Titus Quinctius Capitolinus Barbatus (513 BCafter 423 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 letter ...

statesman A statesman or stateswoman typically is a politician who has had a long and respected political career at the national or international level. Statesman or Statesmen may also refer to: Newspapers United States * ''The Statesman'' (Oregon), a n ...

and

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

who served as

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 throug ...

six times. Titus Quinctius was a member of the

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 ...

Quinctia, one of the oldest

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 ...

families in Rome. He was the son of Lucius Quinctius and grandson of Lucius Quinctius. He was possibly the brother of

Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus ( – ) was a Roman patrician, statesman, and military leader of the early Roman Republic who became a legendary figure of Roman virtue—particularly civic virtue—by the time of the late Republic. Cincinnatus was ...

, who was suffect consul and dictator in 460 BC, 458 BC and 439 BC. His son, who bore the same name,

Titus Quinctius Capitolinus Barbatus Titus Quinctius Capitolinus Barbatus (513 BCafter 423 BC) was a Roman statesman and general who served as consul six times. Titus Quinctius was a member of the gens Quinctia, one of the oldest patrician families in Rome. He was the son of Luc ...

, was elected consul in 421 BC and was possibly the military tribune with consular power in 405 BC. According to Livy, Titus Quinctius was still alive in 423 BC, aged 90 years.

Consulships

First Consulship

In 471 BC Titus Quinctius was elected consul with Appius Claudius Sabinus as his colleague. The latter was chosen by the Senate because of his uncompromising character as well as his father's hostility towards the plebs. Appius was expected to lead the fight against the bill proposed by the tribune of the plebs,

Volero Publilius Volero Publilius was tribune of the plebs in Rome in 472 and 471 BC. During his time as tribune, he secured the passage of two important laws increasing the independence of his office.Broughton, vol. I, pp. 29, 30. Background The tribunes of th ...

, who wanted to introduce the election of the

tribunes Tribune () was the title of various elected officials in ancient Rome. The two most important were the tribunes of the plebs and the military tribunes. For most of Roman history, a college of ten tribunes of the plebs acted as a check on the ...

of the plebs by the

Tribal Assembly The Tribal Assembly (''comitia populi tributa'') was an assembly consisting of all Roman citizens convened by tribes (''tribus''). In the Roman Republic, citizens did not elect legislative representatives. Instead, they voted themselves on legisl ...

, tribe by tribe, thus excluding the vote of the patricians and their clients. If the law was ratified, the tribunes would gain greater political independence from the patricians and thus prevent them from influencing their selection and their actions. After the turmoil in 473 BC, which was caused by the blockage of an agrarian law three years before and the death of a tribune who attempted to bring to justice former consuls, there was more unrest among the Roman people. The consul Titus Quinctius became a peacemaker, unlike Appius who strongly opposed the tribunes. Titus Quinctius barely managed to calm the crowd by adopting a more conciliatory approach. He forced Appius to retreat into the

Curia Hostilia The Curia Hostilia was one of the original senate houses or "curiae" of the Roman Republic. It was believed to have begun as a temple where the warring tribes laid down their arms during the reign of Romulus (r. c. 771–717 BC). During the early ...

. There the senators urged Appius to abandon his intransigent attitude because it could lead to serious civil unrest. Isolated and deprived of political support, Appius was unable to do anything but permit the vote. The law, Lex Publilia Voleronis, was finally proclaimed. Recognizing that political turmoil had weakened Rome, 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 ...

and

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 his ...

raided Roman territory. Titus Quinctius was given command against the Aequi and Appius against the Volscians. Appius struggled to maintain order in the ranks of his army and resorted to decimation to restore discipline. In contrast, the campaign against the Aequi proceeded without dissension. Indeed his troops returned to Rome with praises for Quinctius, calling him their 'parent'. The Aequi were forced to give up territory to the Romans. Titus Qinctius distributed all the captured loot to his men and returned to Rome victorious, as well as having succeeded in reconciling the plebs and the Senate.

