Lucius Furius Medullinus (c. 445 BC – c. 375 BC), of the

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 ...

'' gens Furia'', was a politician and general 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 Kin ...

who 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 ...

twice and

Consular Tribune 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 Or ...

seven times.

First two consulships

Medullinus was elected consul for the first time in 413 BC, together with

Aulus Cornelius Cossus __NOTOC__ Aulus Cornelius Cossus was a Roman general from the early Republic. He is most famous for being the second Roman, after Romulus, to be awarded the ''spolia opima,'' Rome's highest military honor, for killing the commander of an enemy arm ...

, although both

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 ...

and

Cassiodorus Magnus Aurelius Cassiodorus Senator (c. 485 – c. 585), commonly known as Cassiodorus (), was a Roman statesman, renowned scholar of antiquity, and writer serving in the administration of Theodoric the Great, king of the Ostrogoths. ''Senator'' w ...

name his colleague as Marcus Cornelius Cossus. Medullinus headed the investigation ''(quaestio)'' into a mutiny that had occurred during the previous year, which had resulted in the death of the consular tribune Publius Postumius Albinus Regillensis. Passing judgement, the consuls found a few soldiers guilty, who were then forced into committing suicide. Medullinus was then given command of the campaign against 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 ...

, who had raided the territory of the

Hernici The Hernici were an Italic tribe of ancient Italy, whose territory was in Latium between the Fucine Lake and the Sacco River (''Trerus''), bounded by the Volsci on the south, and by the Aequi and the Marsi on the north. For many years of the earl ...

, a people who were allied with the

. He was unable to bring the Volsci to battle however, as they decided to withdraw back into their territory. Medullinus subsequently occupied the town of

Ferentino Ferentino is a town and ''comune'' in Italy, in the province of Frosinone, Lazio, southeast of Rome. It is situated on a hill above sea level, in the Monti Ernici area. History ''Ferentinum'' was a town of the Hernici; it was captured from them ...

; the town together with the surrounding territory was then handed over to the Hernici. Medullinus’ second consulship came in 409 BC, where he was elected alongside Gnaeus Cornelius Cossus. During his consulship, due to the intervention of three

Plebeian tribune 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 ...

s from the Icilius family, for the first time in the history of the Republic, three

quaestor A ( , , ; "investigator") was a public official in Ancient Rome. There were various types of quaestors, with the title used to describe greatly different offices at different times. In the Roman Republic, quaestors were elected officials who ...

s of plebeian extraction were elected. Strengthened by this success, the tribunes next opposed the raising of levies necessary to meet the raids of 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 Volsci within the territory of the allied

Latins The Latins were originally an Italic tribe in ancient central Italy from Latium. As Roman power and colonization spread Latin culture during the Roman Republic. Latins culturally "Romanized" or "Latinized" the rest of Italy, and the word Latin ...

and Hernici tribes, hoping thereby to obtain other concessions for the plebeians. Eventually it was agreed that in the following year (408 BC) consular tribunes would be elected; however, 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 ...

declared that it would accept no consular candidate who had been plebeian tribune that year, nor could any plebeian tribune be re-elected for the following year, thereby ensuring that no representative of the Icilius family could participate in those elections. Having finally recruited an army, the consuls moved towards Arx Carventana, which had been conquered by the Aequi and the Volsci, but they were unable to recapture the town. Instead, they captured the town of Verrugo in Volscian territory.

First two consular tribunates

In 407 BC, Medullinus was elected Consular Tribune, alongside

Numerius Fabius Vibulanus __NOTOC__ Numerius (or Gnaeus) Fabius Vibulanus ( 421–407 BC) was a Roman senator and military commander. As consul in 421 BC, he campaigned successfully against the Aequi, for which he was awarded an ovation. During his term in office, Fabius ...

Gaius Valerius Potitus Volusus Gaius Valerius Potitus Volusus was a consul in 410 BC and consular tribune in 415, 407 and 404 BC of the Roman Republic. Valerius belonged to the Valeria gens, one of the oldest and possibly the most influential and powerful patrician gens of t ...

, and

Gaius Servilius Ahala Gaius Servilius Ahala ( 439 BC) was a 5th-century BC politician of ancient Rome, considered by many later writers to have been a hero. His fame rested on the contention that he saved Rome from Spurius Maelius in 439 BC by killing him with a dagge ...

, all of his colleagues being consular tribunes for the second time. With the expiration of the truce with the

Veii Veii (also Veius; it, Veio) was an important ancient Etruscan city situated on the southern limits of Etruria and north-northwest of Rome, Italy. It now lies in Isola Farnese, in the comune of Rome. Many other sites associated with and in the ...

