Decimus Laelius
Encyclopedia
Decimus Laelius was a tribune of the plebs of the Roman Republic
in 54 BC. In 59 BC, he was the lead prosecutor in the extortion case against L. Valerius Flaccus, who was defended by Cicero
in the speech Pro Flacco.
Laelius served under Pompeius Magnus
as envoy and naval prefect
in 49 and 48 BC, during the civil war against Julius Caesar
. Cicero accuses him of bringing the case against Flaccus at the instigation of Pompeius.
by calling him "the son of the best sort of man" and "a good young man, from a respectable background, and eloquent," but emphasizes his youth by repeatedly referring to him as an adulescens, the usual term in the Late Republic for a young man not yet having entered the cursus honorum
or political career track. The implication is that the prosecution is an attempt to boost his career. Laelius appears to have had a strong and well-presented case, and yet:
Laelius presented the Greek
and Jewish witnesses at the trial, while his co-counsel, C. Appuleius Decianus, handled Roman citizens who had been living abroad. One of the accusations brought by Laelius was that Flaccus had tried to bribe Decianus. Cicero impugns Laelius's witnesses by their ethnicity.
Although Macrobius later records Flaccus's guilt, the former governor
was acquitted
. Flaccus may have won the case because of bias, but a general awareness of his guilt is indicated by his failure to advance to the consulship, an achievement that would have been expected from his family history.
, another Pompeian associate, when he was prosecuted and convicted by Memmius
.
During the civil war, Laelius recruited for Pompeius in Syria
and Asia. In February 49 BC, he was a special envoy to the consuls Claudius Marcellus
and Lentulus Crus
at Capua
, with the task of urging their retreat to Brundisium.
around 77 BC. Cicero's use of the word "respectable" (honestus) instead of "noble" (nobilis) to describe his family background suggests that he was not descended from the consular
Laelii
. This Laelius was, however, an ancestor of the Laelii Balbi
of the Imperial era
.
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...
in 54 BC. In 59 BC, he was the lead prosecutor in the extortion case against L. Valerius Flaccus, who was defended by 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...
in the speech Pro Flacco.
Laelius served under 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...
as envoy and naval prefect
Prefect
Prefect is a magisterial title of varying definition....
in 49 and 48 BC, during the civil war against Julius Caesar
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...
. Cicero accuses him of bringing the case against Flaccus at the instigation of Pompeius.
Prosecuting Flaccus
Cicero shows perhaps uncharacteristic regard for the opposing counselCounsel
A counsel or a counselor gives advice, more particularly in legal matters.-U.K. and Ireland:The legal system in England uses the term counsel as an approximate synonym for a barrister-at-law, and may apply it to mean either a single person who pleads a cause, or collectively, the body of barristers...
by calling him "the son of the best sort of man" and "a good young man, from a respectable background, and eloquent," but emphasizes his youth by repeatedly referring to him as an adulescens, the usual term in the Late Republic for a young man not yet having entered the cursus honorum
Cursus honorum
The cursus honorum was the sequential order of public offices held by aspiring politicians in both the Roman Republic and the early Empire. It was designed for men of senatorial rank. The cursus honorum comprised a mixture of military and political administration posts. Each office had a minimum...
or political career track. The implication is that the prosecution is an attempt to boost his career. Laelius appears to have had a strong and well-presented case, and yet:
Laelius presented the Greek
Roman Greece
Roman Greece is the period of Greek history following the Roman victory over the Corinthians at the Battle of Corinth in 146 BC until the reestablishment of the city of Byzantium and the naming of the city by the Emperor Constantine as the capital of the Roman Empire...
and Jewish witnesses at the trial, while his co-counsel, C. Appuleius Decianus, handled Roman citizens who had been living abroad. One of the accusations brought by Laelius was that Flaccus had tried to bribe Decianus. Cicero impugns Laelius's witnesses by their ethnicity.
Although Macrobius later records Flaccus's guilt, the former governor
Roman governor
A Roman governor was an official either elected or appointed to be the chief administrator of Roman law throughout one or more of the many provinces constituting the Roman Empire...
was acquitted
Acquittal
In the common law tradition, an acquittal formally certifies the accused is free from the charge of an offense, as far as the criminal law is concerned. This is so even where the prosecution is abandoned nolle prosequi...
. Flaccus may have won the case because of bias, but a general awareness of his guilt is indicated by his failure to advance to the consulship, an achievement that would have been expected from his family history.
Later career
Laelius was a consistent Pompeian supporter. As tribune in 54 BC, Laelius gave support to Aulus GabiniusAulus Gabinius
Aulus Gabinius, Roman statesman and general, and supporter of Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, was a prominent figure in the later days of the Roman Republic....
, another Pompeian associate, when he was prosecuted and convicted by Memmius
Gaius Memmius (poet)
Gaius Memmius , Roman orator and poet, tribune of the people , patron of Lucretius and acquaintance of Catullus....
.
During the civil war, Laelius recruited for Pompeius in Syria
Syria (Roman province)
Syria was a Roman province, annexed in 64 BC by Pompey, as a consequence of his military presence after pursuing victory in the Third Mithridatic War. It remained under Roman, and subsequently Byzantine, rule for seven centuries, until 637 when it fell to the Islamic conquests.- Principate :The...
and Asia. In February 49 BC, he was a special envoy to the consuls Claudius Marcellus
Gaius Claudius Marcellus Maior
Gaius Claudius Marcellus Maior was a Roman consul in 49 BC.He is frequently confused with his cousin of the same name, Gaius Claudius Marcellus Minor, a consul a year before in 50 BC. Gaius was also the brother of the Marcus Claudius Marcellus, the consul of 51 BC.Little is known of him before his...
and Lentulus Crus
Lucius Cornelius Lentulus Crus
Lucius Cornelius Lentulus, surnamed Crus or Cruscello , was a member of the anti-Caesarian party.In 61 BC he was the chief accuser of Publius Clodius in the affair of the festival of Bona Dea...
at Capua
Capua
Capua is a city and comune in the province of Caserta, Campania, southern Italy, situated 25 km north of Naples, on the northeastern edge of the Campanian plain. Ancient Capua was situated where Santa Maria Capua Vetere is now...
, with the task of urging their retreat to Brundisium.
Family connections
Laelius's loyalty to Pompeius dates back to his father, who had died serving under the young Pompeius in SpainHispania
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....
around 77 BC. Cicero's use of the word "respectable" (honestus) instead of "noble" (nobilis) to describe his family background suggests that he was not descended from the consular
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...
Laelii
Laelius
Laelius is a personal name and can refer to:*Gaius Laelius, a Roman statesman, who was consul in 190 BC and friend of Scipio Africanus*Gaius Laelius Sapiens , a Roman statesman, son of the above, who was consul in 140 BC, and was friend to Scipio's adoptive grandson Scipio Aemilianus*Laelius de...
. This Laelius was, however, an ancestor of the Laelii Balbi
Decimus Laelius Balbus
Decimus Laelius Balbus, son of Decimus and grandson of Decimus, was a Roman politician during the reign of the Roman Emperor Augustus.Balbus was one of the quindecimviri who organized the Secular Games in 17 BC, and was consul in 6 BC.- References :...
of the Imperial era
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
.
Selected bibliography
- Alexander, Michael Charles. The Case for the Prosecution in the Ciceronian Era. University of Michigan Press, 2002, pp. 80–97. Limited preview online.
- Broughton, T.R.S.Thomas 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. 2, 99 B.C.–31 B.C. (New York: American Philological Association, 1952), pp. 223, 265, 270, 578.