") were some of the several 10-man commissions established by the Roman Republic. The most important were those of the two Decemvirates, formally the " decemvirate with consular power for writing ...

in 451. He was probably the grandson of the Gaius Julius Iulus who held the consulship in 489. Julius' uncle,

Vopiscus Julius Iullus Vopiscus Julius Iullus ( 473 BC) was a Roman statesman, who held the consulship in 473 BC, a year in which the authority of the Roman magistrates was threatened after the murder of a tribune of the plebs.''Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography ...

, was consul in 473. Some of the Julii Iulli who followed Gaius in the chief magistracies over the next several decades may have been his descendants, but the only ones who attained the consulship and whose filiations are known were his uncle's son and grandson.

Career

Consul for the first time in BC 447, Julius and his colleague, Marcus Geganius Macerinus, inherited a state still rife with tension between the aristocratic party in the

senate 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 ...

, and the people, whose chief defenders were the

tribunes 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 of ...

. The consuls were directed to recruit soldiers to fight the

Aequi 300px, Location of the Aequi (Equi) in central Italy, 5th century BC. The Aequi ( grc, Αἴκουοι and Αἴκοι) were an Italic tribe on a stretch of the Apennine Mountains to the east of Latium in central Italy who appear in the early his ...

and the

Volsci The Volsci (, , ) were an Italic tribe, well known in the history of the first century of the Roman Republic. At the time they inhabited the partly hilly, partly marshy district of the south of Latium, bounded by the Aurunci and Samnites on the ...

, an action that was certain to inflame the populace; but as no threat appeared imminent, they suspended the order, reasoning that unrest in the city would only encourage Rome's enemies. Despite their measures to keep the peace, the consuls were unable to prevent the more extreme elements of the aristocratic faction from banding together to harass and intimidate the tribunes, until in fear of their very lives they became utterly ineffectual. In Julius' second consulship, BC 435, Rome was in the midst of an epidemic that had started the previous year. Ordinary plans to raise an army against rival cities had to be abandoned, giving an opening to the men of

Fidenae Fidenae ( grc, Φιδῆναι) was an ancient town of Latium, situated about 8 km north of Rome on the '' Via Salaria'', which ran between Rome and the Tiber. Its inhabitants were known as Fidenates. As the Tiber was the border between Etr ...

. Aided by the Veientes, the Fidenates took the field and advanced deep into Roman territory, according to Livy advancing almost within sight of the

Colline Gate The Colline Gate (Latin ''Porta Collina'') was a landmark in ancient Rome, supposed to have been built by Servius Tullius, semi-legendary king of Rome 578–535 BC. The gate stood at the north end of the Servian Wall, and past it were two impo ...

. Julius took what soldiers he could and manned the city walls, while his colleague, Proculus Verginius Tricostus, convened the senate in the temple of

Quirinus In Roman mythology and religion, Quirinus ( , ) is an early god of the Roman state. In Augustan Rome, ''Quirinus'' was also an epithet of Janus, as ''Janus Quirinus''. Name Attestations The name of god Quirinus is recorded across Roman sourc ...

, and then nominated Quintus Servilius Priscus as

dictator A dictator is a political leader who possesses absolute power. A dictatorship is a state ruled by one dictator or by a small clique. The word originated as the title of a Roman dictator elected by the Roman Senate to rule the republic in times ...

.Broughton, vol. I, pp. 60, 61. Servilius and his

magister equitum The , in English Master of the Horse or Master of the Cavalry, was a Roman magistrate appointed as lieutenant to a dictator. His nominal function was to serve as commander of the Roman cavalry in time of war, but just as a dictator could be nomi ...

