Quintus Fabius Maximus (possibly Quintus Fabius Maximus Sanga) (died 31 December 45 BC) was a general and politician of the late

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 became suffect consul in 45 BC.

Biography

Maximus was a member 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 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 ...

Fabia''. His father was Quintus Fabius Maximus, son of

Quintus Fabius Maximus Allobrogicus Quintus Fabius Maximus Allobrogicus, was a Roman statesman and general who was elected consul in 121 BC. During his consulship he fought against the Arverni and the Allobroges whom he defeated in 120 BC. He was awarded a triumph and the agnomen A ...

, the consul in 121 BC. His great-grandfather,

Quintus Fabius Maximus Aemilianus Quintus Fabius Maximus Aemilianus was a Roman statesman and consul (145 BC). Fabius was by adoption a member of the patrician gens Fabia, but by birth he was the eldest son of Lucius Aemilius Paullus Macedonicus and Papiria Masonis and the el ...

, was also a consul, serving in 145 BC. He first came to notice in 59 BC when, together with

Marcus Caelius Rufus Marcus Caelius Rufus (28 May 82 BC – after 48 BC) was an orator and politician in the late Roman Republic. He was born into a wealthy equestrian family from Interamnia Praetuttiorum (Teramo), on the central east coast of Italy. He is best known ...

, he prosecuted

Gaius Antonius Hybrida Gaius Antonius Hybrida (flourished 1st century BC) was a politician of the Roman Republic. He was the second son of Marcus Antonius and brother of Marcus Antonius Creticus; his mother is unknown. He was also the uncle of the famed triumvir Mark ...

for extortion in his province of Macedonia. Although

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 ...

served as lead counsel for the defense, Fabius Maximus and Caelius Rufus were successful. He was elected

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 57 BC, during which time he restored the ''Fornix Fabianus'' (

Arch of Fabius The Arch of Fabius ( la, Fornix Fabianus) was an ancient Roman arch located at the eastern end of the Roman Forum. Built in 121 BCE by Quintus Fabius Maximus Allobrogicus to celebrate his victory over the Allobroges, it was the first triumphal ...

). Sometime prior to 48 BC, he 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 ...

. In 46 BC, he was one 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 ...

legates A ''legatus'' (; anglicised as legate) was a high-ranking Roman military officer in the Roman Army, equivalent to a modern high-ranking general officer. Initially used to delegate power, the term became formalised under Augustus as the office ...

who fought in the

civil war A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

. Maximus was sent by Caesar to

Hispania Hispania ( la, Hispānia , ; nearly identically pronounced in Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, and Italian) was the Roman name for the Iberian Peninsula and its provinces. Under the Roman Republic, Hispania was divided into two provinces: Hispania ...

along with

Quintus Pedius Quintus Pedius ( – late 43 BC) was a Roman politician and general who lived during the late Republic. He served as a military officer under Julius Caesar for most of his career. Serving with Caesar during the civil war, he was elected praetor i ...

in command of the troops sent from

Sardinia Sardinia ( ; it, Sardegna, label=Italian, Corsican and Tabarchino ; sc, Sardigna , sdc, Sardhigna; french: Sardaigne; sdn, Saldigna; ca, Sardenya, label=Algherese and Catalan) is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after ...

to deal with the Pompeians, who were led by Gnaeus Pompeius. Once there, they were unwilling to risk battle with Pompeius's superior numbers, and so remained encamped at Oculbo, waiting for Caesar to arrive in person. Joining Caesar, they defeated Pompeius at the

Battle of Munda The Battle of Munda (17 March 45 BC), in southern Hispania Ulterior, was the final battle of Caesar's civil war against the leaders of the Optimates. With the military victory at Munda and the deaths of Titus Labienus and Gnaeus Pompeius (elde ...

on March 17, 45 BC. After the victory, Caesar left Maximus to besiege the town of Munda, which he took and may have destroyed. He then marched against the town of Ursao. He returned to Rome along with Caesar, and in reward for his service, after Caesar abdicated his sole

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 ...

ship in September, he installed Maximus with Gaius Trebonius as suffect consuls on 1 October, 45 BC, the people following Caesar's wishes by voting in his candidates. When Maximus entered a theatre and his

lictor A lictor (possibly from la, ligare, "to bind") was a Roman civil servant who was an attendant and bodyguard to a magistrate who held ''imperium''. Lictors are documented since the Roman Kingdom, and may have originated with the Etruscans. Orig ...

s asked for the audience members to stand, Anti-Caesarean citizens showed their displeasure, shouting "He is no consul". Maximus then celebrated his

Roman triumph The Roman triumph (') was a civil religion, civil ceremony and Religion in ancient Rome, religious rite of ancient Rome, held to publicly celebrate and sanctify the success of a military commander who had led Roman forces to victory in the servi ...

for his victories in Spain on October 13, 45 BC. Fabius Maximus died on December 31, 45 BC — the last day of his consulship. According to

Pliny the Elder Gaius Plinius Secundus (AD 23/2479), called Pliny the Elder (), was a Roman author, naturalist and natural philosopher, and naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and a friend of the emperor Vespasian. He wrote the encyclopedic '' ...

, his death was remarkable because Fabius Maximus showed no symptoms of impending illness or death beforehand. He was replaced for the remaining hours of the year by

Gaius Caninius Rebilus The gens Caninia was a plebeian family at ancient Rome during the later Republic. The first member of the gens who obtained any of the curule offices was Gaius Caninius Rebilus, praetor in 171 BC; but the first Caninius who was consul was his ...

.Broughton, pg. 304 He had three children:

Paullus Fabius Maximus Paullus Fabius Maximus (died AD 14) was a Roman senator, active toward the end of the first century BC. He was consul in 11 BC as the colleague of Quintus Aelius Tubero, and a confidant of emperor Augustus. Background The patrician Fabii were on ...

Africanus Fabius Maximus Africanus Fabius Maximus was a Roman senator. His elder brother was Paullus Fabius Maximus (consul 11 BCE) and his sister was Fabia Paullina, who married Marcus Titius. It is believed that Africanus was named in honour of his famous family ancesto ...

and Fabia Paullina, who married

Marcus Titius Marcus Titius was a Roman politician ( suffect consul in 31 BC) and commander at the end of the Roman Republic. Descent and proscription Marcus Titius was the son of a Lucius Titius and nephew of Lucius Munatius Plancus. The offices which Lucius ...

Notes

Sources

* T. Robert S. Broughton, ''The Magistrates of the Roman Republic, Vol II'' (1952). * Holmes, T. Rice, ''The Roman Republic and the Founder of the Empire'', Vol. III (1923). * Syme, Ronald, ''The Roman Revolution'', Clarendon Press, Oxford, (1939). * Smith, W. ''Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology'' (1861). {{DEFAULTSORT:Fabius Maximus, Quintus 45 BC deaths Year of birth unknown 1st-century BC Roman consuls

Quintus Quintus is a male given name derived from '' Quintus'', a common Latin forename (''praenomen'') found in the culture of ancient Rome. Quintus derives from Latin word ''quintus'', meaning "fifth". Quintus is an English masculine given name and ...

Government of Roman Macedonia Roman consuls who died in office

Biography

See also

Notes

Sources