, Rome sent a delegation to obtain redress for the damages and injuries which had been inflicted:

Arriving at the frontier, these men were met by an embassy of the Veientes, who asked them not to proceed to Veii until they themselves should have gone before the Roman senate. The senate, considering that the Veientes were in the throes of civil discord, agreed not to demand a settlement of them; so far were they from taking advantage of another people's difficulties.

The Romans, however, because they were unable to make a decision in time, lost the garrison at Verrugo, which was massacred by the Aequi and Volsci. A relieving force arrived after the massacre; unable to help their fallen comrades, they surprised the enemy, killing them as they were engaged in plundering Verrugo. In 405 BC, Medullinus was elected Consular Tribune for the second time, alongside

Titus Quinctius Capitolinus Barbatus Titus Quinctius Capitolinus Barbatus (513 BCafter 423 BC) was a Roman statesman and general who served as consul six times. Titus Quinctius was a member of the gens Quinctia, one of the oldest patrician families in Rome. He was the son of Luci ...

Aulus Manlius Vulso Capitolinus Aulus Manlius Vulso Capitolinus was a consular tribune of the Roman Republic in 405, 402 and 397 BC. Manlius belonged to the Manlia gens, one of the oldest patrician gentes of the Republic. Manlius' father, taken from filiations, was named Aulu ...

Quintus Quinctius Cincinnatus Quintus Quinctius Cincinnatus was a consular tribune in 415 and 405 BC of the Roman Republic. Quinctius belonged to the Quinctia gens, one of the oldest and possibly the most influential and powerful patrician gens of the early Republic. Quinct ...

, Gaius Julius Iulus and

Manius Aemilius Mamercinus Manius Aemilius Mamercinus was a three-time consular tribune, in 405, 403 and 401 and also consul in 410 BC, of the Roman Republic. Aemilius belonged to the Aemilia gens, one of the oldest and most prominent patrician gens of the early Republic. A ...

. Rome took the war to

, with Medullinus and his colleagues besieging the city, which was unable to convince the other Etruscan cities to go to war against Rome:

Shortly after this siege began, the Etruscans held a numerously attended council at the shrine of Voltumna, but could reach no decision as to whether the entire nation should go to war in defence of the Veientes.

Third to fifth consular tribunates

In 398 BC, Medullinus was elected Consular Tribune for the third time, alongside Lucius Valerius Potitus,

Marcus Valerius Lactucinus Maximus Marcus, Markus, Márkus or Mărcuș may refer to: * Marcus (name), a masculine given name * Marcus (praenomen), a Roman personal name Places * Marcus, a main belt asteroid, also known as (369088) Marcus 2008 GG44 * Mărcuş, a village in Dobâr ...

Quintus Servilius Fidenas Quintus Servilius Fidenas was a prominent early Roman politician who achieved the position of Consular tribune six times throughout a sixteen-year period. Quintus Servilius was a member of the illustrious gens Servilia, a patrician family which h ...

, his famed brother,

Marcus Furius Camillus Marcus Furius Camillus (; c. 446 – 365 BC) was a Roman soldier and statesman of the patrician class. According to Livy and Plutarch, Camillus triumphed four times, was five times dictator, and was honoured with the title of ''Second Founder ...

and

Quintus Sulpicius Camerinus Cornutus Quintus Sulpicius Camerinus Cornutus ( 490–488 BC) was a Roman politician, and consul in 490 BC. Family He was a member of the ''gens Sulpicia'', specifically he was among the Sulpicii Camerini. His father Servius Sulpicius Camerinus Cornutus ...

. Medullinus and some of his colleagues continued with the siege of Veii, while Valerius Potitus and Medullinus' brother Furius Camillus sacked the towns of

Falerii Falerii (now Fabrica di Roma) was a city in southern Etruria, 50 km (31 mi) northeast of Rome, 34 km (21 mi) from Veii (a major Etruscan city-state near the River Tiber) and about 1.5 km (0.9 mi) west of the ancient Via Flaminia. It was the main c ...

and

Capena Capena (until 1933 called Leprignano) is a town and '' comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Rome, Lazio region (central Italy). The town has borrowed its modern name from a pre-Roman and Roman settlement that was to its north. Geography Cape ...

, which were allied with the Etruscans. During this year there was also the unusual rise of the waters of

Lake Albano Lake Albano (Italian: ''Lago Albano'' or ''Lago di Castel Gandolfo'') is a small volcanic crater lake in the Alban Hills of Lazio, at the foot of Monte Cavo, southeast of Rome. Castel Gandolfo, overlooking the lake, is the site of the Papal Pa ...

, and to interpret the meaning of which some ambassadors were sent to question the

Oracle at Delphi Pythia (; grc, Πυθία ) was the name of the high priestess of the Temple of Apollo at Delphi. She specifically served as its oracle and was known as the Oracle of Delphi. Her title was also historically glossed in English as the Pythoness ...

