Marcus Aemilius Lepidus (c. 30 BC – 33 AD) was a

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 ...

Roman senator The Roman Senate ( la, Senātus Rōmānus) was a governing and advisory assembly in ancient Rome. It was one of the most enduring institutions in Roman history, being established in the first days of the city of Rome (traditionally founded in ...

, politician and general, praised by the historian

Tacitus Publius Cornelius Tacitus, known simply as Tacitus ( , ; – ), was a Roman historian and politician. Tacitus is widely regarded as one of the greatest Roman historians by modern scholars. The surviving portions of his two major works—the ...

Origin and early career

Lepidus was the son of Cornelia and

Paullus Aemilius Lepidus Paullus Aemilius LepidusLightman, ''A to Z of Ancient Greek and Roman Women'', p. 205 (c. 77 BC – after 11 BC) was a Roman senator. Biography He was a grandson of Marcus Aemilius Lepidus and Appuleia through their son Lucius Aemilius Pa ...

(who served as a censor) and brother-in-law to

Augustus Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor; he reigned from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. He is known for being the founder of the Roman Pr ...

' granddaughter Julia the Younger, who was married to his brother Lucius Aemilius Paullus, consul in 1 AD. Thus, he was a member of one of the oldest

families, the

Aemilii The gens Aemilia, originally written Aimilia, was one of the greatest patrician families at ancient Rome. The gens was of great antiquity, and claimed descent from Numa Pompilius, the second King of Rome. Its members held the highest offices o ...

. He became

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 ...

in 6 AD. He then distinguished himself as legate in charge of an army during the

Illyrian War The Illyro-Roman Wars were a series of wars fought between the Roman Republic and the Ardiaei kingdom. In the ''First Illyrian War'', which lasted from 229 BC to 228 BC, Rome's concern was that the trade across the Adriatic Sea increased after the ...

(6 – 9 AD) under the command of

Tiberius Tiberius Julius Caesar Augustus (; 16 November 42 BC – 16 March AD 37) was the second Roman emperor. He reigned from AD 14 until 37, succeeding his stepfather, the first Roman emperor Augustus. Tiberius was born in Rome in 42 BC. His father ...

, the later emperor. After the end of the war he served as governor either of Dalmatia (modern day Croatia and Bosnia) or Pannonia (modern day Hungary). At the time of

' death, in 14 AD, he was governor of Northern Spain in charge of an army of three legions. While there were serious riots in the armies in Germany and Pannonia after Augustus' death, Lepidus' army gave no trouble.

Activities during the reign of Tiberius

Lepidus defended Gnaeus Calpurnius Piso (a friend of Tiberius, but also a relative of Lepidus) at his trial for the alleged poisoning of Germanicus. In 21 AD, Tiberius offered him the governorship of

Africa Province Africa Proconsularis was a Roman province on the northern African coast that was established in 146 BC following the defeat of Carthage in the Third Punic War. It roughly comprised the territory of present-day Tunisia, the northeast of Algeria, ...

. He rejected the offer, claiming ill-health and the demands of his children, but more likely he recognised the wisdom of leaving the position to Quintus Junius Blaesus, uncle of Lucius Aelius Sejanus, the powerful praetorian prefect. Although this may make Lepidus seem unduly subservient towards the emperor Tiberius and his powerful allies, Lepidus' activities in the senate show an independent mind. In 21 AD he made a strong speech against the death penalty for an irreverent poet. Nevertheless, the poet was executed by order of the senate. This allowed Tiberius to praise Lepidus' moderation (as well as the senate's zeal in persecuting any offence against the emperor). Modern scholars have suggested that Lepidus also restored the Basilica Aemilia in the Roman Forum in 22 AD and served as governor of

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...

in 26 AD. Apparently, Lepidus was one of the few aristocrats obtaining high positions (including command of large armies) in this troubled time without ever being accused of plotting against the emperor. Although in 32 AD an important senator, Cotta Messalinus, openly attacked him because of his excessive influence in the senate, this accusation had no consequences. Lepidus died in 33 AD.

described him as "wise and noble" for his actions as a senator. According to Tacitus his actions could be taken as an example for independent aristocrats living under tyranny.

Descendants

It is possible that Lepidus married Vipsania Marcella, daughter of Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa and his second wife Claudia Marcella Major (niece of emperor Augustus). If so, then a son of hers is identified from a dedication inscription in the ''

basilica Aemilia The Basilica Aemilia ( it, Basilica Emilia, links=no) was a civil basilica in the Roman Forum, in Rome, Italy. Today only the plan and some rebuilt elements can be seen. The Basilica was 100 meters (328 ft) long and about 30 meters (98&nbs ...

''. His daughter Aemilia Lepida married Drusus Caesar, a son of Germanicus and

Agrippina the Elder Agrippina "the Elder" (also, in Latin, , "Germanicus's Agrippina"; – AD 33) was a prominent member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty. She was the daughter of Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa (a close supporter of the first Roman emperor, Augustus) a ...

. Although it is uncertain, some historians believe that he was also father to the Marcus Aemilius Lepidus who became Caligula's lover and brother-in-law, as husband to Julia Drusilla.Barrett, pp. 106-107.

Notes

References

*Tacitus: Annals *Syme Ronald: The Augustan Aristocracy. Oxford University Press 1986

External links

The text of Tacitus' Annals: At Project Gutenberg
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aemilius Lepidus, Marcus 30s BC births 33 deaths Year of birth uncertain Lepidus, Marcus Julio-Claudian dynasty Imperial Roman consuls Roman governors of Asia 1st-century BC Romans Lepidus Roman governors of Pannonia Roman governors of Dalmatia