Aulus Hirtius (Latin:[ˈau̯lʊsˈhɪrtɪ.ʊs];c. 90 – 43 BC) wasconsul of theRoman Republic in 43 BC and a writer on military subjects. He was killed during his consulship in battle againstMark Antony at theBattle of Mutina.[1]
He was alegate ofJulius Caesar's starting around 58 BC[2] and served as an envoy toPompey in 50. It was reported that Hirtius dined with Caesar,Sallust,Oppius,Balbus andSulpicius Rufus on the night after Caesar's famouscrossing over theRubicon river into Italy on 10 January 49 BC.[3]
DuringCaesar's Civil War he served in Spain; he may have been atribune in 48, and in 47 was atAntioch. He was apraetor in 46 andgovernor ofTransalpine Gaul in 45.
AfterCaesar's assassination in March 44, Hirtius was deeply involved in the maneuvering between parties. Having been nominated for that post by Caesar, Hirtius andPansa became consuls in 43.[4]
Initially a supporter ofMark Antony, Hirtius was successfully lobbied byCicero, who was a personal friend,[5] and switched his allegiance to thesenatorial party. He then set out with an army to attack Antony who was besieging Mutina. In concert with Pansa and Octavian (the future EmperorAugustus), Hirtius compelled Antony to retire but was slain in the fighting (April 21) at theBattle of Mutina. He was honored with a public funeral, along with Pansa who died a few days later.
Hirtius added an eighth book to Caesar'sDe Bello Gallico. He was formerly thought to be an author ofDe Bello Alexandrino, though a 2018 computer-assisted stylistic analysis disproves this.[6]
Suetonius in Chapter 68 of hisLife of Augustus[7] writes thatLucius Antonius, the brother of Mark Antony, accused Augustus of having "given himself to Aulus Hirtius in Spain for three hundred thousandsesterces." This alleged homosexual liaison would have taken place in 46 BC, during the civil wars when Julius Caesar took Octavian to Spain and Aulus Hirtius was serving there. However, it is possible that this was an attempt at slander by Mark Antony, who was Octavian's political opponent at the time. Allegations of homosexual submissiveness was a common method of political attack in the Roman Republic and it is impossible to know how much of it was true.
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| Preceded by | Roman consul withGaius Vibius Pansa Caetronianus 43 BC | Succeeded by |