, even though an old prophet from Veii had let slip the following prediction:

that whenever the water of the Alban Lake overflowed and the Romans drew it off in the appointed way, the victory over the Veientines would be granted them; until that happened the gods would not desert the walls of Veii. Then he explained the prescribed mode of drawing off the water.

In the following year (397 BC), Medullinus was elected Consular Tribune for the fourth time, alongside Lucius Julius Iulus, Aulus Postumius Albinus Regillensis,

Publius Cornelius Maluginensis 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 * ...

Lucius Sergius Fidenas Lucius Sergius Fidenas was a Roman politician during the 5th century BC, and was elected consul in 437 and 429 BC. In 433, 424, and 418 BC he was military tribune with consular power. Family He was a member of the ''Sergii Fidenates'', branch of t ...

and

. This year saw Medullinus and his colleagues continue the siege of

, while at the same time having to endure an attack by the

on the garrison at

Anxur Terracina is an Italian city and ''comune'' of the province of Latina, located on the coast southeast of Rome on the Via Appia ( by rail). The site has been continuously occupied since antiquity. History Ancient times Terracina appears in anci ...

, as well as an attack by the

on the colony of

Labico Labico is a ''comune'' (municipality) of about 6,200 inhabitants in the Metropolitan City of Rome in the Italian region Latium, located about southeast of Rome. Known as Lugnano until 1872, it takes its current name from the ancient Labicum, alt ...

. Into this already difficult military situation, the Romans were further placed under pressure by raids from

Tarquinii Tarquinia (), formerly Corneto, is an old city in the province of Viterbo, Lazio, Central Italy, known chiefly for its ancient Etruscans, Etruscan tombs in the widespread necropolis, necropoleis, or cemeteries, for which it was awarded World ...

, who tried to take advantage of the situation, confident that the Romans would be unable to launch any reprisals. Instead, a force was raised by Postumius Aulus and Lucius Julius, who surprised the raiders at

Caere : Caere (also Caisra and Cisra) is the Latin name given by the Romans to one of the larger cities of southern Etruria, the modern Cerveteri, approximately 50–60 kilometres north-northwest of Rome. To the Etruscans it was known as Cisra, to ...

, and proceeded to annex the town from 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 ...

. The ambassadors which had been sent to question the Oracle at Delphi returned with the following response:

See to it, Roman, that the rising flood At Alba flow not o'er its banks and shape Its channel seawards. Harmless through thy fields Shalt thou disperse it, scattered into rills. Then fiercely press upon thy foeman's walls, For now the Fates have given thee victory. That city which long years thou hast besieged Shall now be thine. And when the war hath end, Do thou, the victor, bear an ample gift Into my temple, and the ancestral rites Now in disuse, see that thou celebrate Anew with all their wonted pomp.

Due to faulty elections, it was decided that the necessary act to restore the neglected rites involved the abdication of all the consular tribunes from their office for the remainder of their term, which was followed by three

interregna An interregnum (plural interregna or interregnums) is a period of discontinuity or "gap" in a government, organization, or social order. Archetypally, it was the period of time between the reign of one monarch and the next (coming from Latin '' ...

before the election of new consular tribunes. In 395 BC, Medullinus was elected Consular Tribune for the fifth time, alongside Publius Cornelius Cossus, Publius Cornelius Scipio,

Caeso Fabius Ambustus Caeso Fabius Ambustus was a four-time consular tribune of the Roman Republic around the turn of the 5th and 4th centuries BC. Caeso was quaestor in 409 BC, the first year the office was opened to the '' plebs'', and three of his colleagues were pl ...

and

. It is assumed that Medullinus remained at Rome, where he and some of his colleagues continued to manage internal affairs. Meanwhile, two brothers, Cornelius Maluginensis and Cornelius Scipio, were entrusted with the campaign against the

Falisci Falisci ( grc, Φαλίσκοι, ''Phaliskoi'') is the ancient Roman exonym for an Italic tribe who lived in what is now northern Lazio, on the Etruscan side of the Tiber River. They spoke an Italic language, Faliscan, closely akin to Latin. O ...

, which did not produce any concrete results, while Valerius Lactucinus and Quintus Servilius were allotted the campaign against the town of

, which was ultimately forced to sue for peace with Rome. In Rome itself, however, disputes over the division of spoils taken in the fall of Veii from the year before continued to rage, when another controversy was ignited, arising from the proposal of the

Titus Sicinius to transfer part of the Roman population to

, to which the Roman senate strenuously objected.

Final two consular tribunates

In 394 BC, Medullinus was again elected Consular Tribune, this for the sixth time, alongside

Lucius Valerius Potitus Poplicola Lucius ( el, Λούκιος ''Loukios''; ett, Luvcie) is a male given name derived from ''Lucius'' (abbreviated ''L.''), one of the small group of common Latin forenames (''praenomina'') found in the culture of ancient Rome. Lucius derives from L ...

