Lucius Paullus
Encyclopedia
Lucius Aemilius Lepidus Paullus was the brother of triumvir Marcus Aemilius Lepidus
and son to an elder Marcus Aemilius Lepidus
.
He supported Cicero
during the Catiline Conspiracy
and never supported Pompey
. Paullus was quaestor
in 59 BC, aedile
in 55 BC, praetor
in 53 BC and consul
in 50 BC.
During his consulship, Julius Caesar
bribed him for his support. He reconstructed the Basilica Aemilia
in Rome, with part of his bribery money.
According to Valerius Maximus
: "When the senate decreed that the temples of Isis
and Serapis
be demolished and none of the workmen dared touch them, Consul L. Aemilius Paullus took off his official gown, seized an axe, and dashed it against the doors of that temple."(I, 3.3; quoting Julius Paris (translation from Loeb edition))
Paullus opposed the second triumvirate. His brother ordered his murder. On the day of his execution, the soldiers allowed him to escape. Paullus joined the political rebel Marcus Junius Brutus
and after Brutus' suicide in 42 BC, Paullus was pardoned and lived his remaining years at Miletus
.
Paullus's son, Lucius Aemilius Lepidus Paullus
, was consul in 34 BC and colleague of Augustus Caesar in the office of censor
in 22 BC. The younger Paullus married Cornelia Scipio
a descendant of triumvir Pompey
by whom he became the father of the Lucius Aemilius Paullus (consul in 1 AD) who became the husband to Augustus's granddaughter, Julia the Younger
, and Marcus Aemilius Lepidus, the consul in 6 AD.
Marcus Aemilius Lepidus (triumvir)
Marcus Aemilius Lepidus , was a Roman patrician who rose to become a member of the Second Triumvirate and Pontifex Maximus. His father, Marcus Aemilius Lepidus, had been involved in a rebellion against the Roman Republic.Lepidus was among Julius Caesar's greatest supporters...
and son to an elder Marcus Aemilius Lepidus
Marcus Aemilius Lepidus (120-77 BC)
Marcus Aemilius Lepidus was a Roman statesman. He was the father of the triumvir Marcus Aemilius Lepidus and of the consul of 50 BC Lucius Aemilius Lepidus Paullus.-Biography:...
.
He supported 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...
during the Catiline Conspiracy
Catiline
Lucius Sergius Catilina , known in English as Catiline, was a Roman politician of the 1st century BC who is best known for the Catiline conspiracy, an attempt to overthrow the Roman Republic, and in particular the power of the aristocratic Senate.-Family background:Catiline was born in 108 BC to...
and never supported Pompey
Pompey
Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, also known as Pompey or Pompey the Great , was a military and political leader of the late Roman Republic...
. Paullus was quaestor
Quaestor
A Quaestor was a type of public official in the "Cursus honorum" system who supervised financial affairs. In the Roman Republic a quaestor was an elected official whereas, with the autocratic government of the Roman Empire, quaestors were simply appointed....
in 59 BC, aedile
Aedile
Aedile was an office of the Roman Republic. Based in Rome, the aediles were responsible for maintenance of public buildings and regulation of public festivals. They also had powers to enforce public order. There were two pairs of aediles. Two aediles were from the ranks of plebeians and the other...
in 55 BC, praetor
Praetor
Praetor was a title granted by the government of Ancient Rome to men acting in one of two official capacities: the commander of an army, usually in the field, or the named commander before mustering the army; and an elected magistratus assigned varied duties...
in 53 BC and 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...
in 50 BC.
During his consulship, 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....
bribed him for his support. He reconstructed the Basilica Aemilia
Basilica Aemilia
The Basilica Aemilia was a civil basilica in the Roman forum, in Rome, Italy. Today only the plan and some rebuilt elements can be seen. The Basilica was 100 meters long and about 30 meters wide...
in Rome, with part of his bribery money.
According to Valerius Maximus
Valerius Maximus
Valerius Maximus was a Latin writer and author of a collection of historical anecdotes. He worked during the reign of Tiberius .-Biography:...
: "When the senate decreed that the temples of Isis
Isis
Isis or in original more likely Aset is a goddess in Ancient Egyptian religious beliefs, whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. She was worshipped as the ideal mother and wife as well as the matron of nature and magic...
and Serapis
Serapis
Serapis or Sarapis is a Graeco-Egyptian name of God. Serapis was devised during the 3rd century BC on the orders of Ptolemy I of Egypt as a means to unify the Greeks and Egyptians in his realm. The god was depicted as Greek in appearance, but with Egyptian trappings, and combined iconography...
be demolished and none of the workmen dared touch them, Consul L. Aemilius Paullus took off his official gown, seized an axe, and dashed it against the doors of that temple."(I, 3.3; quoting Julius Paris (translation from Loeb edition))
Paullus opposed the second triumvirate. His brother ordered his murder. On the day of his execution, the soldiers allowed him to escape. Paullus joined the political rebel Marcus Junius Brutus
Marcus Junius Brutus
Marcus Junius Brutus , often referred to as Brutus, was a politician of the late Roman Republic. After being adopted by his uncle he used the name Quintus Servilius Caepio Brutus, but eventually returned to using his original name...
and after Brutus' suicide in 42 BC, Paullus was pardoned and lived his remaining years at Miletus
Miletus
Miletus was an ancient Greek city on the western coast of Anatolia , near the mouth of the Maeander River in ancient Caria...
.
Paullus's son, Lucius Aemilius Lepidus Paullus
Aemilius Lepidus Paullus
Lucius Aemilius Lepidus Paullus or Paullus Aemilius Lepidus was a member of the Roman Senate. Paullus was a member of the gens Aemilia....
, was consul in 34 BC and colleague of Augustus Caesar in the office of censor
Censor
Censor may refer to:*Censorship, the control of speech and other forms of human expression*Roman censor, a magistrate for maintaining the census, supervising public morality, etc*Cato Censor , Roman statesman...
in 22 BC. The younger Paullus married Cornelia Scipio
Cornelia Scipio
Cornelia was the daughter of Scribonia and consul Publius Cornelius Scipio Salvito. She was married twice. Her first husband was Sextus Julius Caesar III. Together they had one son born in 32 BC, named Sextus Julius Caesar IV. Her second husband was the censor Lucius Aemilius Paullus, with whom...
a descendant of triumvir Pompey
Pompey
Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, also known as Pompey or Pompey the Great , was a military and political leader of the late Roman Republic...
by whom he became the father of the Lucius Aemilius Paullus (consul in 1 AD) who became the husband to Augustus's granddaughter, Julia the Younger
Julia the Younger
Julia the Younger or Julilla , Vipsania Julia Agrippina, Iulilla, Julia, Augustus' granddaughter, or Julia Caesaris Minor, was a Roman noblewoman of the Julio-Claudian dynasty. She was the first daughter and second child of Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa and Julia the Elder...
, and Marcus Aemilius Lepidus, the consul in 6 AD.