Lucius Valerius Flaccus (died between 73 and 69 BC) was a
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 ...
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 ...
in 100 BC and ''
princeps senatus
The ''princeps senatus'' ( ''principes senatus'') was the first member by precedence on the membership rolls of the Roman Senate. Although officially out of the ''cursus honorum'' and possessing no ''imperium'', this office conferred prestige on t ...
'' (leader of 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 ...
) during the
civil wars of the 80s. He is noted for his peace initiatives, which failed, and for sponsoring the ''Lex Valeria'' that created the
dictatorship
A dictatorship is a form of government which is characterized by a leader, or a group of leaders, which holds governmental powers with few to no limitations on them. The leader of a dictatorship is called a dictator. Politics in a dictatorship are ...
of
Sulla
Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix (; 138–78 BC), commonly known as Sulla, was a Roman general and statesman. He won the first large-scale civil war in Roman history and became the first man of the Republic to seize power through force.
Sulla had ...
.
Life and career
Flaccus belonged to 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
In ancient Rome, a gens ( or , ; plural: ''gentes'' ) was a family consisting of individuals who shared the same Roman naming conventions#Nomen, nomen and who claimed descent from a common ancestor. A branch of a gens was called a ''stirps'' (p ...
''
Valeria, one of the most important gentes of the Republic. Flaccus' ancestors reached the consulship over five generations; his grandfather was consul in 152, his father was consul in 131 and also
Flamen Martialis
In ancient Roman religion, the Flamen Martialis was the high priest of the official state cult of Mars, the god of war. He was one of the '' flamines maiores'', the three high priests who were the most important of the fifteen flamens. The Flamen ...
, the sacred priest of
Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System, only being larger than Mercury (planet), Mercury. In the English language, Mars is named for the Mars (mythology), Roman god of war. Mars is a terr ...
. In addition, Flaccus had two homonymous cousins active during his lifetime:
Gaius Valerius Flaccus
Gaius Valerius Flaccus (; died ) was a 1st-century Roman poet who flourished during the " Silver Age" under the Flavian dynasty, and wrote a Latin ''Argonautica'' that owes a great deal to Apollonius of Rhodes' more famous epic.[Lucius Valerius Flaccus Lucius Valerius Flaccus may refer to:
* Lucius Valerius Flaccus (consul 261 BC)
* Lucius Valerius Flaccus (consul 195 BC)
* Lucius Valerius Flaccus (consul 131 BC), Flamen Martialis
* Lucius Valerius Flaccus (consul 100 BC)
* Lucius Valerius Flacc ...]
, consul in 86.
The earliest official capacity recorded for Lucius Flaccus is ''
monetalis
A moneyer is a private individual who is officially permitted to mint money. Usually the rights to coin money are bestowed as a concession by a state or government. Moneyers have a long tradition, dating back at least to ancient Greece. They bec ...
'' ("moneyer"), a common preliminary to the
political career track for young men of senatorial rank. In 108 or 107 BC, Flaccus issued coinage depicting
Victory
The term victory (from Latin ''victoria'') originally applied to warfare, and denotes success achieved in personal Duel, combat, after military operations in general or, by extension, in any competition. Success in a military campaign constitu ...
and
Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System, only being larger than Mercury (planet), Mercury. In the English language, Mars is named for the Mars (mythology), Roman god of war. Mars is a terr ...
. Flaccus was elected
praetor
Praetor ( , ), also pretor, was the title granted by the government of Ancient Rome to a man acting in one of two official capacities: (i) the commander of an army, and (ii) as an elected '' magistratus'' (magistrate), assigned to discharge vario ...
sometime before 103 BC. In 100, he was the colleague of
Gaius Marius
Gaius Marius (; – 13 January 86 BC) was a Roman general and statesman. Victor of the Cimbric and Jugurthine wars, he held the office of consul an unprecedented seven times during his career. He was also noted for his important refor ...
for Marius' sixth consulship. He was so little at variance with Marius that his contemporary
Rutilius Rufus, in his non-extant history, disparaged him as "more a servant than a colleague."
In 97, Flaccus was
censor with the
Marcus Antonius
Marcus Antonius (14 January 1 August 30 BC), commonly known in English as Mark Antony, was a Roman politician and general who played a critical role in the transformation of the Roman Republic from a constitutional republic into the autoc ...
who was consul in 99 BC. The duties of the censors included revising the
census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...
