Junius Blaesus
Encyclopedia
Quintus Junius Blaesus was a Roman
novus homo
("new man," that is, the first member of his family to gain entrance to the Roman nobility
) who lived during the reigns of Augustus
and Tiberius
. He was the maternal uncle of Lucius Aelius Sejanus
, the Praetorian Prefect
of the Emperor
, Tiberius
.
Blaesus subsequently appears as commander of the armies stationed in Pannonia
when a mutiny broke out after the death of Augustus
in 14. According to Tacitus
, after military service in the Great Illyrian Revolt
, soldiers were unhappy with their payment of swampy and mountainous Pannonian lands and demanded restitution. To ease tensions, Blaesus offered to commit suicide, but his request was ignored. According to the Roman historian Cassius Dio, the soldiers arrested and tortured his slaves, and then attempted to kill Blaesus. However, he managed to temporarily restore order by convincing them to send envoys to the Roman Senate
. In response, Tiberius sent his son Drusus
to put down the rebellion, accompanied by Sejanus and two Praetorian cohorts
.
Blaesus next post was that of proconsul
of Africa
from 21 to 23. It seems that this station was achieved at least partially through the influence of his nephew, Sejanus
, in so far as the fact that Blaesus was Sejanus' uncle convinced the other possible choice, Marcus Aemilius Lepidus to withdraw from contention.
During his time as governor in Africa, Blaesus was successful in defeating a revolt by the Numidian warlord Tacfarinas
, a victory for which he earned triumphal honors
.
Blaesus' career came to an end in 31, when his nephew Sejanus was accused of treason and executed by order of Tiberius. As a result of his connection to Sejanus, Blaesus was put on trial as one of his associates. However, instead of awaiting execution, he chose to commit suicide.
These sons both committed suicide in 36, when Tiberius transferred to others the priesthoods that had previously been promised to the Blaesi during their family's ascendance.
The last known descendant of Quintus Junius Blaesus (suffect consul 10) was a grandson, Junius Blaesus, who was murdered in 69 by the then Emperor
, Vitellius
.
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....
novus homo
Novus homo
Homo novus was the term in ancient Rome for a man who was the first in his family to serve in the Roman Senate or, more specifically, to be elected as consul...
("new man," that is, the first member of his family to gain entrance to the Roman nobility
Nobiles
During the Roman Republic, nobilis was a descriptive term of social rank, usually indicating that a member of the family had achieved the consulship. Those who belonged to the hereditary patrician families were noble, but plebeians whose ancestors were consuls were also considered nobiles...
) who lived during the reigns of Augustus
Augustus
Augustus ;23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14) is considered the first emperor of the Roman Empire, which he ruled alone from 27 BC until his death in 14 AD.The dates of his rule are contemporary dates; Augustus lived under two calendars, the Roman Republican until 45 BC, and the Julian...
and Tiberius
Tiberius
Tiberius , was Roman Emperor from 14 AD to 37 AD. Tiberius was by birth a Claudian, son of Tiberius Claudius Nero and Livia Drusilla. His mother divorced Nero and married Augustus in 39 BC, making him a step-son of Octavian...
. He was the maternal uncle of Lucius Aelius Sejanus
Sejanus
Lucius Aelius Seianus , commonly known as Sejanus, was an ambitious soldier, friend and confidant of the Roman Emperor Tiberius...
, the Praetorian Prefect
Praetorian prefect
Praetorian prefect was the title of a high office in the Roman Empire. Originating as the commander of the Praetorian Guard, the office gradually acquired extensive legal and administrative functions, with its holders becoming the Emperor's chief aides...
of the Emperor
Roman Emperor
The Roman emperor was the ruler of the Roman State during the imperial period . The Romans had no single term for the office although at any given time, a given title was associated with the emperor...
, Tiberius
Tiberius
Tiberius , was Roman Emperor from 14 AD to 37 AD. Tiberius was by birth a Claudian, son of Tiberius Claudius Nero and Livia Drusilla. His mother divorced Nero and married Augustus in 39 BC, making him a step-son of Octavian...
.
