Quintus Fabius Vibulanus 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 throu ...

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 423 BC and 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 ...

in 416 and 414 BC. Fabius 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 ...

Fabia gens Fabia may refer to: * Fabia gens, an ancient Roman family * Fabia, the daughter of Marcus Fabius Ambustus (consular tribune 381 BC) * Fabia (given name), an Italian feminine given name derived from masculine Fabio * Fabia Arete, Roman actress * ...

and the branch known as the Fabii Vibulani, one of the republics oldest and most successful consular families. Fabius it seems was the son of Quintus Fabius Vibulanus, the consul of 467 BC, who had been forced into exile after the fall of the

Decemvirate The decemviri or decemvirs (Latin for "ten men") were some of the several 10-man commissions established by the Roman Republic. The most important were those of the two Decemvirates, formally the " decemvirate with consular power for writing ...

in 449 BC. If this is the case then filiations indicate that Marcus Fabius Vibulanus, consul in 442 BC and

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 ...

, consul in 421 BC were his brothers. Marcus Fabius Ambustus, the pontifex maximus mentioned in 390 BC could possibly be a son of Fabius.

Career

In 423 BC Fabius was elected as consul together with

Gaius Sempronius Atratinus Gaius Sempronius Atratinus was a consul of the Roman Republic in 423 BC. Sempronius belonged to the patrician Sempronia gens and the branch known as the Sempronii Atratini, one of the republic's oldest consular families, having reached the consul ...

. Fabius colleague Sempronius fought against the

Volscians 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 ...

and failed to the extant that he would later be put to trial for "endangering his army". It remains unclear in what role Fabius played during this episode and Sempronius would end up being convicted and fined after a long trial ending in 420 BC.

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 ...

(Arretino et Vivullano) In 416 BC Fabius was elected as consular tribune together with Aulus Sempronius Atratinus (cousin of his former colleague),

Marcus Papirius Mugillanus Marcus Papirius Mugillanus was a consular tribune in 418 and 416 BC, and perhaps consul of the Roman Republic in 411. Papirius belonged to the Papiria gens, one of the oldest patrician families. The family had, according to legend, been among t ...

and Spurius Nautius Rutilus. The actions of the consular tribunes during the year is unknown, the main event described being the failed attempt by the

plebeian tribunes 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 ...

, Spurius Maecilius and Marcus Metilius, to enact a new agrarian law. In 414 BC Fabius was elected for a second time as consular tribune, his third time holding 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 ...

''. His colleagues were

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 ...

, Lucius Valerius Potitus and

Publius Postumius Albinus Regillensis 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 * ...

. The year saw war with 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 hist ...

and initial success for the Romans as Fabius' colleague Postumius captured the city of

Bolae Bolae or Bola was an ancient city of Latium that was repeatedly mentioned in the early history of Rome. It was likely located in the territory of the modern town of Labico. History Its foundation is expressly ascribed by Virgil to the kings of Al ...

. Rising conflict involving a plebeian tribune, Marcus Sextius, and new agrarian reforms resulted in a mutiny against Postumius and the death of both the consular tribune and one of the

quaestors 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 ...

Publius Sestius Publius Sestius (d. after 35 BC) was a Roman politician and governor in the 1st century BC. He first appears as quaestor for the consul Gaius Antonius Hybrida and served in the campaign to put down the second Catilinarian conspiracy. He serve ...

. The year following his second term as consular tribune Fabius was appointed 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 ...

to hold 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 ...

, resulting in the election of consuls instead of the increasingly common colleges of consular tribunes. There is a possibility that Fabius, in 412 BC, was once again elected consul. His colleague would have been Gaius Furius Pacilus and little to nothing is known of the events during the consulship with the exception of a proposal of an agrarian law by the plebeian tribune

Lucius Icilius Lucius Icilius was a Tribune of the Plebs in 456, 455 and 449 BC. In 456, he passed the ''lex de Aventino publicando'', which gave the Aventine Hill to the plebs. A few years later, around 451 BC, he was betrothed to one Verginia, daughter of Luci ...

. The discussion surrounding this consulship is in regards to if the Fabius mentioned as consul is our Fabius, the consul of 423 BC, or another otherwise unattested Fabius, Quintus Fabius Ambustus Vibulanus. The classicist Münzer would have that both consulships belonged to the consul of 423 BC while later scholars such as

Degrassi ''Degrassi'' is a Canadian television franchise created by Kit Hood and Linda Schuyler in 1979. It is centred on a multigenerational teen drama about an ensemble cast of teenagers attending the namesake Toronto school as they navigate their ...

and Broughton identify the consuls as two different individuals.Broughton, vol i, pp.69 (note 1), 76 (note 1)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fabius Vibulanus, Quintus (consul 331 AUC) 5th-century BC Roman consuls Vibulanus, Quintus (consul 331 AUC) Roman consular tribunes