Titus Quinctius Pennus Cincinnatus

Titus Quinctius Pennus Cincinnatus , also Titus Quinctius Poenus Cincinnatus was a Roman politician of the 5th century BC. In the years 431 BC BC and 428 BC He officiated as consul , 426 BC. BC and possibly also 420 BC As a military tribune with consular authority.

origin

Titus Quinctius Pennus Cincinnatus belonged to the Quinctii Cincinnati , a side branch of the Quinctier . He was the youngest son of Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus , who lived in 460 BC. Consul and in the years 458 and 439 BC Chr. Dictator had been. Titus Quinctius had two brothers, Kaeso Quinctius and Lucius Quinctius , who lived in 438 BC. Was a tribunal consul.

First consulate

Titus Quinctius Pennus Cincinnatus was born together with Gaius Iulius Mento in 431 BC. First elected consul of Rome. At that time, the Volscians and the Aequer attacked the Romans again and the armies faced each other on Mount Algidus . In this situation, the Senate , which feared uncoordinated action by the two consuls, decided to entrust the army command to a dictator . The dictatorial office was initially offered to Pennus Cincinnatus, who then passed it on to his father-in-law Aulus Postumius Tubertus , who had the reputation of a strict and resolute commander. The new commander in chief commissioned Gaius Iulius Mento with the defense of the city of Rome and gave Cincinnatus one of the two Roman retreats (army parts). Set up in this way, the Romans could calmly turn to the battle against the enemy, whom they finally defeated, even if Cincinnatus was seriously injured in the process.

Cincinnatus had set up his army camp in Lanuvium and Tubertus rested in Tusculum . In the course of the night the camp of Cincinnatus was attacked. But he was able to hold his position until the reinforcements sent by the dictator arrived. The Volsker and Aequer were then pushed back into the camp of the Volscians, which Cincinnatus and his troops took in an assault. However, the intervention of the dictator's troops had brought about the turning point leading to victory, which is why he was awarded the honors of a triumph . Tubertus then left the command of the two armies to Cincinnatus, returned to Rome to celebrate his triumph and then abdicated.

Second consulate

428 BC In BC Titus Quinctius Pennus Cincinnatus was appointed consul for the second time, and that year his counterpart was Aulus Cornelius Cossus . During this second consulate period, a devastating famine broke out in Rome due to a drought. After a few cases of the plague, superstitious rituals began to spread throughout the city. In addition, the Vejer carried out several raids; a counter-campaign was postponed until the next year. Since it was suspected that the Fidener had helped the Vejern in these attacks, a commission of inquiry was set up. The assumption was confirmed; the guilty Fidener were exiled to Ostia and replaced by Roman colonists.

First consular tribunate

In 426 BC In BC Titus Quinctius Pennus Cincinnatus and Gaius Furius Pacilus Fusus , Marcus Postumius (Albinus Regillensis?) And Aulus Cornelius Cossus were appointed military tribunes with consular authority. They were responsible for waging war against the Etruscan city of Veji. After the troops were raised, the first three led the Roman army into Etruscan territory, while Aulus Cornelius Cossus stayed to protect the city. The clash with the Vejern ended in a defeat for the Romans, as the three tribunes could not coordinate their units properly.

The Senate then felt compelled to appoint a dictator again and elected Mamercus Aemilius for the third time . As a legacy , Pennus Cincinnatus then supported the dictator in his victory over Veji and Fidenae .

Mamercinus had instructed Cincinnatus to take position in the rear of the enemy before the battle began. After the fighting broke out on the battle front, Cincinnatus received the order to attack, while Cossus sent the cavalry into the fray. These two moves turned things around so that the Romans finally won the day, which brought Mamercinus a triumphant celebration.

Indictment before the People's Assembly

An unsuccessful battle of the consul Gaius Sempronius Atratinus against the Volscians had brought the initial defeat against the Vejer back into discussion and so the reigning tribune complained in 423 BC. BC Cincinnatus and his fellow tribunes Marcus Postumius before a popular assembly , the comitia tributa . They were accused of being lukewarm in the argument with the Vejern; at that time the army was let down by its leadership. Pennus Cincinnatus put all the blame on his colleague. In fact, he was unanimously acquitted, not least because he had previously performed well under the command of the dictators Postumius (431 BC) and Aemilius (426 BC). Another reason was the memory of his father, who had an extraordinarily good reputation, and the pitiable speech of Titus Quinctius Capitolinus Barbatus , who asked not to have to convey the news of his conviction to Pennus Cincinnatus in his old age. Marcus Postumius, however, was found guilty and sentenced to the payment of 10,000 "heavy aces" .

Second consular tribunate

In the Fasti Capitolini it is stated that Titus Quinctius Pennus Cincinnatus was in the year 420 BC. Was consular tribune for the second time. According to the historian Titus Livius , on the other hand, his brother Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus , who held this office as early as 438 BC, held office for the third time this year . BC and 425 BC Had executed as a consular tribune. The Chronograph of 354 , finally called the praenomen not the minister only, but denotes the year as a third term a "Cincinnatus".

literature

• T. Robert S. Broughton : The Magistrates of the Roman Republic. Volume 1: 509 BC-100 BC American Philological Association, New York 1951.
• Hans Georg Gundel : Quinctius 34. In: Paulys Realencyclopädie der classischen Antiquity Science (RE). Volume XXIV, Stuttgart 1963, Col. 1027-1030.
• Robert Maxwell Ogilvie : A commentary on Livy. Books 1–5. Clarendon Press, Oxford 1965, pp. 575-584.
• Christian Müller: Quinctius I, 9. In: The New Pauly (DNP). Volume 10, Metzler, Stuttgart 2001, ISBN 3-476-01480-0 , column 707 f.

Individual evidence

1. ^ T. Robert S. Broughton : The magistrates of the Roman Republic. Volume 1: 509 BC-100 BC American Philological Association, New York 1951, p. 63.
2. ^ On the first consulate, Titus Livius , Ab urbe condita IV, 26.1 – IV, 29.4.
3. ^ On the second consulate, Titus Livius , Ab urbe condita IV, 30.4–11.
4. ↑ On the first consular tribunate Titus Livius , Ab urbe condita IV, 31.1–4.
5. ↑ On the activity as Legate Titus Livius , Ab urbe condita IV, 32,9 – IV, 33,12.
6. ↑ On the events of the year 426 BC Chr. T. Robert S. Broughton : The magistrates of the Roman Republic. Volume 1: 509 BC-100 BC American Philological Association, New York 1951, pp. 66 f.
7. ^ Titus Livius , Ab urbe condita IV, 33.
8. ↑ On the trial of the former tribunes Titus Livius , Ab urbe condita IV, 40.4 – IV, 41.12.
9. ↑ Titus Livius , Ab urbe condita IV, 44.1.
10. ^ T. Robert S. Broughton : The magistrates of the Roman Republic. Volume 1: 509 BC-100 BC American Philological Association, New York 1951, pp. 70 f.