Lucius Scribonius Libo (consul 34 BC)
Encyclopedia
Lucius Scribonius Libo was a Roman
politician and military commander who was Consul
in 34 BC
and brother-in-law to both Pompey the Great
and Augustus
.
family, Libo was closely connected to the family of Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus
, through Libo’s grandmother Pompeia Magna
. Ties were strengthened in 55 BC
after Pompey’s son, Sextus Pompey married Libo’s daughter, Scribonia. It is assumed he reached the office of praetor
by 50 BC
. In 49 BC
, he became one of Pompey’s legates, and with the outbreak of the civil war, Pompey left him in command of Etruria
. After he was driven from Etruria by Mark Antony
, he took over the command of the new recruits in Campania
from Ampius Balbus
. He then accompanied Pompey during his withdrawal to Brundisium, and here he acted as Pompey’s intermediary with Gaius Caninius Rebilus
, a close personal friend, who had been given the task by Julius Caesar
to negotiate with Pompey. Rebilius advised Libo that if he could convince Pompey to reach an agreement with Caesar, Caesar would give credit to Libo in halting the civil war before it even began. Although Libo reported Caesar’s proposals, Pompey told Libo he could not agree to anything without the consuls
being present.
Following Pompey across to Macedonia
, Libo was placed in charge of part of Pompey’s fleet alongside Marcus Octavius with instructions to prevent Caesar’s forces crossing if possible. Off the Dalmatia
n coast they defeated a fleet under the command of Publius Cornelius Dolabella
, and they followed this up by defeating Gaius Antonius
who had tried to help Dolabella, and who was forced to flee to Corcyra Nigra. Short of supplies, he soon surrendered to Libo who took him and his troops to Pompey. By the time Caesar landed in Epirus
and had taken Oricum, Pompey had sent Libo to join Marcus Calpurnius Bibulus
, who was in charge of Pompey’s fleet and was blockading Caesar at Oricum, but who was ill and unable to get fresh supplies. In order to break the stalemate, Bibulus and Libo sailed towards Oricum and requested a truce in order to negotiate with Caesar. Caesar agreed and Libo attempted to deceive Caesar into thinking that they were acting on Pompey’s instructions. When Caesar was unable to make Libo agree to give safe conduct to Caesar’s envoys, Caesar concluded that the negotiations were a sham designed to allow Bibulus to resupply his ships, and so Caesar refused to extend the truce and broke off negotiations.
With Bibulus’s death in early 48 BC
, Libo was given command of the Pompeian fleet, comprising some fifty galleys. He continued blockading Oricum, but came to the conclusion that if could close off Brundisium from the sea, Caesar could receive no additional reinforcements, and he could redeploy the fleet elsewhere. Moving off to Brundisium, he caught the local commander, Mark Antony
, unprepared. Libo burnt a number of storage ships, captured one full of grain, and landed troops on the island that commanded the entrance to the harbour, expelling a squad of Antony’s troops in the process. Confident of success, he sent a letter to Pompey, advising him that he had secured the harbour and that the rest of the fleet should be repaired and rested. Antony, in the meantime, managed to trick Libo into pursuing some decoy ships, causing Libo’s squadron to be trapped and attacked. Most of Libo’s fleet managed to escape, but the troops he landed on the island were trapped and captured.
in 48 BC, Libo attached himself to Sextus Pompey, who was his son-in-law after marrying Libo’s daughter Scribonia. In 40 BC
, Sextus sent him as an unofficial envoy to Mark Antony in Greece, seeking an alliance against Octavianus
, who had just defeated Antony’s partisans in the Perusine War, and was instrumental in forming an alliance between the two. Octavianus attempted to drive a wedge between Sextus Pompey and Mark Antony by marrying Libo’s sister, Scribonia
. In the subsequent Pact of Misenum
, Libo acted as an important negotiator; in return for his support, Sextus managed to extract from Octavianus the promise of a future consulate for Libo.
