Quintus Pedius ( – late 43 BC) was a
Roman
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
* Rome, the capital city of Italy
* Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lett ...
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
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 policie ...
, he was elected
praetor in 48 BC and was given a triumph for victories over the Pompeians during the civil war's second Spanish campaign.
After Caesar's death, he joined with Caesar's heir
Octavian and, with him, assumed suffect consulships in 43 BC in place of the ordinary consuls who had fallen in battle. He promulgated the ''lex Pedia'', which established courts in which Caesar's killers and allies thereof were convicted ''in absentia''. He died shortly after the start of the
Second Triumvirate's proscriptions.
Early life
He was the son or grandson of a Quintus Pedius and Julia. Julia was one of
dictator Julius Caesar's sisters, making Pedius one of Caesar's nephews.
Pedius served under
Julius Caesar during the
Gallic Wars starting in 57 BC. Broughton's ''Magistrates of the Roman Republic'' places his term in Gaul under Caesar from 58–56 BC. In 55 BC, he lost an election for the office of
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 ...
.
During
Caesar's civil war
Caesar's civil war (49–45 BC) was one of the last politico-military conflicts of the Roman Republic before its reorganization into the Roman Empire. It began as a series of political and military confrontations between Gaius Julius Caesar and ...
, Pedius joined with Caesar. In 48 BC, Pedius assumed a
praetorship. In that same year, he commanded a
legion and who had been leading the ill-fated revolt. From 46 to 45 BC, Pedius served as a Caesarian legate in Spain. Pedius claimed victory against
Sextus Pompey and returned to
Rome with Caesar. He was then honoured with a
triumph as ''pro consule ex Hispania''; the honour was granted illegally, according to Dio, as he was merely one of Caesar's legates.
Consulship
After the ordinary consuls of that year,
Gaius Vibius Pansa Caetronianus and
Aulus Hirtius
Aulus Hirtius (; – 43 BC) was consul of the Roman Republic in 43 BC and a writer on military subjects. He was killed during his consulship in battle against Mark Antony at the Battle of Mutina.
Biography
He was a legate of Julius Caesar's ...
, were both killed while fighting against Antony during the
battle of Mutina
The Battle of Mutina took place on 21 April 43 BC between the forces loyal to the Senate under Consuls Gaius Vibius Pansa and Aulus Hirtius, supported by the forces of Caesar Octavian, and the forces of Mark Antony which were besieging the tr ...
, Octavian – the only surviving commander of senatorial forces – marched on the city at the head of his army to demand his elevation as consul. With Pedius as Octavian's colleague, on 19 August 43 BC, the two assumed office as suffect consuls after an irregularly convoked election.
''Lex Pedia''
Their first action was to confirm Octavian's adoption as Caesar's heir; then, at Octavian's suggestion, Pedius promulgated the ''lex Pedia'', which established courts to prosecute Caesar's killers. This overruled a previous ''senatus consultum'' which protected the tyrannicides from prosecution. Consequently, Caesar's killers – along with co-conspirators and others who had little to do with the crime – were then convicted ''in absentia'', according to Appian, all in a single day of proceedings. They were formally "debarred from fire and water and their property
asconfiscated".
After the passage of the ''lex Pedia'', he also brought legislation to rescind the declaration of
Mark Antony and
Marcus Aemilius Lepidus as public enemies. The early and rushed passage of the ''lex Pedia'' was likely related to Octavian's attempts to assume for himself leadership of the Caesarian faction by displaying his bona fides in avenging the death of Caesar; the ''lex Pedia'' was likely unrelated to the following proscriptions.
Death
Pedius was left in charge of Rome, while Octavian left for Northern
Italy to join Antony and Lepidus in forming the
Second Triumvirate. When news reached Rome of the new political alliance and of the lists of people whom the triumvirs had marked for death, Soon afterwards, Pedius had suffered so much political fatigue he died.
Personal life
Pedius married a Roman noblewoman called Valeria, a sister of
Marcus Valerius Messalla Corvinus and thus a daughter of
Marcus Valerius Messalla Niger Marcus Valerius Messalla Niger was a senator of the Roman Republic.
Career
He was praetor in the year of Cicero's consulship, 63 BC, and consul in 61 BC, the year in which Publius Clodius profaned the mysteries of the Bona Dea, and Gnaeus Pom ...
and his wife, Polla. Pedius and Valeria had at least one child, a son named
Quintus Pedius Publicola Quintus Pedius Poplicola or Publicola ( first century BC) was a Roman who came from a Roman senatorial family.
Biography Early life
Publicola was the son of the noblewoman Valeria, one of the sisters to the senator Marcus Valerius Messalla Corvinus ...
. Publicola became a Roman senator and distinguished himself with his oratory.
Pliny the Elder in his ''
Naturalis Historia'' mentions that Quintus Pedius had a grandson, also named
Quintus Pedius, who was mute and supposedly deaf; this grandson may be the
References
Sources
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pedius, Quintus
Ancient Roman generals
1st-century BC Roman consuls
Roman Republican praetors
43 BC deaths
Year of birth unknown
Pedii
Family of Julius Caesar