Second Consulship

In 468 BC, the plebeians and patricians were still fighting each other over reforms to agrarian laws, with the people refusing to take part in the consular elections. The patricians and their clients elected Titus Quinctius for a second time with Quintus Servilius Priscus Structus as his colleague. Once again a war erupted which required the mobilization of the people, temporarily putting an end to the internal strife. The Sabines marched on Rome, while the Volscians stirred once more. Servilius pushed back the Sabines while Titus Quinctius led his men against the Volscians. In an initial engagement the Romans were almost defeated, but Quinctius lifted their spirits by telling each wing of the army that the other was having great success. Thus re-animated, the Romans won the day. A period of rest followed, as both sides re-grouped. Then the Volsci launched a night attack on the Roman camp. But the consul kept the enemy at bay with a

cohort Cohort or cohortes may refer to: * Cohort (educational group), a group of students working together through the same academic curriculum * Cohort (floating point), a set of different encodings of the same numerical value * Cohort (military unit ...

of the allied

Hernici The Hernici were an Italic tribe of ancient Italy, whose territory was in Latium between the Fucine Lake and the Sacco River (''Trerus''), bounded by the Volsci on the south, and by the Aequi and the Marsi on the north. For many years of the ear ...

, together with mounted trumpeters (the cornicines and tubicines to make the enemy think the Romans were about to make a counter-attack. This kept the enemy on edge during the night, and allowed the Romans a good sleep. The next day Titus Quinctius followed a clever strategy that allowed him to avoid defeat because of the numerical inferiority of his army. During the battle the Romans repelled the first enemy line before facing the bulk of the opposing army positioned on a hill. Titus Quinctius hesitated, but his men were impatient and finally he gave the order to attack. The Volscians, supported by the Aequi, easily pushed back the first Roman ranks who then fled. Titus Quinctius courageously led his men to reach the top of the hill, pushed the enemy back to their camp which the Romans captured. Titus Quinctius was victorious and pushed his advantage by leading his army towards Antium, the capital of the Volsci. The town surrendered after a short siege, as the Volsci were unable to withstand the Romans after their recent defeat. Titus Quinctius returned to Rome and celebrated a triumph.

Establishment of a colony at Antium

In 467 BC, the two elected consuls,

Tiberius Aemilius Mamercinus Tiberius Aemilius Mamercus was a Roman senator active in the fifth century BC. He was consul in 470 and 467 BC. Family Mamercus was a member of the ''Aemilii Mamerci'', a branch of the ''gens Aemilia''. He was the son of Lucius Aemilius Mamercu ...

and Quintus Fabius Vibulanus, faced new tensions over the agrarian question. The tribunes of the plebs denounced the rich patricians, who monopolized public lands, and demanded fairer land distribution. To avoid a new internal crisis, the consul Mamercinus proposed to establish a Latin colony at

Antium Antium was an ancient coastal town in Latium, south of Rome. An oppidum was founded by people of Latial culture (11th century BC or the beginning of the 1st millennium BC), then it was the main stronghold of the Volsci people until it was conquere ...

, the

Volscian Volscian was a Sabellic Italic language, which was spoken by the Volsci and closely related to Oscan and Umbrian. Overview Volscian is attested in an inscription found in Velitrae (Velletri), dating probably from early in the 3rd century BC; it ...

town recently captured by the Romans and located on the coast. Titus Quinctius,

Aulus Verginius Tricostus Caeliomontanus Aulus Verginius Tricostus Caeliomontanus ( 494–486 BC) was a Roman Republican politician and general of the gens Verginia. He served as a Roman consul in 494 BC together with Titus Veturius Geminus Cicurinus. Family Origins Caeliomontanus ...

and Publius Furius Medullinus Fusus were appointed as commissioners (triumviri coloniae deducendae) to distribute the land and assign it to volunteer settlers. According to

Livy Titus Livius (; 59 BC – AD 17), known in English as Livy ( ), was a Ancient Rome, 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 traditiona ...

, there were very few volunteers and so Volscians were added to the volunteers who established the Latin colony of Antium.

Third Consulship

In 465 BC, Titus Quinctius was elected consul for the third time. His fellow consul Quintus Fabius Vibulanus sent an embassy to the

which failed to negotiate a peace. The Aequi began ravaging the Latin countryside, and both consuls with separate Roman armies together fought and defeated the enemy at

Algidum Algidum ( grc, Ἄλγιδος) was a town in ancient Italy at the foot of Mount Algidus on the Via Latina. Geography It was located near the border between the territory of ancient Latium and the territory of the Aequi. Architecture It housed ...