, which not only registered citizens, but determined social rank (''ordo''). Although no figures have survived from this census,
Italians
, flag =
, flag_caption = The national flag of Italy
, population =
, regions = Italy 55,551,000
, region1 = Brazil
, pop1 = 25–33 million
, ref1 =
, region2 ...
were registered as citizens in great numbers, presumably to strengthen the political power of those likely to support the
Marian
Marian may refer to:
People
* Mari people, a Finno-Ugric ethnic group in Russia
* Marian (given name), a list of people with the given name
* Marian (surname), a list of people so named
Places
* Marian, Iran (disambiguation)
* Marian, Queenslan ...
faction. Flaccus and Antonius expelled
Marcus Duronius Marcus Duronius was a tribune of the ''plebs'', most likely in 97 BC. He abrogated a sumptuary law, one of the '' Leges Liciniae''. In retaliation, the Roman censors Lucius Valerius Flaccus and Marcus Antonius expelled him from the Senate. Duroniu ...
from the senate because as
tribune
Tribune () was the title of various elected officials in ancient Rome. The two most important were the tribunes of the plebs and the military tribunes. For most of Roman history, a college of ten tribunes of the plebs acted as a check on the ...
he had abrogated a
sumptuary law
Sumptuary laws (from Latin ''sūmptuāriae lēgēs'') are laws that try to regulate consumption. '' Black's Law Dictionary'' defines them as "Laws made for the purpose of restraining luxury or extravagance, particularly against inordinate expendi ...
passed by
Publius Licinius Crassus. They also reappointed
Marcus Aemilius Scaurus as ''princeps senatus''. Flaccus himself was recognized as ''princeps'' perhaps as early as 92–91 BC, but certainly in the census of 86.
Theodor Mommsen
Christian Matthias Theodor Mommsen (; 30 November 1817 – 1 November 1903) was a German classical scholar, historian, jurist, journalist, politician and archaeologist. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest classicists of the 19th cent ...
erroneously thought that Sulla had abolished the position and that Flaccus was the last ''princeps''.
![L](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ac/L._Valerius_Flaccus_%28cos._100BC%29_denarius.jpg)
Flaccus served as ''
interrex
The interrex (plural interreges) was literally a ruler "between kings" (Latin ''inter reges'') during the Roman Kingdom and the Roman Republic. He was in effect a short-term regent.
History
The office of ''interrex'' was supposedly created follow ...
'' in 82, presiding over the
centuriate assembly
The Centuriate Assembly (Latin: ''comitia centuriata'') of the Roman Republic was one of the three voting assemblies in the Roman constitution. It was named the Centuriate Assembly as it originally divided Roman citizens into groups of one hundred ...
for the election of Sulla as dictator, who in turn made Flaccus 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 ...
'' ("Master of the Horse"), and remained so until 79 BC.
Religious office
Lucius Flaccus was ''
flamen Martialis
In ancient Roman religion, the Flamen Martialis was the high priest of the official state cult of Mars, the god of war. He was one of the '' flamines maiores'', the three high priests who were the most important of the fifteen flamens. The Flamen ...
'' when he died, sometime after the
cooptation
Co-option (also co-optation, sometimes spelt coöption or coöptation) has two common meanings.
It may refer to the process of adding members to an elite Social group, group at the discretion of members of the body, usually to manage opposition ...
of
Julius Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, and ...
to the
pontifical college
A pontifical university is an ecclesiastical university established or approved directly by the Holy See, composed of three main ecclesiastical faculties (Theology, Philosophy and Canon Law) and at least one other faculty. These academic institute ...
in 73 and before that of the Publius
Sulpicius Galba
Sulpicius Galba may refer to:
* Galba, Roman emperor in 68–69
* Gaius Sulpicius Galba (consul AD 22)
* Publius Sulpicius Galba Maximus
Publius Sulpicius Galba Maximus (fl. late 3rd to early 2nd century BC) was a Roman military officer and Sena ...
who was praetor around 66. The year Flaccus acquired the priesthood is undetermined. The iconography of coinage he issued as ''monetalis'' in 108 or 107 BC includes a
flamen
A (plural ''flamens'' or ''flamines'') was a priest of the ancient Roman religion who was assigned to one of eighteen deities with official cults during the Roman Republic. The most important of these were the three (or "major priests"), who ser ...
's distinctive cap. His father also had served as the high priest of Mars, and the image may refer to this heritage; since sons often succeeded fathers in religious office, it is possible that the coin also marks the beginning of his own priesthood.
Role in civil war
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 estab ...
lists Lucius Flaccus among those who preferred dealing with
Cinna to destroying their country through civil strife. Neither Cinna nor Sulla could lay claim to complete constitutional legitimacy, but during the period 86 to 83 BC, no former consuls supported Sulla. As ''princeps senatus'' and the oldest living ''
consularis ''Consularis'' is a Latin adjective indicating something pertaining to the position or rank of consul. In Ancient Rome it was also used as a noun (plural ''consulares'') to designate those senators who had held the office of consul or attained con ...
'', Flaccus took the lead in attempting negotiations with Sulla, anticipating his return to Italy with troops after his peace settlement with
Mithridates VI of Pontus
Mithridates or Mithradates VI Eupator ( grc-gre, Μιθραδάτης; 135–63 BC) was ruler of the Kingdom of Pontus in northern Anatolia from 120 to 63 BC, and one of the Roman Republic's most formidable and determined opponents. He was an e ...
in the fall of 85 BC. By this time, Lucius's cousin (also named Lucius Valerius Flaccus), the
suffect consul who had filled Marius's term in 86, had taken up his
proconsul
A proconsul was an official of ancient Rome who acted on behalf of a consul. A proconsul was typically a former consul. The term is also used in recent history for officials with delegated authority.
