Gaius Vibius Pansa Caetronianus

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Gaius Vibius Pansa Caetronianus († April 23, 43 BC at Mutina ) was a Roman politician of the 1st century BC. And together with Aulus Hirtius consul of the Roman Republic for the year 43 BC. Chr.

Life

origin

Pansa was the son or adopted son of Gaius Vibius Pansa , a mint master of the year 90 BC. And followers of Gaius Marius . Father and son were - like Marius' nephew Gaius Iulius Caesar - partisans of the Populares . As such, they were ostracized by Marius' opponent Sulla and had to flee Rome. After Sulla's death, Panza returned and, encouraged by Caesar, made a political career.

Partisans of Caesar

54 and 53 BC Pansa served in Caesar's army in the Gallic War . As a tribune of the people he put in 51 BC Several times BC vetoed Senate resolutions hostile to Caesar . Even in the civil war of 49 BC Broke out, Panza was on Caesar's side. Since coins minted in his name confirmed his presence in Rome for the year 48 BC. BC (see: List of Roman Mint Masters ), he may have held the office of praetor that year . From 47 to 46 BC BC he served - probably endowed with the empire of a proconsul - as governor of the province of Bithynia et Pontus . Before the end of 46 he returned to Rome and was governor of the Gallia cisalpina in 45 , probably also as proconsul. Presumably that year Pansa also became Augur . Since for April 21, 44 BC His stay in Campania is documented, he must leave his province at the latest on the news of Caesar's assassination on March 15, 44 BC. Have left. Caesar had previously nominated Pansa and Aulus Hirtius for the consulate of the following year. So both got caught up in the clashes between supporters and opponents of the dead dictator.

Consulate and death

After Caesar's death, Panza advocated a return to the republican form of government and the restoration of Senate rule. Since Caesar's heir and adopted son Octavian, who later became Augustus , also sided with the Senate in an alliance with Cicero , the consuls supported him in his fight against Marcus Antonius , who claimed the leadership of the Caesar party for himself.

Pansa and Hirtius received in January 43 BC Chr. From the Senate the supreme command of the senatorial troops, which were to lift Antonius' siege of the city of Mutina , today's Modena . While Hirtius immediately went to Northern Italy, Panza initially stayed behind in Rome and took care of measures against Antonius and other Caesar supporters in the Senate. Around March 19, Panza set out for Mutina with four newly dug up legions . Shortly before they got there, the troops were ambushed by Antonius on April 14 or 15 at Forum Gallorum . Panza was badly wounded by a spear. Hirtius, who hurried to the relief with two legions, was finally able to turn the tide; Antonius had to withdraw.

On April 23, Panza died of his injuries - just two days after Hirtius was killed in the Battle of Mutina . The simultaneous death of both heads of the republic gave Octavian the chance to claim one of the consulates that had become free. Since the Senate initially refused to give in to this demand, Octavian undertook a coup d'état: He marched into Rome with his troops and forced the senators on August 19, 43 BC. To choose him as consul despite his youth. Octavian assessed this date as the beginning of his reign for more than 50 years.

See also

literature

  • Thomas Robert Shannon Broughton : The magistrates of the Roman republic . Volume 2. New York 1952, pp. 240, 257, 273, 289, 298, 309, 313, 330, 333-334, 455. Volume 3: Supplement . Scholars Press, Atlanta 1986, p. 219.
  • Jörg Fündling : Vibius [I 2]. In: The New Pauly (DNP). Volume 12/2, Metzler, Stuttgart 2002, ISBN 3-476-01487-8 .
  • Yasmina Benferhat: Panza Caetronianus (C. Vibius) . In: Richard Goulet (Ed.): Dictionnaire des philosophes antiques , Vol. 5, Part 1, CNRS Éditions, Paris 2012, ISBN 978-2-271-07335-8 , pp. 138-141

Web links

Remarks

  1. ↑ The full name appears in the inscription CIL 6, 37077 .
  2. ^ Thomas Robert Shannon Broughton , The magistrates of the Roman republic , Volume 2, New York 1952, p. 334.
  3. ↑ The addition of Caetronianus to the name indicates that he was born as a member of the gens Caetronia and adopted by Gaius Vibius Pansa.
personal data
SURNAME Vibius Pansa Caetronianus, Gaius
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Panza Caetronianus, Gaius Vibius
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Roman politician, consul 43 BC Chr.
DATE OF BIRTH before 81 BC Chr.
DATE OF DEATH April 23, 43 BC Chr.
Place of death at Modena