Publius Valerius Poplicola | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Died | 503 BC |
| Office | Consul (509, 508, 507, 504 BC) |
| Children | Publius Valerius Poplicola (consul 475 BC) |
Publius Valerius Poplicola orPublicola (died 503 BC) was one of four Roman aristocrats who led theoverthrow of the monarchy, and became aRoman consul, thecolleague ofLucius Junius Brutus in 509 BC, traditionally considered the first year of theRoman Republic.
According toLivy andPlutarch, theValerii were ofSabine origin, but settled in Rome during the reign ofTitus Tatius, a contemporary ofRomulus, and worked for the peaceful unification of both peoples.[1]
Valerius came from a wealthy family. His father wasVolesus Valerius, and his brothers wereMarcus Valerius Volusus andManius Valerius Volusus Maximus. He had a daughter, Valeria, and possibly a son or grandson who was also namedPublius Valerius Poplicola who served as consul in 475 BC and 460 BC. Before holding public office, Valerius had spoken in defense of theplebs, the common people of Rome.[1][2]
In 509 BC, Valerius was one of the leaders of the Roman revolution, together withLucius Junius Brutus,Lucius Tarquinius Collatinus, andSpurius Lucretius Tricipitinus. Winning over public opinion while the king was campaigning away from the city, they deposed and banishedLucius Tarquinius Superbus, the seventh and lastKing of Rome. In place of the monarchy, they established arepublic, together with the office ofconsul. Brutus and Collatinus were elected the first consuls.[3]
From exile, the Tarquins plotted the assassination of the consuls, together with some disaffected members of theAquillii andVitellii, who had benefited from the deposed regime. Valerius was informed of the plot by a slave,Vindicius. He personally investigated the conspiracy, sneaking into the Aquillius estate and finding incriminating evidence, based on which the consuls held a public trial. The conspirators, including two of Brutus' sons, were found guilty and executed. Valerius played a leading role in the trial.[1]
After the trial, Brutus demanded that his colleague, Collatinus, resign the consulship and go into exile, as a member of the hated royal family, whom the people could not trust. Collatinus was stunned by this betrayal, as he had been one of the leaders of the rebellion following his wifeLucretia's suicide because of her being raped by the king's son,Sextus Tarquinius. Nevertheless, he resigned, and Valerius was elected to replace him.[1][4]
Meanwhile, Tarquin, whose family was of Etruscan origin, obtained the support of the Etruscan cities ofTarquinii andVeii. At the head of an Etruscan army, Tarquin fought the consuls Brutus and Valerius at theBattle of Silva Arsia. Valerius commanded the Roman infantry, while Brutus led the cavalry.Arruns Tarquinius, the king's son, died in combat with Brutus, who was also mortally wounded, but the Romans were ultimately victorious.
| "They annex strange incidents to this battle, --that in the silence of the next night a loud voice was emitted from the Arsian wood; that it was believed to be the voice ofSilvanus: these words were spoken, "that more of theEtrurians by one had fallen in the battle; that the Roman was victorious in the war." Certainly the Romans departed thence as victors, the Etrurians as vanquished." |
| The History of Rome. Book 2. Chapter 7, byTitus Livius.[2] |
Valerius collected the spoils of battle and returned to Rome, where he celebrated atriumph on March 1, 509 BC. His four-horsechariot subsequently became the traditional vehicle for a victorious Roman general. Then, Valerius held a magnificent funeral for Brutus, and gave a memorable speech.[1][5][6]
Livy wrote that Valerius fought the Veientes again in the same year, although the reason is not stated.[7]
After the death of Brutus, Valerius was the sole surviving consul. Spurius Lucretius was chosen in place of Brutus, but he died after a few days, and was followed byMarcus Horatius Pulvillus. When Valerius began construction of a new house on top of theVelian Hill, which would be conspicuously visible from theSenate house, a rumour began to circulate that he intended to re-establish the monarchy, with himself as king. At once, Valerius stopped building, and demolished the structure in a single night.[3] Addressing an assembly of the people, he caused hislictors to lower theirfasces as a mark of humility, and to remove the axes from them within the city. "I have just liberated Rome, bravely, but now I am slandered, like being either anAquillius or aVitellian. I am the bitterest enemy of the former kings, so I shouldn't be accused of wanting to be king."[1][2] In order to allay suspicions, he caused his house to be built at the foot of the hill, rather than its peak. In later times, theTemple of Victory stood in the same place.[8]
For his actions and deference to the people of Rome, Valerius received the surnamePoplicola, meaning "one who courts the people". Recent studies on the onomastics of Publicola, however, have served to debunk this myth, in favor of a more plausible interpretation of the cognomen as a compound name meaning "one who takes care of the army".[9] Before the impending elections, Valerius filled up the ranks of the Senate, which had been severely reduced as a result of the revolution and the subsequent war. The consul also promulgated new laws, including the right of appeal (provocatio) from the decisions of a magistrate, and demanding the forfeiture of all the rights of anyone convicted of plotting to restore the monarchy.[1]
Poplicola was elected consul three more times, in 508, 507, and 504 BC. Horatius was his colleague again in 507, while his colleague in 508 and 504 wasTitus Lucretius Tricipitinus.[1][10][11] He was the first consul ever to be re-elected.