. The Aequi returned to continue ravaging the Latin countryside. Panic ensued at Rome, and Quinctius returned to the city, declared the

justitium ''Justitium'' (derived from the Latin term ''Juris statio'') is a concept of Roman law, equivalent to the declaration of the state of emergency. Some scholars also refer to it as a state of exception, stemming from a state of necessity. It inv ...

and appointed Quintus Servilius Priscus Structus as

praefectus urbi The ''praefectus urbanus'', also called ''praefectus urbi'' or urban prefect in English, was prefect of the city of Rome, and later also of Constantinople. The office originated under the Roman kings, continued during the Republic and Empire, and ...

whilst both consuls were absent. Quinctius then marched to engage the enemy, but he could not locate them, and returned to Rome calling an end to the justitium after four days. Meanwhile his colleague Fabius engaged and defeated the Aequi and ravaged the Aequian lands. The same year, Quinctius held a

lustrum A lūstrum (, plural lūstra) was a term for a five-year period in Ancient Rome. It is distinct from the homograph ''lustrum'' ( ): a haunt of wild beasts (and figuratively, a den of vice), plural ''lustra'' ( ).Oxford Latin Desk Dictionary (20 ...

to mark the end of a

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

. The count of

Roman citizens Citizenship in ancient Rome (Latin: ''civitas'') was a privileged political and legal status afforded to free individuals with respect to laws, property, and governance. Citizenship in Ancient Rome was complex and based upon many different laws, t ...

was recorded as 124,214.

Proconsulate

The following year, consuls

Aulus Postumius Albus Regillensis Aulus Postumius Albus Regillensis was an ancient Roman who, according to Livy, was Roman dictator in 498 or 496 BC, when he conquered the Latins in the great Battle of Lake Regillus and subsequently celebrated a triumph. Many of the coins of the ...

and Spurius Furius Fusus Medullinus led two separate campaigns against the Aequi and their allies who were preparing once again for war. Fusus was defeated in Hernici territory and his camp besieged. In Rome, the Senate gave Titus Quinctius proconsular powers with the mission to rescue the besieged consul, at the head of an army of Latin and Hernici allies. In the besieged camp, the Romans were cornered and the consul was wounded. Titus Quinctius arrived at the Battle of Corbio with his army and attacked the Aequi from behind while the consul's army, in a last effort, found a way out of the siege. The Romans then encircled and defeated their enemies. As his force was returning to Rome, Quinctius helped Postumius to defeat a second Aequian group that had been ravaging Roman land.

Quaestorship

Titus Quinctius was elected

quaestor 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 ...

together with

Marcus Valerius Maximus Lactuca Marcus Valerius Maximus Lactuca was a Roman politician of the fifth century BC. Consul in 456 BC. Family He was a member of the Valerii Maximi, a branch of the powerful Valeria family. He was the grandchildren of Volusus Valerius and the ...

in 458 BC and continued the prosecution of

Marcus Volscius Fictor Marcus, Markus, Márkus or Mărcuș may refer to: * Marcus (name), a masculine given name * Marcus (praenomen), a Roman personal name Places * Marcus, a main belt asteroid, also known as (369088) Marcus 2008 GG44 * Mărcuş, a village in Dobâr ...

, tribune of the plebs, for carrying false witness against Titus Quinctius' nephew,

Caeso Quinctius Caeso Quinctius L. f. L. n. Cincinnatus was a son of the Roman dictator Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus. His trial for obstructing the tribunes of the plebs in 461 BC was one of the key events in the Conflict of the Orders in the years leading up to ...

. Caeso Quinctius had been exiled in 461 BC by Volscius and his colleague,

Aulus Verginius Aulus (abbreviated A.) is one of the small group of common forenames found in the culture of ancient Rome. The name was traditionally connected with Latin ''aula'', ''olla'', "palace", but this is most likely a false etymology. ''Aulus'' in fact p ...

