Fabius Maximus Rullianus
Encyclopedia
Quintus Fabius Maximus Rullianus (or Rullus), son of Marcus Fabius Ambustus
, of the patrician Fabii of ancient Rome
, was five times consul
and a hero of the Samnite Wars
. He was brother to Marcus Fabius Ambustus (magister equitum 322 BC)
.
His first appearance in surviving records is as Master of the Horse
in 325 BC, when he won a daring victory against the Samnites at Imbrinium. However, he had acted without the authority of the dictator
Lucius Papirius Cursor
, who was angry and demanded that the Senate
punish Fabius for disobeying orders. Livy
(8.31-36) describes a tense scene where Papirius stood nearly alone against the Senate and people, who supported Fabius because of his victory, but who also did not wish undercut the absolute authority they had given Papirius; finally Fabius threw himself at the feet of the dictator and asked forgiveness, which was granted.
Fabius became consul for the first time in 322 BC, although little is said of his time in office. He appears next as a dictator himself in 315 BC, successfully besieging Saticula
and then, less successfully, fighting at Lautulae
. (Diodorus mentions another dictatorship in 313 BC, but this is probably mistaken.) As consul in 310 BC, Fabius fought the Etruscans at Sutrium, then followed them when they fled into the Ciminian Forest
and defeated them again. Consul again in 308 BC, he defeated Perusia
and Nuceria Alfaterna.
He then served as censor
beginning in 304 BC.
Fabius was consul for the fourth time in 297 BC, defeating the Samnites at Tifernum by sending part of his line around the hills behind the enemy, and in 295 BC he was elected unanimously for a fifth term, where he won lasting fame for defeating a coalition of Etruscans, Samnites, and Gaul
s in the epic battle of Sentinum
.
Rullianus' son was Fabius Gurges
, and his great-grandson the Fabius Maximus
, Cunctator, of the Second Punic War
.
Although Rullianus' fame is undoubted, the main source of his life is Livy, who in turn worked from annals by Fabius Pictor and others, and many of the details are suspiciously similar to stories of the Cunctator.
The agnomen (actually more likely an extra cognomen) "Rullus" appears to mean "uncultivated, boorish" or "beggar".
Marcus Fabius Ambustus (consul 360 BC)
Marcus Fabius N.f. Ambustus was a statesman and general of the Roman Republic. He was the son of Numerius Fabius Ambustus.He served as consul three times: in 360, 356, and 354 BC. His consulships occurred during a time in which Rome was reasserting itself following its defeat at the hands of the...
, of the patrician Fabii of ancient Rome
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....
, was five times 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...
and a hero of the Samnite Wars
Samnite Wars
The First, Second, and Third Samnite Wars, between the early Roman Republic and the tribes of Samnium, extended over half a century, involving almost all the states of Italy, and ended in Roman domination of the Samnites...
. He was brother to Marcus Fabius Ambustus (magister equitum 322 BC)
Marcus Fabius Ambustus (magister equitum 322 BC)
Marcus Fabius M. f. N. n. Ambustus was a general and politician of ancient Rome. He was the son apparently of Marcus Fabius Ambustus, and brother to the great Quintus Fabius Maximus Rullianus. He was Master of the Horse in 322 BC....
.
His first appearance in surviving records is as Master of the Horse
Master of the Horse
The Master of the Horse was a position of varying importance in several European nations.-Magister Equitum :...
in 325 BC, when he won a daring victory against the Samnites at Imbrinium. However, he had acted without the authority of the dictator
Roman dictator
In the Roman Republic, the dictator , was an extraordinary magistrate with the absolute authority to perform tasks beyond the authority of the ordinary magistrate . The office of dictator was a legal innovation originally named Magister Populi , i.e...
Lucius Papirius Cursor
Lucius Papirius Cursor
Lucius Papirius Cursor was a Roman general who was five times consul and twice dictator.In 325 BC he was appointed dictator to carry on the second Samnite War. His quarrel with Quintus Fabius Maximus Rullianus, his magister equitum, is well known...
, who was angry and demanded that the 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...
punish Fabius for disobeying orders. Livy
Livy
Titus Livius — known as Livy in English — was a Roman historian who wrote a monumental history of Rome and the Roman people. Ab Urbe Condita Libri, "Chapters from the Foundation of the City," covering the period from the earliest legends of Rome well before the traditional foundation in 753 BC...
