Gaius Claudius Marcellus Maior
Encyclopedia
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 consulship in 49 with Lucius Cornelius Lentulus Crus
. He was elected mainly because he opposed Gaius Julius Caesar
. He and his colleague supported the decision of one of the previous consuls, Claudius Marcellus, in giving command of the army to Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus
without sanction from the senate
. During their consulship, they brought up the question of what to do about Caesar. But Marcellus does not seem to have instigated the violence that caused the tribune Marcus Antonius
and several colleagues to flee the senate to Caesar near Ravena. While that might be the case, he did not try to stop any of the violence either.
When civil war
broke out, he did accompany his colleague to Capua
and then to Dyrrhachium. While in Capua, he gathered the gladiators there and freed them, but when criticised by friends, he dispersed them through the surrounding countryside. He then was a commander in Pompeius's fleet.
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 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 is frequently confused with his cousin of the same name, Gaius Claudius Marcellus Minor
Gaius Claudius Marcellus Minor
:See Gaius Claudius Marcellus for other men of this name, or Gaius Claudius Marcellus Maior for his cousin, consul of 49 BC.Gaius Claudius Marcellus Minor was a Roman senator and consul. He was a member of the distinguished Claudius family...
, a consul a year before in 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...
. Gaius was also the brother of the Marcus Claudius Marcellus
Marcus Claudius Marcellus (consul 51 BC)
Marcus Claudius Marcellus, was a member of the plebeian gens Claudia of the branch cognomitated Marcellus and a Roman politician.Marcellus was elected curule aedile in 56 BC. In 52 BC he was elected consul, together with Servius Sulpicius Rufus, for the following year...
, the consul of 51 BC
51 BC
Year 51 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Marcellus and Sulpicius...
.
Little is known of him before his consulship in 49 with Lucius Cornelius 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...
. He was elected mainly because he opposed Gaius 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....
. He and his colleague supported the decision of one of the previous consuls, Claudius Marcellus, in giving command of the army to 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...
without sanction from 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...
. During their consulship, they brought up the question of what to do about Caesar. But Marcellus does not seem to have instigated the violence that caused the tribune Marcus Antonius
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...
and several colleagues to flee the senate to Caesar near Ravena. While that might be the case, he did not try to stop any of the violence either.
When civil war
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...
broke out, he did accompany his colleague to 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...
and then to Dyrrhachium. While in Capua, he gathered the gladiators there and freed them, but when criticised by friends, he dispersed them through the surrounding countryside. He then was a commander in Pompeius's fleet.