Spurius Postumius Albinus Regillensis Spurius Postumius Albinus Regillensis was a Roman politician, of patrician family, of the early 4th century BC. He was elected a military consular tribune in 394 BC, and carried on the war against the Aequians. He at first suffered a bloody defea ...

Gaius Aemilius Mamercinus Gaius, sometimes spelled ''Gajus'', Kaius, Cajus, Caius, was a common Latin praenomen; see Gaius (praenomen). People * Gaius (jurist) (), Roman jurist *Gaius Acilius *Gaius Antonius *Gaius Antonius Hybrida *Gaius Asinius Gallus *Gaius Asinius P ...

and Publius Cornelius Scipio. With Medullinus continuing to hold the fort at Rome, Furius Camillus was entrusted with the campaign against the

, which ended with the surrender of

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

. To Gaius Aemilius and Spurius Postumius was entrusted the campaign against the

. The two consular tribunes, after defeating the enemy in open battle, decided that while Gaius Aemilius would remain to govern Verrugo, Spurius Postumius would plunder the lands of the Aequi. However, while plundering, the Roman forces were surprised and routed by the Aequi. Despite the defeat, and despite many soldiers being stationed in Verrugo, the defeated Roman forces had fled to Tusculum, fearing a further attack by the Aequi. Postumius, however, managed to reorganize the army, and won a pitched battle against the Aequi. Then in 391 BC, Medullinus was elected Consular Tribune for the seventh and final time, alongside

Lucius Lucretius Tricipitinus Flavus Lucius Lucretius Tricipitinus Flavus was a Roman statesman and general who had a prominent career in the early 4th century BC, serving once as consul, and four times as consular tribune, as well as perhaps serving as Princeps senatus. Family an ...

Servius Sulpicius Camerinus Servius is the name of: * Servius (praenomen), the personal name * Maurus Servius Honoratus, a late fourth-century and early fifth-century grammarian * Servius Tullius, the Roman king * Servius Sulpicius Rufus Servius Sulpicius Rufus (c. 105 BC � ...

Agrippa Furius Fusus Agrippa Furius Fusus was a Roman statesman who served as Consul in 446 BC. Consulship After the fall of the despotic Decemvirs, internal sedition broke out again. The Aequi and Volsci, taking advantage once more of the instability of the Roman po ...

Lucius Aemilius Mamercinus Lucius ( el, Λούκιος ''Loukios''; ett, Luvcie) is a male given name derived from ''Lucius'' (abbreviated ''L.''), one of the small group of common Latin forenames (''praenomina'') found in the culture of ancient Rome. Lucius derives from L ...

and

. While Medullinus presumably again managed affairs in Rome, Lucius Lucretius and Gaius Aemilius were entrusted the campaign against

, while Agrippa Furius and Servius Sulpicius were given command of the war against the Salpinates. However, both campaigns were discontinued due to an outbreak of pestilence that had hit Rome. The Romans had easily had the upper hand against the Volsci during the first and only pitched battle, and began to raid their territory, until the Volsci were granted a twenty-year truce in exchange for compensating the Romans for all territory which had been raided and destroyed during the previous year, as well as paying the expenses of the Roman soldiers that year. The Salpinates, having heard of the defeat of the allies, retreated into their strongholds, leaving its territory defenseless to Roman raids. It was during Medullinus’ consular tribunate that

, accused by the

Lucius Apuleius of unfairly distributing the spoils of war obtained after the fall of Veii, decided to go into voluntary exile to Ardea. Meanwhile, the

Gauls The Gauls ( la, Galli; grc, Γαλάται, ''Galátai'') were a group of Celtic peoples of mainland Europe in the Iron Age and the Roman period (roughly 5th century BC to 5th century AD). Their homeland was known as Gaul (''Gallia''). They s ...

, led by

Brennus Brennus or Brennos is the name of two Gaulish chieftains, famous in ancient history: * Brennus, chieftain of the Senones, a Gallic tribe originating from the modern areas of France known as Seine-et-Marne, Loiret, and Yonne; in 387 BC, in t ...

, began besieging

Chiusi Chiusi ( Etruscan: ''Clevsin''; Umbrian: ''Camars''; Ancient Greek: ''Klysion'', ''Κλύσιον''; Latin: ''Clusium'') is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Siena, Tuscany, Italy. History Clusium (''Clevsin'' in Etruscan) was one ...

, which sent ambassadors to Rome to ask for help.Livy, V, 32

Notes

Sources

Ancient

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 ...

", Books IV and V

Modern

* Broughton, T. Robert S., ''The Magistrates of the Roman Republic'', Vol I (1951)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Furius Medullinus, Lucius 445 BC births 375 BC deaths 5th-century BC Roman consuls 4th-century BC Romans Ancient Roman generals Medullinus, Lucius