After Octavianus renewed the war against Sextus Pompey in 36 BC
, Libo initially supported him. Yet by 35 BC
Libo felt his son-in-law’s cause was lost; he abandoned Sextus and joined up with Mark Antony
. As a reward, Antony ensured that Libo was elected consul in 34 BC
alongside himself. He left office on 1 July, 34 BC, and was replaced by Gaius Memmius. By 31 BC
, he had been appointed as one of the Septemviri Epulones
, and in 29 BC
, he was elevated to patrician
status.
, Cornelia Scipio
and Julia the Elder
. His wife was a member of the gens
Sulpicius, the family that the Roman Emperor Galba
would claim descent from his paternal side.
Libo and wife had three children, two sons: Lucius Scribonius Libo, consul of 16 AD, and Marcus Scribonius Libo
Drusus, and a daughter Scribonia who married Sextus Pompey.
Roman Republic
The Roman Republic was the period of the ancient Roman civilization where the government operated as a republic. It began with the overthrow of the Roman monarchy, traditionally dated around 508 BC, and its replacement by a government headed by two consuls, elected annually by the citizens and...
politician and military commander who was Consul
Roman consul
A consul served in the highest elected political office of the Roman Republic.Each year, two consuls were elected together, to serve for a one-year term. Each consul was given veto power over his colleague and the officials would alternate each month...
in 34 BC
34 BC
Year 34 BC was either a common year starting on Friday, Saturday or Sunday or a leap year starting on Friday or Saturday of the Julian calendar and a common year starting on Friday of the Proleptic Julian calendar...
and brother-in-law to both Pompey the Great
Pompey
Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, also known as Pompey or Pompey the Great , was a military and political leader of the late Roman Republic...
and Augustus
Augustus
Augustus ;23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14) is considered the first emperor of the Roman Empire, which he ruled alone from 27 BC until his death in 14 AD.The dates of his rule are contemporary dates; Augustus lived under two calendars, the Roman Republican until 45 BC, and the Julian...
.
Early Career & the Civil War
A member of the plebeian ScriboniaScribonius
Scribonius or Scribonia is the nomen of the gens Scribonia of Ancient Roman, who lived during the Roman Republic and Roman Empire. They were of plebeian status and members included:-Men of the gens:*Gaius Scribonius Curio, consul 76 BC...
family, Libo was closely connected to the family of Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus
Pompey
Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, also known as Pompey or Pompey the Great , was a military and political leader of the late Roman Republic...
, through Libo’s grandmother Pompeia Magna
Pompeia Magna
Pompeia Magna was the only daughter and second child born to Roman triumvir Pompey the Great from his third marriage, to Mucia Tertia. Her eldest brother was Gnaeus Pompeius and her younger brother was Sextus Pompey.Pompeia was born and raised in Rome...
. Ties were strengthened in 55 BC
55 BC
Year 55 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Crassus and Pompey...
after Pompey’s son, Sextus Pompey married Libo’s daughter, Scribonia. It is assumed he reached the office of praetor
Praetor
Praetor was a title granted by the government of Ancient Rome to men acting in one of two official capacities: the commander of an army, usually in the field, or the named commander before mustering the army; and an elected magistratus assigned varied duties...
by 50 BC
50 BC
Year 50 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Paullus and Marcellus...
. In 49 BC
49 BC
Year 49 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Lentulus and Marcellus...
, he became one of Pompey’s legates, and with the outbreak of the civil war, Pompey left him in command of Etruria
Etruria
Etruria—usually referred to in Greek and Latin source texts as Tyrrhenia—was a region of Central Italy, an area that covered part of what now are Tuscany, Latium, Emilia-Romagna, and Umbria. A particularly noteworthy work dealing with Etruscan locations is D. H...
. After he was driven from Etruria by Mark Antony
Mark Antony
Marcus Antonius , known in English as Mark Antony, was a Roman politician and general. As a military commander and administrator, he was an important supporter and loyal friend of his mother's cousin Julius Caesar...