In the Roman Republic, military command, or ' ...
ar province of
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 area ...
; in early 85, he was killed in a mutiny led by the pro-Marian officer
Fimbria. The murder is assumed to have influenced the feelings of the Valerii Flacci regarding the Cinnan-Marian faction.
In an address to the senate, Flaccus urged ''concordia'' ("harmonious order") and took the initiative by sending envoys to Sulla in
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...
. In the meantime, Cinna and
Carbo arranged to prolong their consulship for a second term in 84 by spinning Sulla's imminent return as a state of emergency, against which they also began to assemble troops. Flaccus and the "peace party" at Rome appear not to have mounted any opposition to this action. The Cinnans' fears were confirmed when Sulla made it clear to the senatorial envoys that he would not dismiss his army when he reached Italy. After the
mutinous murder of Cinna, Carbo rejected peace negotiations. So did Sulla.
Flaccus was chosen in 82 BC by the senate – at the instigation of Sulla – as ''
interrex
The interrex (plural interreges) was literally a ruler "between kings" (Latin ''inter reges'') during the Roman Kingdom and the Roman Republic. He was in effect a short-term regent.
History
The office of ''interrex'' was supposedly created follow ...
'', the official required for holding elections if for some reason the previous year's consuls were unable to do so. In this case, both consuls were dead: Carbo had by now been defeated in battle and executed by the young
Pompeius Magnus
Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus (; 29 September 106 BC – 28 September 48 BC), known in English as Pompey or Pompey the Great, was a leading Roman general and statesman. He played a significant role in the transformation of ...
. Sulla sent a letter to Flaccus and the senate in which he urged, given the chaotic state in which Rome found itself, that the appointment of a dictator would do more to restore order than the messy business of elections. Although the office of dictator had constitutional precedent, with frequent ''dictatores'' holding short-term military commands in the Early Republic, there had been no Roman dictator for 120 years, since the
Hannibalic War
The Second Punic War (218 to 201 BC) was the second of three wars fought between Carthage and Rome, the two main powers of the western Mediterranean in the 3rd century BC. For 17 years the two states struggled for supremacy, primarily in Ital ...
. Sulla furthermore pressed to remove the term limit of six months from the office. As ''interrex'', Flaccus took Sulla's hint; instead of nominating ''
consules suffecti'' to fill the vacancies left by the deaths of Cinna and Carbo, he introduced a bill to the
comitia
The legislative assemblies of the Roman Republic were political institutions in the ancient Roman Republic. According to the contemporary historian Polybius, it was the people (and thus the assemblies) who had the final say regarding the election ...
appointing Sulla as dictator. The legislation was therefore known as the ''Lex Valeria'' by the
gentilic
A demonym (; ) or gentilic () is a word that identifies a group of people (inhabitants, residents, natives) in relation to a particular place. Demonyms are usually derived from the name of the place (hamlet, village, town, city, region, province, ...
name of its sponsor. At this time, Flaccus was also made ''
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 ...
''.
Flaccus is thought to have influenced his cousin Gaius Valerius Flaccus to support, or at least to accept the necessity of, Sulla's regime. Gaius was the brother of the Lucius Flaccus who was murdered in Asia in 85; he was
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 ...
of
Gallia Transalpina
Gallia Narbonensis (Latin for "Gaul of Narbonne", from its chief settlement) was a Roman province located in what is now Languedoc and Provence, in Southern France. It was also known as Provincia Nostra ("Our Province"), because it was the ...
and most likely
Cisalpina in the mid-80s, and was also a recent and possibly still current governor of one or both of the
Spanish provinces
A province in Spain
* es, provincias, ; sing. ''provincia'')
* Basque (, sing. ''probintzia''.
* Catalan (), sing. ''província''.
* Galician (), sing. ''provincia''. is a territorial division defined as a collection of municipalities, ...
. He thus would have commanded the largest number of troops in the western empire outside of Italy.
[Bruce W. Frier, "Sulla's Propaganda: The Collapse of the Cinnan Republic," ''American Journal of Philology'' 92 (1971), p. 597.] The concession of the Valerii Flacci was a significant factor in the establishment of the Sullan regime.
References
Selected bibliography
* Lovano, Michael. ''The Age of Cinna: Crucible of Late Republican Rome''. Franz Steiner Verlag, 2002. Limited previe
online.* Ryan, Francis X. ''Rank and Participation in the Roman Senate''. Franz Steiner Verlag, 1998.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Valerius Flaccus, Lucius consul 654 AUC
2nd-century BC Romans
1st-century BC deaths
1st-century BC Roman consuls
Magistri equitum (Roman Republic)
Moneyers of ancient Rome
Roman censors
Roman patricians
Roman Republican praetors
Flaccus, Lucius consul 654 AUC
Year of birth unknown
Year of death uncertain