(8.31-36) describes a tense scene where Papirius stood nearly alone against the Senate and people, who supported Fabius because of his victory, but who also did not wish undercut the absolute authority they had given Papirius; finally Fabius threw himself at the feet of the dictator and asked forgiveness, which was granted.
Fabius became consul for the first time in 322 BC, although little is said of his time in office. He appears next as a dictator himself in 315 BC, successfully besieging Saticula
Saticula
Saticula was a Samnite city near the frontier of Campania, southern Italy. In 343 BC, during the First Samnite War the Roman consul Cornelius attacked it during the campaign against the Samnites....
and then, less successfully, fighting at Lautulae
Battle of Lautulae
-Battle of Lautulae:The Battle of Lautulae was fought in 315 BC between the Romans and the Samnites within the Second Samnite Wars. The Samnites won this battle .-Preceding the Battle:...
. (Diodorus mentions another dictatorship in 313 BC, but this is probably mistaken.) As consul in 310 BC, Fabius fought the Etruscans at Sutrium, then followed them when they fled into the Ciminian Forest
Silva Ciminia
The Silva Ciminia, the Ciminian Forest, was the unbroken primeval forest that separated Ancient Rome from Etruria. According to the Roman historian Livy it was, in the 4th century BCE, a feared, pathless wilderness in which few dared tread. The Ciminian Forest received its name from the Monti...
and defeated them again. Consul again in 308 BC, he defeated Perusia
Perusia
The ancient Perusia, now Perugia, first appears in history as one of the 12 confederate cities of Etruria. It is first mentioned in the account of the war of 310 or 309 BC between the Etruscans and the Romans...
and Nuceria Alfaterna.
He then served as censor
Censor (ancient Rome)
The censor was an officer in ancient Rome who was responsible for maintaining the census, supervising public morality, and overseeing certain aspects of the government's finances....
beginning in 304 BC.
Fabius was consul for the fourth time in 297 BC, defeating the Samnites at Tifernum by sending part of his line around the hills behind the enemy, and in 295 BC he was elected unanimously for a fifth term, where he won lasting fame for defeating a coalition of Etruscans, Samnites, and Gaul
Gaul
Gaul was a region of Western Europe during the Iron Age and Roman era, encompassing present day France, Luxembourg and Belgium, most of Switzerland, the western part of Northern Italy, as well as the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the left bank of the Rhine. The Gauls were the speakers of...
s in the epic battle of Sentinum
Battle of Sentinum
The Battle of Sentinum was the decisive battle of the Third Samnite War, fought in 295 BC near Sentinum , in which the Romans were able to overcome a formidable coalition of Samnites, Etruscans, Umbrians, and their Gallic allies...
.
Rullianus' son was Fabius Gurges
Quintus Fabius Maximus Gurges (consul 292 BC)
Quintus Fabius Maximus Gurges was the son of Quintus Fabius Maximus Rullianus and a Consul in 292 and 276 BC.In 295 BC he was curule aedile, and fined certain matrons of noble birth for their disorderly life. With the proceeds of the fines built a temple to Venus near the Circus Maximus.He was...
, and his great-grandson the Fabius Maximus
Fabius Maximus
Quintus Fabius Maximus Verrucosus Cunctator was a Roman politician and general, born in Rome around 280 BC and died in Rome in 203 BC. He was Roman Consul five times and was twice Dictator in 221 and again in 217 BC. He reached the office of Roman Censor in 230 BC...
, Cunctator, of the Second Punic War
Second Punic War
The Second Punic War, also referred to as The Hannibalic War and The War Against Hannibal, lasted from 218 to 201 BC and involved combatants in the western and eastern Mediterranean. This was the second major war between Carthage and the Roman Republic, with the participation of the Berbers on...
.
Although Rullianus' fame is undoubted, the main source of his life is Livy, who in turn worked from annals by Fabius Pictor and others, and many of the details are suspiciously similar to stories of the Cunctator.
The agnomen (actually more likely an extra cognomen) "Rullus" appears to mean "uncultivated, boorish" or "beggar".