, Postumus Aebutius Elva, called a muster of all able-bodied men outside the Colline Gate, and immediately took the field. Alarmed by the Roman activity, the Fidenates and their allies retreated, and were harried by the dictator's army until they took refuge within the walls of Fidenae. Lacking the resources to maintain a long siege, Servilius entrenched his men and gave the impression of a siege, while

sapper A sapper, also called a pioneer (military), pioneer or combat engineer, is a combatant or soldier who performs a variety of military engineering duties, such as breaching fortifications, demolitions, bridge-building, laying or clearing minefie ...

s dug a passage under the city wall and into the citadel, which Servilius then captured, earning for himself the surname ''Fidenas''.Livy, iv. 22. Julius and Verginius served out the remainder of their term uneventfully. The only other event of note was the holding of a census in the

Campus Martius The Campus Martius (Latin for the "Field of Mars", Italian ''Campo Marzio'') was a publicly owned area of ancient Rome about in extent. In the Middle Ages, it was the most populous area of Rome. The IV rione of Rome, Campo Marzio, which covers ...

for the first time; one of the

censors Censorship is the suppression of speech, public communication, or other information. This may be done on the basis that such material is considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or "inconvenient". Censorship can be conducted by governments ...

was Marcus Geganius Macerinus, who had been consul with Julius twelve years earlier. The historian

Licinius Macer Gaius Licinius Macer (died 66BC) was a Roman annalist and politician. Life A member of the ancient plebeian clan Licinia, he was tribune in 73BC. Sallust mentions him agitating for the people's rights. He became praetor in 68BC, but in 66BC Cic ...

reported that Julius and Verginius were elected consuls again for the following year; but

Valerius Antias Valerius Antias ( century BC) was an ancient Roman annalist whom Livy mentions as a source. No complete works of his survive but from the sixty-five fragments said to be his in the works of other authors it has been deduced that he wrote a chroni ...

and Aelius Tubero gave the consuls as

Marcus Manlius Capitolinus Marcus Manlius Capitolinus (died 384 BC; sometimes spelled ''Manilius'') was consul of the Roman Republic in 392 BC. He was the brother of Aulus Manlius Capitolinus. The Manlii were a patrician ''gens''. Biography During the Gallic siege of ...

and Quintus Sulpicius Camerinus Praetextatus, while Macer and Tubero each mentioned alternative traditions by which Manlius and Sulpicius were

consular tribunes A consular tribune was putatively a type of magistrate in the early Roman Republic. According to Roman tradition, colleges of consular tribunes held office throughout the fifth and fourth centuries BC during the so-called " Conflict of the O ...

, together with Servius Cornelius Cossus.

Diodorus Diodorus Siculus, or Diodorus of Sicily ( grc-gre, Διόδωρος ; 1st century BC), was an ancient Greek historian. He is known for writing the monumental universal history ''Bibliotheca historica'', in forty books, fifteen of which su ...

agrees with the latter account.Diodorus Siculus, xii. 53.

References

Bibliography

* Titus Livius (

Livy Titus Livius (; 59 BC – AD 17), known in English as Livy ( ), was a Ancient Rome, Roman historian. He wrote a monumental history of Rome and the Roman people, titled , covering the period from the earliest legends of Rome before the traditiona ...

), ''

Ab Urbe Condita ''Ab urbe condita'' ( 'from the founding of the City'), or ''anno urbis conditae'' (; 'in the year since the city's founding'), abbreviated as AUC or AVC, expresses a date in years since 753 BC, the traditional founding of Rome. It is an exp ...

'' (History of Rome). *

Diodorus Siculus Diodorus Siculus, or Diodorus of Sicily ( grc-gre, Διόδωρος ; 1st century BC), was an ancient Greek historian. He is known for writing the monumental universal history ''Bibliotheca historica'', in forty books, fifteen of which su ...

, ''

Bibliotheca Historica ''Bibliotheca historica'' ( grc, Βιβλιοθήκη Ἱστορική, ) is a work of universal history by Diodorus Siculus. It consisted of forty books, which were divided into three sections. The first six books are geographical in theme, ...

'' (Library of History).
"Julus" (no. 4)
in the ''

Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology The ''Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology'' (1849, originally published 1844 under a slightly different title) is an encyclopedia/biographical dictionary. Edited by William Smith, the dictionary spans three volumes and 3,700 p ...

'', William Smith, ed., Little, Brown and Company, Boston (1849). * T. Robert S. Broughton, ''The Magistrates of the Roman Republic'', American Philological Association (1952). {{DEFAULTSORT:Julius Iulus, Gaius 307 5th-century BC Roman consuls Gaius 307

Family

Career

See also

References

Bibliography