Manius Sergius Fidenas was a

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 ...

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 Ki ...

in 404 and 402 BC. Sergius belonged to the

Sergia gens The gens Sergia was a patrician family at ancient Rome, which held the highest offices of the Roman state from the first century of the Republic until imperial times. The first of the Sergii to obtain the consulship was Lucius Sergius Fidenas in ...

, a young

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 ...

gentes of the Republic which had first risen to become ''consulares'' with

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 ...

in 437 BC. Sergius' father, taken from filiations, was named Lucius which could identify him as the consular of

437 BC __NOTOC__ Year 437 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Macerinus and Fidenas (or, less frequently, year 317 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 437 BC for this year has b ...

, or another otherwise unattested individual. Sergius had one known son

, consular tribune in 397 BC and possible another son or grandson named Gaius Sergius Fidenas Coxo, consular tribune in 387 BC.

Career

Sergius first held the ''

imperium In ancient Rome, ''imperium'' was a form of authority held by a citizen to control a military or governmental entity. It is distinct from '' auctoritas'' and '' potestas'', different and generally inferior types of power in the Roman Republic a ...

'' in 404 BC as one of six consular tribunes. His colleagues in the office were

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 ...

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 * ...

Gnaeus Cornelius Cossus Gnaeus, also spelled Cnaeus, was a Roman praenomen derived from the Latin ''naevus'', a birthmark. It was a common name borne by many individuals throughout Roman history, including: Individuals *Gnaeus Acerronius Proculus, a consul of the Roman ...

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 Spurius Nautius Rutilus. The year saw the continuation of the war with

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 ...

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 ...

. Victories against the Volsci resulted in the capture of the town of

Artena Artena is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Rome, Italy. It is situated in the northwest of Monti Lepini, in the upper valley of the Sacco River. It is approximately southeast by rail, and direct from Rome. The economy is based ...

. The consulars also backed a colonization effort at

Velitrae Velletri (; la, Velitrae; xvo, Velester) is an Italian ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Rome, approximately 40 km to the southeast of the city centre, located in the Alban Hills, in the region of Lazio, central Italy. Neighbouring co ...

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 ...

has Sergius with the praenomen Marcus during this year but all other sources agree that he was named Manius. There is some doubt among modern scholars in regards to the historicity of these consular colleges of six and there are indications of a higher degree of interpolation during this period.

Chronograph of 354 The ''Chronograph of 354'' (or "Chronography"), also known as the ''Calendar of 354'', is a compilation of chronological and calendrical texts produced in 354 AD for a wealthy Roman Christian named Valentinus by the calligrapher and illustrator ...

(Maluginesis et Cicurino III) Sergius would be re-elected to the tribuneship in 402 BC, again as part of a six-man consular college. His colleagues were

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 ...

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 ...

Lucius Verginius Tricostus Esquilinus 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 ...

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 ...

and

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 ...

. There was much infighting between the consulars which would lead to the defeat of Sergius at Veii because his colleague Verginius refused him aid. Ahala, his other colleague, took matters into his own hands and forced the abdication of the entire college, including Sergius, to be replaced by a newly elected college. The defeat of the Romans at Veii should be treated as historical, but the reason (such as the rivalry between Sergius and Verginius) provided by ancient authors, such as

, should be viewed critically and sceptically, similar scepticism should be directed at the actions of Ahala. Similarly as in 404 BC Livy has Sergius incorrectly named as Marcus. The following year, in 401 BC, Sergius and Verginius were both prosecuted and convicted for their actions during their tenure as consular tribunes. The prosecutors 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 o ...

under the leadership of Publius Curiatius and Marcus Minucius. The whole trial is generally seen as anachronistic and an invention by Livy, who remains our only source in the matter. Some of the reasons includes the mention of monetary fines, which was yet to become custom in Rome, and the fact that both Curiatius and Minucius are patrician names and that prosecution rights should not have been given to the tribune of the plebs prior to the ''

Lex Licinia Sextia The Licino-Sextian rogations were a series of laws proposed by tribunes of the plebs, Gaius Licinius Stolo and Lucius Sextius Lateranus, enacted around 367 BC. Livy calls them ''rogatio'' – though he does refer to them at times as ''lex' ...

'' of 368 BC.Ogilvie, pp.649-650

References

{{s-end 5th-century BC Romans Roman consular tribunes Sergii 404 BC 402 BC 401 BC

Career

See also

References