Career
Nothing is known of the career of Quintus Junius Blaesus prior to 10, when he served as suffect consul with Servius Cornelius Lentulus Maluginensis.Blaesus subsequently appears as commander of the armies stationed in Pannonia
Pannonia
Pannonia was an ancient province of the Roman Empire bounded north and east by the Danube, coterminous westward with Noricum and upper Italy, and southward with Dalmatia and upper Moesia....
when a mutiny broke out after the death of Augustus
Augustus
Augustus ;23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14) is considered the first emperor of the Roman Empire, which he ruled alone from 27 BC until his death in 14 AD.The dates of his rule are contemporary dates; Augustus lived under two calendars, the Roman Republican until 45 BC, and the Julian...
in 14. According to Tacitus
Tacitus
Publius Cornelius Tacitus was a senator and a historian of the Roman Empire. The surviving portions of his two major works—the Annals and the Histories—examine the reigns of the Roman Emperors Tiberius, Claudius, Nero and those who reigned in the Year of the Four Emperors...
, after military service in the Great Illyrian Revolt
Great Illyrian revolt
The Great Illyrian Revolt, was a major conflict between an alliance of indigenous communities from Illyricum and Roman forces that lasted for four years beginning in AD 6 and ending in AD 9.-The war:...
, soldiers were unhappy with their payment of swampy and mountainous Pannonian lands and demanded restitution. To ease tensions, Blaesus offered to commit suicide, but his request was ignored. According to the Roman historian Cassius Dio, the soldiers arrested and tortured his slaves, and then attempted to kill Blaesus. However, he managed to temporarily restore order by convincing them to send envoys to 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...
. In response, Tiberius sent his son Drusus
Julius Caesar Drusus
Nero Claudius Drusus, later Drusus Julius Caesar was the only child of Roman Emperor Tiberius and his first wife, Vipsania Agrippina...
to put down the rebellion, accompanied by Sejanus and two Praetorian cohorts
Cohort (military unit)
A cohort was the basic tactical unit of a Roman legion following the reforms of Gaius Marius in 107 BC.-Legionary cohort:...
.
Blaesus next post was that of proconsul
Proconsul
A proconsul was a governor of a province in the Roman Republic appointed for one year by the senate. In modern usage, the title has been used for a person from one country ruling another country or bluntly interfering in another country's internal affairs.-Ancient Rome:In the Roman Republic, a...
of Africa
Africa Province
The Roman province of Africa was established after the Romans defeated Carthage in the Third Punic War. It roughly comprised the territory of present-day northern Tunisia, and the small Mediterranean coast of modern-day western Libya along the Syrtis Minor...
from 21 to 23. It seems that this station was achieved at least partially through the influence of his nephew, Sejanus
Sejanus
Lucius Aelius Seianus , commonly known as Sejanus, was an ambitious soldier, friend and confidant of the Roman Emperor Tiberius...
, in so far as the fact that Blaesus was Sejanus' uncle convinced the other possible choice, Marcus Aemilius Lepidus to withdraw from contention.
During his time as governor in Africa, Blaesus was successful in defeating a revolt by the Numidian warlord Tacfarinas
Tacfarinas
Tacfarinas was a Numidian deserter from the Roman army who led his own Musulamii tribe and a loose and changing coalition of other Ancient Libyan tribes in a war against the Romans in North Africa during the rule of emperor Tiberius .Although Tacfarinas' personal motivation is unknown, it is...
, a victory for which he earned triumphal honors
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...
.
Blaesus' career came to an end in 31, when his nephew Sejanus was accused of treason and executed by order of Tiberius. As a result of his connection to Sejanus, Blaesus was put on trial as one of his associates. However, instead of awaiting execution, he chose to commit suicide.
Marriage and Family
The identity of the wife of Quintus Junius Blaesus is unknown, as is the date of their marriage. However, by her, Blaesus is known to have had at least two children, both sons, each of whom became consuls in their own right: Quintus Junius Blaesus (?suffect consul 26) and Junius Blaesus (suffect consul 28).These sons both committed suicide in 36, when Tiberius transferred to others the priesthoods that had previously been promised to the Blaesi during their family's ascendance.
The last known descendant of Quintus Junius Blaesus (suffect consul 10) was a grandson, Junius Blaesus, who was murdered in 69 by the then Emperor
Emperor
An emperor is a monarch, usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife or a woman who rules in her own right...
, Vitellius
Vitellius
Vitellius , was Roman Emperor for eight months, from 16 April to 22 December 69. Vitellius was acclaimed Emperor following the quick succession of the previous emperors Galba and Otho, in a year of civil war known as the Year of the Four Emperors...
.
External links
- Tacitus, Annals Book 3, chapters 72 and 73, English translation
- Cassius Dio, Roman History, Book 57, Chapter 4, English translation