, he took over the command of the new recruits in Campania
Campania
Campania is a region in southern Italy. The region has a population of around 5.8 million people, making it the second-most-populous region of Italy; its total area of 13,590 km² makes it the most densely populated region in the country...
from Ampius Balbus
Balbus
Balbus, literally "stammerer", was a cognomen of several ancient Roman gentes.Of the Acilii Balbi, one Manius Acilius Balbus was consul in 150 BC, another in 114. To another family belonged T. Ampius Balbus, a supporter of Pompey, but afterwards pardoned by Julius Caesar . We know also of Q...
. He then accompanied Pompey during his withdrawal to Brundisium, and here he acted as Pompey’s intermediary with Gaius Caninius Rebilus
Gaius Caninius Rebilus
Gaius Caninius Rebilus, a member of the plebeian gens Caninia, was a Roman general and politician. As a reward for devoted service, Julius Caesar appointed him consul suffectus in 45 BC....
, a close personal friend, who had been given the task by Julius Caesar
Julius Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar was a Roman general and statesman and a distinguished writer of Latin prose. He played a critical role in the gradual transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire....
to negotiate with Pompey. Rebilius advised Libo that if he could convince Pompey to reach an agreement with Caesar, Caesar would give credit to Libo in halting the civil war before it even began. Although Libo reported Caesar’s proposals, Pompey told Libo he could not agree to anything without the consuls
Roman consul
A consul served in the highest elected political office of the Roman Republic.Each year, two consuls were elected together, to serve for a one-year term. Each consul was given veto power over his colleague and the officials would alternate each month...
being present.
Following Pompey across to Macedonia
Macedonia (Roman province)
The Roman province of Macedonia was officially established in 146 BC, after the Roman general Quintus Caecilius Metellus defeated Andriscus of Macedon, the last Ancient King of Macedon in 148 BC, and after the four client republics established by Rome in the region were dissolved...
, Libo was placed in charge of part of Pompey’s fleet alongside Marcus Octavius with instructions to prevent Caesar’s forces crossing if possible. Off the Dalmatia
Dalmatia
Dalmatia is a historical region on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea. It stretches from the island of Rab in the northwest to the Bay of Kotor in the southeast. The hinterland, the Dalmatian Zagora, ranges from fifty kilometers in width in the north to just a few kilometers in the south....
n coast they defeated a fleet under the command of Publius Cornelius Dolabella
Publius Cornelius Dolabella
Publius Cornelius Dolabella was a Roman general, by far the most important of the Dolabellae. He arranged for himself to be adopted by a plebeian so that he could become a Tribune.. He married Cicero's daughter Tullia Ciceronis...
, and they followed this up by defeating Gaius Antonius
Gaius Antonius
Gaius Antonius was the second son of Marcus Antonius Creticus and Julia Antonia, and thus, younger brother of Mark Antony, triumvir and enemy of Caesar Augustus.-Early life:...
who had tried to help Dolabella, and who was forced to flee to Corcyra Nigra. Short of supplies, he soon surrendered to Libo who took him and his troops to Pompey. By the time Caesar landed in Epirus
Epirus
The name Epirus, from the Greek "Ήπειρος" meaning continent may refer to:-Geographical:* Epirus - a historical and geographical region of the southwestern Balkans, straddling modern Greece and Albania...
and had taken Oricum, Pompey had sent Libo to join Marcus Calpurnius Bibulus
Marcus Calpurnius Bibulus
Marcus Calpurnius Bibulus was a politician of the late Roman Republic.Bibulus was the son in law of Marcus Porcius Cato Uticencis. In 59 BC he was elected consul, supported by the optimates, conservative republicans in the Senate and opponents of Julius Caesar's triumvirate...
, who was in charge of Pompey’s fleet and was blockading Caesar at Oricum, but who was ill and unable to get fresh supplies. In order to break the stalemate, Bibulus and Libo sailed towards Oricum and requested a truce in order to negotiate with Caesar. Caesar agreed and Libo attempted to deceive Caesar into thinking that they were acting on Pompey’s instructions. When Caesar was unable to make Libo agree to give safe conduct to Caesar’s envoys, Caesar concluded that the negotiations were a sham designed to allow Bibulus to resupply his ships, and so Caesar refused to extend the truce and broke off negotiations.
