Marcus Fulvius Flaccus (consul 125 BC)
Encyclopedia
Marcus Fulvius Flaccus was a Roman
senator
and an ally of the Gracchi
. He became an administrator of the agrarian reform in 130 BC, and as a solution to the problem of land division among the allied cities, proposed Roman citizenship for the allies' citizens, thus introducing a question that vexed Roman politics for many years. Elected consul
in 125 BC, he was ordered by the Roman Senate
to assist Massilia (modern Marseille
) against depredations of the Salluvii. He became the first to overcome the transalpine Liguria
ns in war and returned in 123 BC with a triumph.
Flaccus was appointed to the Agrarian Commission in 129 BC. In 122 BC he became a tribune
to assist Gaius Gracchus
in implementing an amended version of his policy of citizenship for Italians
, making him the only ex-consul to hold the position of tribune.
He went to found a Roman colony, Colonia Junonia, on the ruins of Carthage
. When he and Gracchus failed to win re-election in 121 BC, Flaccus led a mass protest on the Aventine Hill
, but the consul Lucius Opimius
suppressed it brutally, killing Flaccus among many others and resulting in the suicide of Gracchus.
Plutarch describes him as a born agitator. Cicero describes Flaccus as an orator of moderate gifts and comments that his writings reveal him as a student of letters rather than an orator.
His wife is unknown. Flaccus had a son called Marcus Fulvius Flaccus Bambalio. Bambalio married Sempronia
Gracchae, the daughter of Roman Tribune Gaius Gracchus
. Their marriage resulted in a daughter and only child Fulvia
Flacca Bambula, who was Flaccus' only grandchild.
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....
senator
Roman Senate
The Senate of the Roman Republic was a political institution in the ancient Roman Republic, however, it was not an elected body, but one whose members were appointed by the consuls, and later by the censors. After a magistrate served his term in office, it usually was followed with automatic...
and an ally of the Gracchi
Gracchi
The Gracchi brothers, Tiberius and Gaius, were Roman Plebian nobiles who both served as tribunes in 2nd century BC. They attempted to pass land reform legislation that would redistribute the major patrician landholdings among the plebeians. For this legislation and their membership in the...
. He became an administrator of the agrarian reform in 130 BC, and as a solution to the problem of land division among the allied cities, proposed Roman citizenship for the allies' citizens, thus introducing a question that vexed Roman politics for many years. Elected 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...
in 125 BC, he was ordered by the Roman Senate
Roman Senate
The Senate of the Roman Republic was a political institution in the ancient Roman Republic, however, it was not an elected body, but one whose members were appointed by the consuls, and later by the censors. After a magistrate served his term in office, it usually was followed with automatic...
to assist Massilia (modern Marseille
Marseille
Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
) against depredations of the Salluvii. He became the first to overcome the transalpine Liguria
Liguria
Liguria is a coastal region of north-western Italy, the third smallest of the Italian regions. Its capital is Genoa. It is a popular region with tourists for its beautiful beaches, picturesque little towns, and good food.-Geography:...
ns in war and returned in 123 BC with a triumph.
Flaccus was appointed to the Agrarian Commission in 129 BC. In 122 BC he became a tribune
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...
to assist Gaius Gracchus
Gaius Gracchus
Gaius Sempronius Gracchus was a Roman Populari politician in the 2nd century BC and brother of the ill-fated reformer Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus...
in implementing an amended version of his policy of citizenship for Italians
Italia (Roman province)
Italia was the name of the Italian peninsula of the Roman Empire.-Under the Republic and Augustan organization:During the Republic and the first centuries of the empire, Italia was not a province, but rather the territory of the city of Rome, thus having a special status: for example, military...
, making him the only ex-consul to hold the position of tribune.
He went to found a Roman colony, Colonia Junonia, on the ruins of Carthage
Carthage
Carthage , implying it was a 'new Tyre') is a major urban centre that has existed for nearly 3,000 years on the Gulf of Tunis, developing from a Phoenician colony of the 1st millennium BC...
. When he and Gracchus failed to win re-election in 121 BC, Flaccus led a mass protest on the Aventine Hill
Aventine Hill
The Aventine Hill is one of the seven hills on which ancient Rome was built. It belongs to Ripa, the twelfth rione, or ward, of Rome.-Location and boundaries:The Aventine hill is the southernmost of Rome's seven hills...
, but the consul Lucius Opimius
Lucius Opimius
Lucius Opimius was Roman consul in 121 BC, known for ordering the execution of 3,000 supporters of popular leader Gaius Gracchus without trial, using as pretext the state of emergency declared after Gracchus's recent and turbulent death....
suppressed it brutally, killing Flaccus among many others and resulting in the suicide of Gracchus.
Plutarch describes him as a born agitator. Cicero describes Flaccus as an orator of moderate gifts and comments that his writings reveal him as a student of letters rather than an orator.
His wife is unknown. Flaccus had a son called Marcus Fulvius Flaccus Bambalio. Bambalio married Sempronia
Sempronia
Sempronia is the nomen of the Roman gens Sempronia. Men of the gens were named Sempronius, and women Sempronia. The Sempronii were an important family throughout the history of the Republic...
Gracchae, the daughter of Roman Tribune Gaius Gracchus
Gaius Gracchus
Gaius Sempronius Gracchus was a Roman Populari politician in the 2nd century BC and brother of the ill-fated reformer Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus...
. Their marriage resulted in a daughter and only child Fulvia
Fulvia
Fulvia Flacca Bambula , commonly referred to as simply Fulvia, was an aristocratic Roman woman who lived during the Late Roman Republic. Through her marriage to three of the most promising Roman men of her generation, Publius Clodius Pulcher, Gaius Scribonius Curio and Mark Antony, she gained...
Flacca Bambula, who was Flaccus' only grandchild.