Lucius Valerius Flaccus (died 180 BC) was a Roman politician and general. He 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 throu ...

in 195 BC and censor in 183 BC, serving both times with his friend

Cato the Elder Marcus Porcius Cato (; 234–149 BC), also known as Cato the Censor ( la, Censorius), the Elder and the Wise, was a Roman soldier, senator, and historian known for his conservatism and opposition to Hellenization. He was the first to write his ...

, whom he brought to the notice of the Roman political elite.

Family

Flaccus was a

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 ...

and son of the Publius Valerius Flaccus who was consul in 227 BC with M. Atilius Regulus. His brother was the flamen dialis Gaius Valerius Flaccus, who made a respectable political career as

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 vari ...

, though not consul.

Career

The patrician Flaccus became a friend, political patron, and ally of the young plebeian senator Marcus Porcius Cato, later called Cato the Elder, during the earlier years of the Second Punic War. Flaccus is possibly the Valerius Flaccus who was a

military tribune A military tribune (Latin ''tribunus militum'', "tribune of the soldiers") was an officer of the Roman army who ranked below the legate and above the centurion. Young men of Equestrian rank often served as military tribune as a stepping stone ...

in 212 BC, serving under the consuls who captured Hanno's camp at Beneventum. Flaccus was

curule aedile ''Aedile'' ( ; la, aedīlis , from , "temple edifice") was an elected office of the Roman Republic. Based in Rome, the aediles were responsible for maintenance of public buildings () and regulation of public festivals. They also had powers to enf ...

in 201 BC. He was probably the L. Valerius Flaccus who was a legate under the praetor L. Furius Purpureo in

Gaul Gaul ( la, Gallia) was a region of Western Europe first described by the Romans. It was inhabited by Celtic and Aquitani tribes, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, most of Switzerland, parts of Northern Italy (only during ...

in 200. As

in 199, he was assigned to the province of Sicily. Flaccus received

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

as his province when he was consul in 195 BC, and continued to wage war as

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 ...

the following year against the Gauls, with a victory over the

Insubres The Insubres or Insubri were an ancient Celtic population settled in Insubria, in what is now the Italian region of Lombardy. They were the founders of Mediolanum (Milan). Though completely Gaulish at the time of Roman conquest, they were the r ...

at Mediolanum (

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

). In 191 Flaccus was a legate under Manius Acilius Glabrio in the war against the Aetolians and at the Battle of Thermopylae. In 190, Flaccus served on the three-man commission ( ''triumviri coloniis deducendis'') created to strengthen Placentia and Cremona. His fellow commissioners were M. Atilius Serranus (praetor 174 BC) and L. Valerius Tappo (praetor 192 BC). The following year, the commission founded Bononia (modern

Bologna Bologna (, , ; egl, label=Emilian language, Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 1 ...

) as a Roman colony (''colonia''). In a "hotly contested" election, Flaccus became censor along with Cato in 184. Their censorship was noted for its severity:

Lucius Quinctius Flamininus Lucius Quinctius Flamininus (died 170 BC) was a Roman politician and general who served as consul in 192 BC alongside Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus. He was eventually expelled from the Senate by Cato the Elder. Early career and the Second Macedonia ...

, the consul of 192, was kicked out of the senate; Scipio Asiaticus, the consul of 190, lost his equestrian rank; and public contracts were leased stringently.Broughton, ''MRR¹'' pp. 374–375, with various ancient sources. The two men shared common

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

political sympathies and cultural outlook, and were loyal to the military and political views of the older generation represented by

Quintus Fabius Maximus Verrucosus Quintus Fabius Maximus Verrucosus, surnamed Cunctator ( 280 – 203 BC), was a Roman statesman and general of the third century BC. He was consul five times (233, 228, 215, 214, and 209 BC) and was appointed dictator in 221 and 217 BC. He was ...

. Both he and Cato sought to defend Roman tradition against Hellenism. He initiated condtruction of the

Via Flacca The ''Via Flacca'' was a Roman road along the western coast of Latium, Italy. It was built under censor Lucius Valerius Flaccus around 184 BC. Parts of it have recently been renovated as a trekking route. It was probably built to serve the to ...

, named after him. Flaccus was a member of the

College of Pontiffs The College of Pontiffs ( la, Collegium Pontificum; see ''collegium'') was a body of the ancient Roman state whose members were the highest-ranking priests of the state religion. The college consisted of the '' pontifex maximus'' and the other '' ...

from 196, when he succeeded M. Cornelius Cethegus, until his death. Flaccus became '' princeps senatus'' when Scipio Africanus died in 183. He himself died three years later.

References

Dates, offices, and citations of ancient sources for the career of Flaccus from T.R.S. Broughton, ''The Magistrates of the Roman Republic'', unless otherwise noted. {{DEFAULTSORT:Valerius Flaccus, Lucius consul 559 AUC 3rd-century BC births 180 BC deaths 3rd-century BC Romans 2nd-century BC Roman consuls 2nd-century BC Roman generals 2nd-century BC Roman praetors Curule aediles Pontifices Roman censors Roman governors of Sicily Roman patricians Flaccus, Lucius consul 559 AUC Year of birth unknown