With Bibulus’s death in early 48 BC
48 BC
Year 48 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Caesar and Vatia...
, Libo was given command of the Pompeian fleet, comprising some fifty galleys. He continued blockading Oricum, but came to the conclusion that if could close off Brundisium from the sea, Caesar could receive no additional reinforcements, and he could redeploy the fleet elsewhere. Moving off to Brundisium, he caught the local commander, Mark Antony
Mark Antony
Marcus Antonius , known in English as Mark Antony, was a Roman politician and general. As a military commander and administrator, he was an important supporter and loyal friend of his mother's cousin Julius Caesar...
, unprepared. Libo burnt a number of storage ships, captured one full of grain, and landed troops on the island that commanded the entrance to the harbour, expelling a squad of Antony’s troops in the process. Confident of success, he sent a letter to Pompey, advising him that he had secured the harbour and that the rest of the fleet should be repaired and rested. Antony, in the meantime, managed to trick Libo into pursuing some decoy ships, causing Libo’s squadron to be trapped and attacked. Most of Libo’s fleet managed to escape, but the troops he landed on the island were trapped and captured.
Later Career & Consul
With the defeat and death of PompeyPompey
Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, also known as Pompey or Pompey the Great , was a military and political leader of the late Roman Republic...
in 48 BC, Libo attached himself to Sextus Pompey, who was his son-in-law after marrying Libo’s daughter Scribonia. In 40 BC
40 BC
Year 40 BC was either a common year starting on Thursday, Friday or Saturday or a leap year starting on Thursday or Friday of the Julian calendar and a common year starting on Friday of the Proleptic Julian calendar...
, Sextus sent him as an unofficial envoy to Mark Antony in Greece, seeking an alliance against Octavianus
Augustus
Augustus ;23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14) is considered the first emperor of the Roman Empire, which he ruled alone from 27 BC until his death in 14 AD.The dates of his rule are contemporary dates; Augustus lived under two calendars, the Roman Republican until 45 BC, and the Julian...
, who had just defeated Antony’s partisans in the Perusine War, and was instrumental in forming an alliance between the two. Octavianus attempted to drive a wedge between Sextus Pompey and Mark Antony by marrying Libo’s sister, Scribonia
Scribonia
Scribonia was the second wife of the Roman Emperor Augustus and the mother of his only natural child, Julia the Elder. She was the mother-in-law of the Emperor Tiberius, great-grandmother of the Emperor Caligula and Empress Agrippina the Younger, grandmother-in-law of the Emperor Claudius, and...
. In the subsequent Pact of Misenum
Pact of Misenum
The Pact of Misenum was a treaty which ended the naval blockade of the Italian Peninsula during the Sicilian revolt. The pact was signed in 39 BC between Sextus Pompeius and the members of the Second Triumvirate. The triumvirs allowed Sextus Pompeius to retain his control of Sicily and Sardinia and...
, Libo acted as an important negotiator; in return for his support, Sextus managed to extract from Octavianus the promise of a future consulate for Libo.
After Octavianus renewed the war against Sextus Pompey in 36 BC
36 BC
Year 36 BC was either a common year starting on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday or a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar and a common year starting on Wednesday of the Proleptic Julian calendar...
, Libo initially supported him. Yet by 35 BC
35 BC
Year 35 BC was either a common year starting on Thursday or Friday or a leap year starting on Wednesday, Thursday or Friday of the Julian calendar and a common year starting on Thursday of the Proleptic Julian calendar...
Libo felt his son-in-law’s cause was lost; he abandoned Sextus and joined up with Mark Antony
Mark Antony
Marcus Antonius , known in English as Mark Antony, was a Roman politician and general. As a military commander and administrator, he was an important supporter and loyal friend of his mother's cousin Julius Caesar...
