Gnaeus Domitius Corbulo

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Portrait of an unknown Roman, so-called Gnaeus Domitius Corbulo

Gnaeus Domitius Corbulo (* around 7; † 67 ) was a Roman politician and senator ; he is considered the most important general of his time.

Life

Corbulo was born in Italy into a senatorial family. His father of the same name had reached the suffect consulate , his mother came from the gens Vistilia . Emperor Caligula was married to his half-sister Milonia Caesonia . Corbulo's early career is unknown; he first appeared in 39 when he was a suffect consul. After Caligula's assassination (41), his career stalled until Emperor Claudius made him Army Commander ( legatus Augusti ) in the Germania Inferior military district in today's Cologne in 47 . The new task was difficult, Corbulo had to deal with major rebellions and outbreaks of violence by the Germanic tribes of the Cherusci and Chauken . Tacitus reports that after successful fighting, Corbulo wanted to push the Roman border further into Germanic territory, but had to reluctantly refrain from doing so on imperial orders. During his stay in Germania, the general ordered the construction of a canal between the rivers Rhine and Maas , an engineering achievement that is still visible today: The canal runs between the cities of Voorburg and Leiden in the Dutch province of South Holland , was called Fossa Corbulonis ("Canal des Corbulo ”) and is now also known as Vliet .

Corbulo returned to Rome until he was appointed governor of the province of Asia in 52 ; this prestigious office was probably a sign of the high favor that Corbulo enjoyed with the emperor. After Claudius' death (54) the new emperor Nero sent him to the eastern provinces to clarify the Armenian question. After some delay, Corbulo went on the offensive in 58 with reinforcements from Germania and attacked the Armenian king Trdat (Tiridates) I , who came from the Parthian ruling house (the Arsacids ) . Artaxata and Tigranocerta were conquered, and Tigranes VI. who grew up in Rome and was an obedient servant to the government, was appointed King of Armenia.

In 61 Tigranes invaded the Adiabene , a region of Parthia. A conflict between Rome and the Parthians therefore seemed inevitable. The Parthian King Vologaeses I , however, found a peaceful agreement more sensible. It was decided to demilitarize Armenia, the removal of Tigranes' and the reinstatement of Trdat. However, the Roman Senate rejected this agreement and Lucius Junius Caesennius Paetus , governor in Cappadocia , was tasked with bringing Armenia under Roman control.

In the meantime, protecting Syria was drawing attention to Corbulos. Paetus, an apparently incompetent man, suffered a heavy defeat at Rhandea in 62 , where he was surrounded by Parthian troops and forced to surrender and evacuate Armenia. The command was then again entrusted to Corbulo. In 63 he crossed the Euphrates with a strong army ; However, Trdat refused the battle and made peace. The conflict ended without a winner; the Armenian question was resolved to the effect that in future the Parthians would continue to determine the Armenian king, but the Romans should officially appoint him to his office. Rome had thus saved face, and Trdat acted accordingly: In Rhandea he placed his crown at the feet of a statue of the emperor and promised to accept it again from Nero's hand in Rome, which also happened in the year 66.

In 67 riots broke out in Judea . Concerned because of Corbulo's great popularity with the army, which made him a threat to the emperor, Nero handed over the little-known Vespasian supreme command of the Roman forces and ordered Corbulo to Greece. On his arrival in Kenchreae , the port of Corinth , he received orders from the emperor to commit suicide, which he obeyed in order to save his family's fortune. It is unclear whether he was actually involved in a conspiracy against Nero before.

Corbulo wrote an account of the experience he had in Asia, but it was lost. Corbulo was married to Cassia Longina and the father of Domitia Longina , the wife of the future emperor Domitian .

Trivia

  • The 2012 film Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn for the video game series Halo takes place in the fictional Corbulo Academy, which was named after the Roman general. The motto of the academy is the saying "Axios", which is attributed to Corbulo.

See also

literature

  • Tim Cornell (Ed.): The fragments of the Roman historians . 3 volumes, Oxford 2013 (Vol. 1, pp. 538-545 (introduction); Vol. 2, pp. 1030-1033 (fragments with English translation); Vol. 3, pp. 612f. (Commentary)).
  • Melanie Geiser: Representation of the person at Tacitus. Using the example of Cn. Domitius Corbulo and Ser. Sulpicius Galba . Remscheid 2007.
  • Andreas Mehl : Emperor Claudius and the general Corbulo with Tacitus and Cassius Dio . In: Hermes 107 (1979), pp. 220-239.
  • Werner Schur: Investigations into the history of the wars of Corbulos . In: Klio 19 (1925), pp. 75-96.
  • Ronald Syme : Domitius Corbulo . In: The Journal of Roman Studies 60 (1970), pp. 27-39.
  • Jolanda Tresch: The Nero books in the annals of Tacitus. Tradition and achievement . Heidelberg 1965, pp. 63-69.
  • Everett L. Wheeler: The Chronology of Corbulo in Armenia . In: Klio 79 (1997), pp. 383-397.

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Domitius Corbulo, Gnaeus
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Roman general
DATE OF BIRTH at 7
DATE OF DEATH 67