Gaius Flavius Fimbria (consul 104 BCE)
Encyclopedia
Gaius Flavius Fimbria, according to Cicero
, rose to the highest honours in the republic through his own merit and talent.
In 105 BC
, he was a candidate for the consulship
, and the people gave him the preference to his competitor, Quintus Lutatius Catulus
; and accordingly, Fimbria was the colleague of Gaius Marius
in his second consulship, 104 BC
. Fimbria must have acquired his popularity about that time, for previously he had been an unsuccessful candidate for the tribuneship
.
What province he obtained after his consulship is unknown, but he seems to have been guilty of extortion during his administration, for M. Gratidius brought an action of repetundae against him, and was supported by the evidence of Marcus Aemilius Scaurus
; but Fimbria was nevertheless acquitted. During the revolt of Saturninus
, in 100 BC
, Fimbria, with other consulars, took up arms to defend the public good. Cicero describes him as a clever jurist; as an orator he had considerable power, but was bitter and vehement in speaking. Cicero, in his boyhood, read the speeches of Fimbria; but they soon fell into oblivion, for, at a later time, Cicero says that they were scarcely to be found anywhere.
Cicero
Marcus Tullius Cicero , was a Roman philosopher, statesman, lawyer, political theorist, and Roman constitutionalist. He came from a wealthy municipal family of the equestrian order, and is widely considered one of Rome's greatest orators and prose stylists.He introduced the Romans to the chief...
, rose to the highest honours in the republic through his own merit and talent.
In 105 BC
105 BC
Year 105 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Rufus and Maximus...
, he was a candidate for the consulship
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...
, and the people gave him the preference to his competitor, Quintus Lutatius Catulus
Quintus Lutatius Catulus
Quintus Lutatius Catulus was consul of the Roman Republic in 102 BC, and the leading public figure of the gens Lutatia of the time. His colleague in the consulship was Gaius Marius, but the two feuded and Catulus sided with Sulla in the civil war of 88–87 BC...
; and accordingly, Fimbria was the colleague of Gaius Marius
Gaius Marius
Gaius Marius was a Roman general and statesman. He was elected consul an unprecedented seven times during his career. He was also noted for his dramatic reforms of Roman armies, authorizing recruitment of landless citizens, eliminating the manipular military formations, and reorganizing the...
in his second consulship, 104 BC
104 BC
Year 104 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Marius and Fimbria...
. Fimbria must have acquired his popularity about that time, for previously he had been an unsuccessful candidate for the tribuneship
Tribune
Tribune was a title shared by elected officials in the Roman Republic. Tribunes had the power to convene the Plebeian Council and to act as its president, which also gave them the right to propose legislation before it. They were sacrosanct, in the sense that any assault on their person was...
.
What province he obtained after his consulship is unknown, but he seems to have been guilty of extortion during his administration, for M. Gratidius brought an action of repetundae against him, and was supported by the evidence of Marcus Aemilius Scaurus
Marcus Aemilius Scaurus
Marcus Aemilius Scaurus was a Roman consul in 115 BC and considered one of the most talented and influential politicians of the Republic....
; but Fimbria was nevertheless acquitted. During the revolt of Saturninus
Saturninus
Saturninus may refer to:* Lucius Appuleius Saturninus , tribune* Lucius Antonius Saturninus , provincial governor and rebel against Domitian* Julius Saturninus , provincial governor and rebel against Probus...
, in 100 BC
100 BC
Year 100 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Marius and Flaccus...
, Fimbria, with other consulars, took up arms to defend the public good. Cicero describes him as a clever jurist; as an orator he had considerable power, but was bitter and vehement in speaking. Cicero, in his boyhood, read the speeches of Fimbria; but they soon fell into oblivion, for, at a later time, Cicero says that they were scarcely to be found anywhere.