Gaius Memmius (Tribune of the People 111 BC)

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Gaius Memmius was a Roman politician of the late 2nd century BC. Chr.

Memmius, who was one of the first members of his plebeian family to embark on a senatorial career, was 111 BC. Chr. Tribune and attacked in this role some politicians for their corruption. This was related to King Jugurtha of Numidia, who tried to bribe Rome to prevent a war against his country. The military operations were conducted only half-heartedly, because Jugurtha had probably bribed part of the Roman upper class. 111 BC The consul Lucius Calpurnius Bestia went to Numidia, but concluded a peace favorable to the Numidians. Thereupon the tribune Gaius Memmius invited the king to Rome, where he was supposed to give an account in front of a popular assembly as to whether he had not bought these conditions. The fact that the hearing should not take place before the Senate but before a people's assembly was a break with foreign policy tradition. Jugurtha did come to Rome, but when he had a rival murdered in Numidia from there, he had to flee Rome. After his return, Jugurtha is said to have spoken the sentence that everything and everyone in Rome can be bought.

Memmius was probably 104 BC. BC Praetor and the following year governor of the province of Macedonia . 100 BC He applied for the post of consul for the following year, but was killed in a riot on behalf of Lucius Appuleius Saturninus and Praetor Gaius Servilius Glaucia .

Sallust saw in Memmius a sharp opponent of the Roman nobility. He describes him as an orator, whereas Marcus Tullius Cicero had a rather low opinion of him.

literature

Remarks

  1. ^ Sallust, Bellum Iugurthinum 27, 2: Vir acer et infestus potentiae nobilitatis .
  2. ↑ Cicero, De oratore 2, 59, 70.
personal data
SURNAME Memmius, Gaius
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Roman politician
DATE OF BIRTH 2nd century BC Chr.
DATE OF DEATH 100 BC Chr.
Place of death Rome