Gaius Marcius Rutilus (also seen as "Rutulus") was the first plebeian

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 tim ...

and censor of

ancient Rome In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom (753–509 BC ...

, and was consul four times. He was first elected consul in 357 BC, then appointed as dictator the following year in order to deal with an invasion by the

Etruscans The Etruscan civilization () was developed by a people of Etruria in ancient Italy with a common language and culture who formed a federation of city-states. After conquering adjacent lands, its territory covered, at its greatest extent, rou ...

which had reached as far as the ancient salt-works on the coast. He surprised the enemy's camp, captured 8,000 of the enemy and drove the rest out of Roman territory, Antony Kamm, ''The Romans, An Introduction'', p. 13. for which he was granted a

triumph The Roman triumph (Latin triumphus) was a celebration for a victorious military commander in ancient Rome. For later imitations, in life or in art, see Trionfo. Numerous later uses of the term, up to the present, are derived directly or indirectl ...

by the people, against the Senate's wishes. Rutilus was again elected consul in 352 BC. At the end of his term, he ran for censor and won, despite

patrician Patrician may refer to: * Patrician (ancient Rome), the original aristocratic families of ancient Rome, and a synonym for "aristocratic" in modern English usage * Patrician (post-Roman Europe), the governing elites of cities in parts of medieval ...

opposition. He was also consul in 344 BC and 342 BC, when he led the army in the Samnite Wars. His son of the same name was tribune of the plebs in 311 BC and consul in 310 BC. According to Fergus Millar, this son was one of the first plebeian augurs under the Lex Ogulnia and also held the position of censor twice, the first time in 294 BC and the second time in 265 BC. Fergus Millar, ''The Roman Republic and Augustan Revolution''

Sources

Livy Titus Livius (; 59 BC – AD 17), known in English as Livy ( ), was a 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 traditional founding in ...

(bk. 7)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Marcius Rutilus, Gaius Ancient Roman dictators Ancient Roman generals 4th-century BC Roman consuls Rutilus, Gaius