Publius Valerius Poplicola

Publius Valerius Poplicola (also Publicola ; "friend of the people") († 503 BC ) was a consul in the early days of the Roman Republic . As with all people of this time, the tradition is to be viewed as highly questionable, so that he must be considered more of a legend than a historical figure.

After the death of Lucius Junius Brutus , the second consul took charge of the battlefield . Poplicola forced the Etruscans to retreat. He returned to Rome as a victorious general and roamed the streets as a triumphant . Later victorious consuls were to continue this tradition.

The political opponents of the consul feared that he would reintroduce kingship because of his great popularity. But he had no such ambitions. Among other things, he created the office of quaestor , who was supposed to manage the finances of Rome. Poplicola was also able to convince a large part of the Sabines to settle in Rome. One of these tribal princes, the Sabine Attus Clausus, was the ancestor of the later emperors Tiberius and Claudius .

The consul was so popular among the population that he was re-elected three times. According to the list of Roman consuls ( fasti consulares ), which was created later, he was consul in 509, 508, 507 and 504 BC. In the year 503 BC He fell in battle against a tribe of the Sabines. His descendants enjoyed great esteem in Rome for the next few centuries. The Valerians were the only gens allowed to bury their dead within the city walls.

1787-88, Alexander Hamilton , James Madison and John Jay used the name "Publius" as a pseudonym for their joint authorship of the Federalist Papers in which they advocated the ratification of the United States Constitution drafted by the Philadelphia Convention .

Individual evidence

^ T. Robert S. Broughton : The Magistrates Of The Roman Republic. Vol. 1: 509 BC-100 BC (= Philological Monographs. Volume 15, Part 1). Case Western Reserve University Press, Cleveland, Ohio 1968, p. 2 (reprinted 1951 New York edition).

Web links

Jona Lendering: Publius Valerius Publicola . In: Livius.org (English)

personal data
SURNAME	Valerius Poplicola, Publius
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Roman consul
DATE OF BIRTH	before 509 BC Chr.
DATE OF DEATH	503 BC Chr.

[1] T. Robert S. Broughton : The Magistrates Of The Roman Republic. Vol. 1: 509 BC-100 BC (= Philological Monographs. Volume 15, Part 1). Case Western Reserve University Press, Cleveland, Ohio 1968, p. 2 (reprinted 1951 New York edition).