Gaius Valerius Potitus Volusus was a

consul Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states throu ...

in 410 BC and consular tribune in 415, 407 and 404 BC of the

Roman Republic The Roman Republic ( la, Res publica Romana ) was a form of government of Rome and the era of the classical Roman civilization when it was run through public representation of the Roman people. Beginning with the overthrow of the Roman Ki ...

. Valerius belonged to the

Valeria gens The gens Valeria was a patrician family at ancient Rome, prominent from the very beginning of the Republic to the latest period of the Empire. Publius Valerius Poplicola was one of the consuls in 509 BC, the year that saw the overthrow of th ...

, one of the oldest and possibly the most influential and powerful

patrician Patrician may refer to: * Patrician (ancient Rome), the original aristocratic families of ancient Rome, and a synonym for "aristocratic" in modern English usage * Patrician (post-Roman Europe), the governing elites of cities in parts of medieval ...

gens of the early Republic.. The family had, according to legend, been among the first families to hold the consulship with

Publius Valerius Poplicola Publius Valerius Poplicola or Publicola (died 503 BC) was one of four Roman aristocrats who led the overthrow of the monarchy, and became a Roman consul, the colleague of Lucius Junius Brutus in 509 BC, traditionally considered the first year of ...

as the first suffect consul in 509 BC. His father was named Lucius and depending on sources his grandfather was either named Volusus or Publius. If his grandfather was named Publius than Valerius' contemporary, the consul, Lucius Valerius Potitus, can be considered to be Valerius' brother. Whoever Valerius' father and grandfather were there is no record of them holding any offices. Gaius Valerius Potitus Volusus is thought to have been the father of Gaius Valerius Potitus, the consular tribune in 370 BC.

Career

Valerius first held the ''

imperium In ancient Rome, ''imperium'' was a form of authority held by a citizen to control a military or governmental entity. It is distinct from '' auctoritas'' and '' potestas'', different and generally inferior types of power in the Roman Republic a ...

'' in 415 BC as one of four consular tribunes. His colleagues were Publius Cornelius Cossus,

Numerius Fabius Vibulanus __NOTOC__ Numerius (or Gnaeus) Fabius Vibulanus ( 421–407 BC) was a Roman senator and military commander. As consul in 421 BC, he campaigned successfully against the Aequi, for which he was awarded an ovation. During his term in office, Fabius ...

and Quintus Quinctius Cincinnatus. With the exception of Fabius, all the consular tribunes were newcomers to the imperium. The actions of the consular tribunes are little known but there was a proposal by the tribune of the plebs, Lucius Decius, to colonise

Bolae Bolae or Bola was an ancient city of Latium that was repeatedly mentioned in the early history of Rome. It was likely located in the territory of the modern town of Labico. History Its foundation is expressly ascribed by Virgil to the kings of Al ...

which was

veto A veto is a legal power to unilaterally stop an official action. In the most typical case, a president or monarch vetoes a bill to stop it from becoming law. In many countries, veto powers are established in the country's constitution. Veto ...

ed by his colleagues.

Chronograph of 354 The ''Chronograph of 354'' (or "Chronography"), also known as the ''Calendar of 354'', is a compilation of chronological and calendrical texts produced in 354 AD for a wealthy Roman Christian named Valentinus by the calligrapher and illustrator ...

(Casso et Cincinnato) In 410 BC, Valerius was elected to as consul together with Manius Aemilius Mamercinus. There was a war against the

Aequi 300px, Location of the Aequi (Equi) in central Italy, 5th century BC. The Aequi ( grc, Αἴκουοι and Αἴκοι) were an Italic tribe on a stretch of the Apennine Mountains to the east of Latium in central Italy who appear in the early hist ...

and the

Volsci The Volsci (, , ) were an Italic tribe, well known in the history of the first century of the Roman Republic. At the time they inhabited the partly hilly, partly marshy district of the south of Latium, bounded by the Aurunci and Samnites on the ...

. In response to this the consuls sought a levy which was vetoed by the plebeian tribune Marcus Menenius. This and the resulting military losses by Rome, turned the populace and the other plebeian tribunes against Menenius resulting in his proposal of an agrarian law being denied. This drawback for the Romans was short-lived and the fortress of Arx Carventana was captured (or recaptured) by the Romans. One of the consuls, most likely Valerius, was granted an

ovation The ovation ( la, ovatio from ''ovare'': to rejoice) was a form of the Roman triumph. Ovations were granted when war was not declared between enemies on the level of nations or states; when an enemy was considered basely inferior (e.g., slaves, p ...

for this victory. Valerius was again elected as consular tribune in 407 BC, this time with

Lucius Furius Medullinus Lucius Furius Medullinus (c. 445 BC – c. 375 BC), of the patrician '' gens Furia'', was a politician and general of the Roman Republic who was consul twice and Consular Tribune seven times. First two consulships Medullinus was elected consul fo ...

Gaius Servilius Ahala Gaius Servilius Ahala ( 439 BC) was a 5th-century BC politician of ancient Rome, considered by many later writers to have been a hero. His fame rested on the contention that he saved Rome from Spurius Maelius in 439 BC by killing him with a dagge ...

and his former colleague from 415 BC, Fabius. These consular tribunes had previous experience in these roles. Wars with the Aequi and Volsci continues. The fortress of Arx Carventana, which had been captured in 410 BC, was lost in 409 BC while in the same year the town of Verugo was captured. In 408 BC the Romans had been forced by events to elect a

dictator A dictator is a political leader who possesses absolute power. A dictatorship is a state ruled by one dictator or by a small clique. The word originated as the title of a Roman dictator elected by the Roman Senate to rule the republic in tim ...

. Although the consular tribunes of 407 BC were highly experienced commanders they could not stop the successes of the Volscians, resulting in the loss of Verugo. Valerius held his third and final consular tribuneship in 404 BC. His colleagues were Manius Sergius Fidenas,

Publius Cornelius Maluginensis Publius may refer to: Roman name * Publius (praenomen) * Ancient Romans with the name: ** Publius Valerius Publicola (died 503 BC), Roman consul, co-founder of the Republic **Publius Clodius Pulcher (c. 93 BC – 52 BC), Republican politician * ...

, Gnaeus Cornelius Cossus, Caeso Fabius Ambustus and Spurius Nautius Rutilus. War continued with the Volsci and the

Veii Veii (also Veius; it, Veio) was an important ancient Etruscan city situated on the southern limits of Etruria and north-northwest of Rome, Italy. It now lies in Isola Farnese, in the comune of Rome. Many other sites associated with and in the ...

, with

Artena Artena is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Rome, Italy. It is situated in the northwest of Monti Lepini, in the upper valley of the Sacco River. It is approximately southeast by rail, and direct from Rome. The economy is based ...

being captured from the Volsci and the Siege of Veii, which had begun the previous year, continuing. There was also an expedition sent by the consular tribunes which founded a new colony, Velitrae.Broughton, vol i, pp.81

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Valerius Potitus Volusus, Gaius 5th-century BC Roman consuls Roman consular tribunes Volusus, Gaius, Potitus

Career

See also

References