In 508 BC,Lars Porsena, the king ofClusium, attacked Rome at the behest of Tarquin. According to Plutarch, both Poplicola and his colleague, Lucretius, were severely wounded during the battle.[1] During the siege, Poplicola executed a successfulsally, defeating a Clusian raiding party.[12] According to Plutarch, Poplicola negotiated a treaty with Porsena, ending the war. He gave the king hostages, including his daughter Valeria, whom Porsena protected from the Tarquins.[1]
In 506, when his brother Marcus was consul, the Sabines attacked Rome. Poplicola participated in two Roman victories, repelling the invasion. The people rewarded Poplicola with a house on thePalatine Hill.[1]
In 505, theLatin League and the Sabines threatened Rome with a large army. Although diplomatic negotiations were halted, Poplicola meddled with the politics of the Sabines, assistingAttius Clausus, who moved to Rome with five hundred followers. Clausus became a Roman citizen under the name of Appius Claudius; he was the founder of theClaudii. When the Sabines attempted to besiege Rome, Poplicola successfully commanded the army, anticipating their movements and thwarting their plans. He was elected consul for the fourth time in 504 BC, and once againdefeated the Sabines. He celebrated a triumph in May of that year.[1][2]
Publius Valerius Poplicola died in 503 BC, shortly after passing the consular office to his successors,Agrippa Menenius Lanatus andPublius Postumius Tubertus. Livy records that at the time of his death, he was considered "by universal consent to be the ablest man in Rome, in the arts both of peace and war". He had little money, and so was buried at the public charge, and was mourned by the Roman matrons as had been done for Brutus before him.[13]
By decree, each citizen contributed aquadrans for the funeral. The remains of Poplicola were buried within the city of Rome, on theVelian Hill. His death was mourned for an entire year. After Poplicola, many noted members of the Valeriangens were buried near the same spot.[14]
In 1977 an inscription was discovered in the ruins of the ancient town of Satricum. TheLapis Satricanus dates from the late 6th to early 5th centuries BC[15] and bears the namePoplios Valesios, which would be rendered in Classical Latin as Publius Valerius. This does not prove the historicity of the narrative given by later Roman historians, but it does demonstrate that at least one prominent individual did indeed bear the name at the close of the 6th century.
InThe Federalist Papers, a collection of 85essays promoting the adoption of theUnited States Constitution, written byAlexander Hamilton,James Madison, andJohn Jay in 1787–1788, the three statesmen used theallonym "Publius" in honor of Poplicola's role in establishing theRoman Republic.
Following theSpanish–American War, a piece titled "The Duty of the American People as to the Philippines" was published under the pseudonym "Publicola".[16] The author recommended the development of thePhilippines to improve the lives of theFilipino people, as well as to further American trading interests in theOrient.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Roman consul 509 BC (suffect) withSp. Lucretius Tricipitinus, M. Horatius Pulvillus | Succeeded by himself T. Lucretius Tricipitinus |
| Preceded by M. Horatius Pulvillus himself | Roman consul II 508 BC withT. Lucretius Tricipitinus | Succeeded by himself M. Horatius Pulvillus II |
| Preceded by himself T. Lucretius Tricipitinus | Roman consul III 507 BC withM. Horatius Pulvillus II | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Roman consul IV 504 BC withT. Lucretius Tricipitinus II | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