Fourth Consulship

In 446 BC, Titus Quinctius was elected consul for the fourth time alongside

Agrippa Furius Fusus Agrippa Furius Fusus was a Roman statesman who served as Consul in 446 BC. Consulship After the fall of the despotic Decemvirs, internal sedition broke out again. The Aequi and Volsci, taking advantage once more of the instability of the Roman po ...

. After the fall of the despotic Decemvirs, internal sedition broke out again. The Aequi and Volsci, taking advantage once more of the instability of the Roman political situation, ravaged

Latium Latium ( , ; ) is the region of central western Italy in which the city of Rome was founded and grew to be the capital city of the Roman Empire. Definition Latium was originally a small triangle of fertile, volcanic soil (Old Latium) on whi ...

unopposed. Titus Quinctius then addressed the people noting the critical discord between the patricians and the plebeians and the fact that the people refuse to take up arms when the enemy was at the gates, preferring instead to attack the patricians. His speech had quite an effect on the people. The two consuls were then able to gather an army as the people were willing to be mobilized to fight the invaders. Agrippa Furius Fusus handed over the supreme command to Titus Quinctius, only keeping command of a part of the army. The Roman army managed to repulse the invading Aequi and Volscians and then took the enemy camp and gathered a large booty, part of which was the result of the Aequi and Volscians' earlier looting of Latium. During the same year, the consuls were retained by the inhabitants of two Latin cities, Ardea and Aricia, to mediate a territorial dispute.

Interrex

In 444 BC Titus Quinctius was appointed

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 year had begun by a election of three consular tribunes who had after three months been forced to abdicate because of flaws in their auspices of their election. They were replaced by two consuls,

Lucius Papirius Mugillanus The gens Papiria was a patrician family at ancient Rome. According to tradition, the Papirii had already achieved prominence in the time of the kings, and the first Rex Sacrorum and Pontifex Maximus of the Republic were members of this gens. L ...

and

Lucius Sempronius Atratinus Lucius Sempronius Atratinus (died 7 AD) was a Roman politician who was elected suffect consul in 34 BC. He is mentioned in ''Pro Caelio'', a famous speech in defense of Marcus Caelius Rufus by Marcus Tullius Cicero. Biography Probably born a ...

.Broughton, vol i, pp.53

Fifth Consulship

In 443 BC, together with Marcus Geganius Macerinus, Titus Quinctius was elected to his fifth consulship. While his colleague rescued the allied city of Ardea, plagued by civil war and besieged by the Volscians, Titus Quinctius maintained harmony in Rome. The Senate and the Roman people had such respect for the consul that this was one of the first years for some time without strife in the city.

Sixth Consulship

Once again, in 439 BC Titus Quinctius was elected consul, this time with Agrippa Menenius Lanatus. A major famine raged in Rome at this time and a rich plebeian,

Spurius Maelius Spurius Maelius (died 439 BC) was a wealthy Roman plebeian who was slain because he was suspected of intending to make himself king. Biography During a severe famine, Spurius Maelius bought up a large amount of wheat and sold it at a low price to ...

, bought wheat with his personal fortune to feed the population. His popularity was such that he considered making himself king. In response to this threat, the consuls appointed

Cincinnatus Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus ( – ) was a Roman patrician, statesman, and military leader of the early Roman Republic who became a legendary figure of Roman virtue—particularly civic virtue—by the time of the late Republic. Cincinnatus ...

, now over 80 years old, as dictator once more. He chose Caius Servilius Ahala as his master of the horse. According to tradition, he killed Spurius Maelius while he was resisting arrest, with the tacit agreement of the dictator. Immediately afterwards, Cincinnatus resigned as dictator and handed power back to the Senate.

References

,
Histoire romaine
', Livre II

'', Livre III

'' & Livre IV

'' Site of th

*Philip Matyszak: ''Geschichte der Römischen Republik. Von Romulus zu Augustus''. Wiss. Buch-Ges., Darmstadt 2004, . *Tymon C. A. De Haas, ''Fields, Farms and Colonists : Intensive Field Survey and Early Roman Colonization in the Pontine Region, Central Italy,'' Barkhuis, 2011 {{DEFAULTSORT:Quinctius Capitolinus Barbatus, Titus 510s BC births 5th-century BC deaths 5th-century BC Roman consuls Capitolinus Barbatus, Titus Year of death unknown