Appius Claudius Sabinus Inregillensis
Encyclopedia
Appius Claudius Sabinus Inregillensis or Regillensis (c. 500 BC) was the semi-legendary founder of the Roman gens Claudia.
He was born Attius Clausus, Atta Claudius, Titus Claudius or a lost original name from which the other versions derive. To the Romans he was known as Appius Claudius. He was a Sabine
from a now unknown town called Inregillum.
In 505 BC the Romans
successfully waged war against the Sabines, and in the following year, the Sabines were divided as to whether to retaliate or to make peace with the Romans. Claudius favoured peace with the Romans, and as the faction favouring war became more powerful, he fled to Rome with a large group of his clients
. The followers were made citizens and were allowed to settle on the far side of the Anio river, and along with some other Sabines became known as the "Old Claudian" tribe. Claudius was made a senator and quickly became one of the leading men.
He became consul
of Rome
in 495 BC
. According to Livy
's History of Rome, he was "harsh by nature" and "loved tyranny", which is said to have resulted in the Struggle of the Orders.
His harsh enforcement of debt laws forced a secession of the plebs in 494-493. They fled to the nearby Mons Sacer (the Sacred Mountain), and the patricians sent one Agrippa Menenius Lanatus to convince them to return. Shakespeare's play Coriolanus
adapts this story.
His sons were Appius Claudius Sabinus, Consul in 471 BCE and Gaius Claudius Sabinus, Consul in 460 BCE
He was born Attius Clausus, Atta Claudius, Titus Claudius or a lost original name from which the other versions derive. To the Romans he was known as Appius Claudius. He was a Sabine
Sabine
The Sabines were an Italic tribe that lived in the central Appennines of ancient Italy, also inhabiting Latium north of the Anio before the founding of Rome...
from a now unknown town called Inregillum.
In 505 BC the Romans
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
successfully waged war against the Sabines, and in the following year, the Sabines were divided as to whether to retaliate or to make peace with the Romans. Claudius favoured peace with the Romans, and as the faction favouring war became more powerful, he fled to Rome with a large group of his clients
Patronage in ancient Rome
Patronage was the distinctive relationship in ancient Roman society between the patronus and his client . The relationship was hierarchical, but obligations were mutual. The patronus was the protector, sponsor, and benefactor of the client...
. The followers were made citizens and were allowed to settle on the far side of the Anio river, and along with some other Sabines became known as the "Old Claudian" tribe. Claudius was made a senator and quickly became one of the leading men.
He became consul
Consul
Consul was the highest elected office of the Roman Republic and an appointive office under the Empire. The title was also used in other city states and also revived in modern states, notably in the First French Republic...
of Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
in 495 BC
495 BC
Year 495 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Sabinus and Priscus...
. According to Livy
Livy
Titus Livius — known as Livy in English — was a Roman historian who wrote a monumental history of Rome and the Roman people. Ab Urbe Condita Libri, "Chapters from the Foundation of the City," covering the period from the earliest legends of Rome well before the traditional foundation in 753 BC...
's History of Rome, he was "harsh by nature" and "loved tyranny", which is said to have resulted in the Struggle of the Orders.
His harsh enforcement of debt laws forced a secession of the plebs in 494-493. They fled to the nearby Mons Sacer (the Sacred Mountain), and the patricians sent one Agrippa Menenius Lanatus to convince them to return. Shakespeare's play Coriolanus
Coriolanus (play)
Coriolanus is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1605 and 1608. The play is based on the life of the legendary Roman leader, Gaius Marcius Coriolanus.-Characters:*Caius Martius, later surnamed Coriolanus...
adapts this story.
His sons were Appius Claudius Sabinus, Consul in 471 BCE and Gaius Claudius Sabinus, Consul in 460 BCE