. As a reward, Antony ensured that Libo was elected consul in 34 BC
34 BC
Year 34 BC was either a common year starting on Friday, Saturday or Sunday or a leap year starting on Friday or Saturday of the Julian calendar and a common year starting on Friday of the Proleptic Julian calendar...
alongside himself. He left office on 1 July, 34 BC, and was replaced by Gaius Memmius. By 31 BC
31 BC
Year 31 BC was either a common year starting on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday or a leap year starting on Tuesday or Wednesday of the Julian calendar and a common year starting on Tuesday of the Proleptic Julian calendar...
, he had been appointed as one of the Septemviri Epulones
Epulones
The epulones formed one of the four great religious corporations of ancient Roman priests. The two most important colleges were the College of Pontiffs and the augurs; the fourth was the quindecimviri sacris faciundis...
, and in 29 BC
29 BC
Year 29 BC was either a common year starting on Friday or Saturday or a leap year starting on Thursday, Friday or Saturday of the Julian calendar and a leap year starting on Thursday of the Proleptic Julian calendar...
, he was elevated to patrician
Patrician
The term patrician originally referred to a group of elite families in ancient Rome, including both their natural and adopted members. In the late Roman Empire, the class was broadened to include high council officials, and after the fall of the Western Empire it remained a high honorary title in...
status.
Family
Libo was the maternal uncle to consul Publius Cornelius ScipioPublius Cornelius Scipio (consul 16 BC)
Publius Cornelius Scipio was the son of Publius Cornelius Scipio Salvito and Scribonia. He was elder brother to Cornelia Scipio and the elder half-brother to Julia the Elder, who was the daughter of Emperor Augustus. Scipio claimed to be a descendent of Scipio Africanus and boasted himself about...
, Cornelia Scipio
Cornelia Scipio
Cornelia was the daughter of Scribonia and consul Publius Cornelius Scipio Salvito. She was married twice. Her first husband was Sextus Julius Caesar III. Together they had one son born in 32 BC, named Sextus Julius Caesar IV. Her second husband was the censor Lucius Aemilius Paullus, with whom...
and Julia the Elder
Julia the Elder
Julia the Elder , known to her contemporaries as Julia Caesaris filia or Julia Augusti filia was the daughter and only biological child of Augustus, the first emperor of the Roman Empire. Augustus subsequently adopted several male members of his close family as sons...
. His wife was a member of the gens
Gens
In ancient Rome, a gens , plural gentes, referred to a family, consisting of all those individuals who shared the same nomen and claimed descent from a common ancestor. A branch of a gens was called a stirps . The gens was an important social structure at Rome and throughout Italy during the...
Sulpicius, the family that the Roman Emperor Galba
Galba
Galba , was Roman Emperor for seven months from 68 to 69. Galba was the governor of Hispania Tarraconensis, and made a bid for the throne during the rebellion of Julius Vindex...
would claim descent from his paternal side.
Libo and wife had three children, two sons: Lucius Scribonius Libo, consul of 16 AD, and Marcus Scribonius Libo
Marcus Scribonius Libo
Marcus Scribonius Libo Drusus was a younger son of the consul Lucius Scribonius Libo by his wife who was a member of the gens Sulpicius, the family that the Roman Emperor Galba, had descended from his paternal side. Marcus was a fatuous man, who had tastes for absurdities.Along with his brother...
Drusus, and a daughter Scribonia who married Sextus Pompey.
Sources
- T. Robert S. BroughtonThomas Robert Shannon BroughtonThomas Robert Shannon Broughton was a Canadian classical scholar and leading Latin prosopographer of the twentieth century. He is especially noted for his definitive three-volume work, Magistrates of the Roman Republic ....
, The Magistrates of the Roman Republic, Vol II (1952). - Holmes, T. Rice, The Roman Republic and the Founder of the Empire, Vol. III (1923)
- Syme, Ronald, The Roman Revolution, Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1939.
- Anthon, Charles & Smith, William, A New Classical Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography, Mythology and Geography (1860).