Lucius Caesetius Flavus (fl. 1st century 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 tribune of the people (''tribunus plebis''). He is best known for his involvement in the

diadem A diadem is a type of crown, specifically an ornamental headband worn by monarchs and others as a badge of royalty. Overview The word derives from the Greek διάδημα ''diádēma'', "band" or "fillet", from διαδέω ''diadéō'', " ...

incident just before the

assassination of Julius Caesar Julius Caesar, the Roman dictator, was assassinated by a group of senators on the Ides of March (15 March) of 44 BC during a meeting of the Senate at the Curia of Pompey of the Theatre of Pompey in Rome where the senators stabbed Caesar 23 t ...

. As Caesar's power grew, someone placed a

on the statue of Caesar on the

Rostra The rostra ( it, Rostri, links=no) was a large platform built in the city of Rome that stood during the republican and imperial periods. Speakers would stand on the rostra and face the north side of the comitium towards the senate house and de ...

, implying he was now King. Two of the tribunes, Flavus and

Gaius Epidius Marullus Gaius Epidius Marullus (fl. 44 BCE) was a Roman tribune most famous for the diadem incident. The fear of Caesar becoming an autocrat, thus ending the Roman Republic, grew stronger when someone placed a diadem on the statue of Caesar on the Rostr ...

, removed it. Soon afterward, Flavus and Marcellus had citizens arrested after they called out the title '' Rex'' to Caesar as he passed by on the streets of Rome. Now seeing his supporters threatened, Caesar acted harshly. He ordered those arrested to be released, and instead took the tribunes before the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

and had them stripped of their positions as tribunes and senators.

Plutarch Plutarch (; grc-gre, Πλούταρχος, ''Ploútarchos''; ; – after AD 119) was a Greek Middle Platonist philosopher, historian, biographer, essayist, and priest at the Temple of Apollo in Delphi. He is known primarily for hi ...

told that as the tribunes arrested people for saluting Caesar as King, crowds applauded, calling them Brutuses—not after

Marcus Junius Brutus Marcus Junius Brutus (; ; 85 BC – 23 October 42 BC), often referred to simply as Brutus, was a Roman politician, orator, and the most famous of the assassins of Julius Caesar. After being adopted by a relative, he used the name Quintus Ser ...

, not yet the assassin of Caesar, but after

Lucius Junius Brutus Lucius Junius Brutus ( 6th century BC) was the semi-legendary founder of the Roman Republic, and traditionally one of its first consuls in 509 BC. He was reputedly responsible for the expulsion of his uncle the Roman king Tarquinius Superbus after ...

, a possibly apocryphal figure who had led a coup against the despotic last king, Tarquin the Proud, thereby founding 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 ...

. He also notes that Caesar insulted the tribunes in a speech as he removed them from office, "and in speaking against them he insulted the people at the same time". He appears as the tribune ''Flavius'' in Shakespeare's biographical play ''

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, an ...

''. Here Shakespeare has confounded the ''

cognomen A ''cognomen'' (; plural ''cognomina''; from ''con-'' "together with" and ''(g)nomen'' "name") was the third name of a citizen of ancient Rome, under Roman naming conventions. Initially, it was a nickname, but lost that purpose when it became here ...

Flavus'' with the gentile name ''Flavius'', which is derived from the surname. As in history, Flavius and his fellow tribune (here named "Marullus" or "Murellus") are punished for removing decorations from statues of Caesar during a parade. Their parts in the play are meant to quiet down the audience.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Caesetius Flavus, Lucius 1st-century BC Romans Senators of the Roman Republic Tribunes of the plebs

See also

References