Quintus Fabius Maximus (consul 45 BC)
Encyclopedia
Quintus Fabius Maximus (died December 31, 45 BC) was a general and statesman of the late Roman Republic
. He was a member of the patrician gens
Fabia. He served under Julius Caesar
as a legate
during the Gallic Wars
and remained pro-Caesarian during the civil war of the 40s
against Pompeius Magnus
("Pompey the Great").
Together with Marcus Caelius Rufus
in 59 BC, he prosecuted Gaius Antonius Hybrida
for extortion in his province of Macedonia
. Although Cicero
served as lead counsel for the defense, Fabius Maximus and Caelius Rufus were successful.
In the civil war, Fabius Maximus was sent as the general in command of the advance guard to Spain
. After the battle of Munda
, Caesar awarded him a triumph
. After Caesar abdicated his sole consul
ship in September, he installed Fabius with Gaius Trebonius as suffect consuls. Fabius Maximus died December 31, 45 BC — the last day of his consulship. He was replaced for the remaining hours of the year by Gaius Caninius Rebilus
.
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...
. He was a member of the patrician 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...
Fabia. He served under 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....
as a legate
Legatus
A legatus was a general in the Roman army, equivalent to a modern general officer. Being of senatorial rank, his immediate superior was the dux, and he outranked all military tribunes...
during the Gallic Wars
Gallic Wars
The Gallic Wars were a series of military campaigns waged by the Roman proconsul Julius Caesar against several Gallic tribes. They lasted from 58 BC to 51 BC. The Gallic Wars culminated in the decisive Battle of Alesia in 52 BC, in which a complete Roman victory resulted in the expansion of the...
and remained pro-Caesarian during the civil war of the 40s
Caesar's civil war
The Great Roman Civil War , also known as Caesar's Civil War, was one of the last politico-military conflicts in the Roman Republic before the establishment of the Roman Empire...
against 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...
("Pompey the Great").
Together with Marcus Caelius Rufus
Marcus Caelius Rufus
Marcus Caelius Rufus was an orator and politician in the late Roman Republic. He was born into a wealthy equestrian family from Interamnia Praetuttiorum , on the central east coast of Italy...
in 59 BC, he prosecuted Gaius Antonius Hybrida
Gaius Antonius Hybrida
Gaius Antonius Hybrida was a politician of the Roman Republic. He was the second son of Marcus Antonius Orator and brother of Marcus Antonius Creticus; his mother is unknown. He was the uncle of the famed triumvir Mark Antony....
for extortion in his province of 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...
. Although Cicero
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...
served as lead counsel for the defense, Fabius Maximus and Caelius Rufus were successful.
In the civil war, Fabius Maximus was sent as the general in command of the advance guard to Spain
Hispania
Another theory holds that the name derives from Ezpanna, the Basque word for "border" or "edge", thus meaning the farthest area or place. Isidore of Sevilla considered Hispania derived from Hispalis....
. After the battle of Munda
Battle of Munda
The Battle of Munda took place on March 17, 45 BC in the plains of Munda, modern southern Spain. This was the last battle of Julius Caesar's civil war against the republican armies of the Optimate leaders...
, Caesar awarded him a triumph
Roman triumph
The Roman triumph was a civil ceremony and religious rite of ancient Rome, held to publicly celebrate and sanctify the military achievement of an army commander who had won great military successes, or originally and traditionally, one who had successfully completed a foreign war. In Republican...
. After Caesar abdicated his sole 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...
ship in September, he installed Fabius with Gaius Trebonius as suffect consuls. Fabius Maximus died December 31, 45 BC — the last day of his consulship. He was replaced for the remaining hours of the year by 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....
.