Gaius Trebonius (c. 92 BC – January 43 BC) was a military commander and politician of the late

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 ...

, who became suffect consul in 45 BC. He was an associate of

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, ...

, having served as his legate and having fought on his side during the

civil war A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

, and was among the tyrannicides who killed the dictator.

Early career

Born c. 92 BC, Trebonius' father was an '' eques'', but had not been a

magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judic ...

, and the son was considered a ''

novus homo ''Novus homo'' or ''homo novus'' (Latin for 'new man'; ''novi homines'' or ''homines novi'') was the term in ancient Rome for a man who was the first in his family to serve in the Roman Senate or, more specifically, to be elected as consul. Whe ...

'' ("new man"), one of several in Caesar's circle. He served as quaestor around 60 BC, during which he attempted to prevent the adoption of

Publius Clodius Pulcher Publius Clodius Pulcher (93–52 BC) was a populist Roman politician and street agitator during the time of the First Triumvirate. One of the most colourful personalities of his era, Clodius was descended from the aristocratic Claudia gens, one ...

into a plebeian family, against the wishes of the

triumvirs A triumvirate ( la, triumvirātus) or a triarchy is a political institution ruled or dominated by three individuals, known as triumvirs ( la, triumviri). The arrangement can be formal or informal. Though the three leaders in a triumvirate are ...

. However, by the time Trebonius was elected

plebeian tribune Tribune of the plebs, tribune of the people or plebeian tribune ( la, tribunus plebis) was the first office of the Roman state that was open to the plebeians, and was, throughout the history of the Republic, the most important check on the power o ...

in 55 BC, he had become one of their supporters. During that year, Trebonius proposed a ''

Lex Trebonia The ''Lex Trebonia'' was a Roman law passed in 55 BC during the second joint consulship of Marcus Licinius Crassus and Pompey, as part of their informal political arrangement known as the First Triumvirate. Sponsored by the tribune of the plebs G ...

'' to the

Tribal Assembly The Tribal Assembly (''comitia populi tributa'') was an assembly consisting of all Roman citizens convened by tribes (''tribus''). In the Roman Republic, citizens did not elect legislative representatives. Instead, they voted themselves on legisl ...

that the consuls

Pompey Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus (; 29 September 106 BC – 28 September 48 BC), known in English as Pompey or Pompey the Great, was a leading Roman general and statesman. He played a significant role in the transformation of ...

and Crassus receive the provinces of Syria, Hispania Citerior and

Hispania Ulterior Hispania Ulterior (English: "Further Hispania", or occasionally "Thither Hispania") was a region of Hispania during the Roman Republic, roughly located in Baetica and in the Guadalquivir valley of modern Spain and extending to all of Lusitania ( ...

. Further, that their commands would last for five years, and that the proconsuls would possess the right of making war or peace at their discretion. Cato, a noted opponent of Pompey, spoke against the bill, attempting to filibuster the motion, causing Trebonius to firstly expel him from the Forum, before ordering him to be taken to prison. However, the large crowd which accompanied Cato caused Trebonius to change his mind and order his release. Eventually the law was passed, with the five-year commands to

, who received the two Spanish provinces, and Marcus Licinius Crassus, who obtained Syria.

Caesar’s legate

As a reward for his service to the triumvirs, in 54 BC, he was made one of

legates A ''legatus'' (; anglicised as legate) was a high-ranking Roman military officer in the Roman Army, equivalent to a modern high-ranking general officer. Initially used to delegate power, the term became formalised under Augustus as the office ...

, with whom he served for the next five years during Caesar's campaigns in

Gaul Gaul ( la, Gallia) was a region of Western Europe first described by the Romans. It was inhabited by Celtic and Aquitani tribes, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, most of Switzerland, parts of Northern Italy (only during ...

, with Caesar commenting favourably on his performance during those years. In 54 BC he accompanied Caesar during his second expedition to

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

, where he was placed in charge of three legions who successfully defeated a concerted attack by the forces of

Cassivellaunus Cassivellaunus was a historical Celtic Britons, British military leader who led the defence against Caesar's invasions of Britain, Julius Caesar's second expedition to Britain in 54 BC. He led an alliance of tribes against Ancient Rome, Roman for ...

. Upon Caesar's return to Gaul, Trebonius, along with one

legion Legion may refer to: Military * Roman legion, the basic military unit of the ancient Roman army * Spanish Legion, an elite military unit within the Spanish Army * Legion of the United States, a reorganization of the United States Army from 179 ...

, was stationed for the winter with the Belgae at

Samarobriva Amiens (English: or ; ; pcd, Anmien, or ) is a city and commune in northern France, located north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in the region of Hauts-de-France. In 2021, the population of A ...

. From here he accompanied Caesar in coming to the aid of

Quintus Cicero Quintus Tullius Cicero ( , ; 102 – 43 BC) was a Roman statesman and military leader, the younger brother of Marcus Tullius Cicero. He was born into a family of the equestrian order, as the son of a wealthy landowner in Arpinum, some south-east ...

who was besieged during the beginning of Ambiorix's revolt against Roman control of Gaul. In 53 BC, Trebonius was given a special command against the

Eburones The Eburones (Greek: ) were a Gallic- Germanic tribe dwelling in the northeast of Gaul, in what is now the southern Netherlands, eastern Belgium and the German Rhineland, in the period immediately preceding the Roman conquest of the region. Thou ...

, specifically to harass the area in the vicinity of

Huy Huy ( or ; nl, Hoei, ; wa, Hu) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Liège, Belgium. Huy lies along the river Meuse, at the mouth of the small river Hoyoux. It is in the ''sillon industriel'', the former industrial ...

. After the defeat of

Ambiorix Ambiorix (Gaulish "king of the surroundings", or "king-protector") ( 54–53 BC) was, together with Cativolcus, prince of the Eburones, leader of a Belgic tribe of north-eastern Gaul (Gallia Belgica), where modern Belgium is located. In the n ...

, he continued to serve Caesar; in 50 BC he was placed in charge of the winter quarters in Belgic Gaul, in command of four legions while Caesar was in

Ravenna Ravenna ( , , also ; rgn, Ravèna) is the capital city of the Province of Ravenna, in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy. It was the capital city of the Western Roman Empire from 408 until its collapse in 476. It then served as the ca ...

, preparing to confront Pompey and his enemies in the Senate. When Caesar heard that the

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 ...

Gaius Claudius Marcellus had asked Pompey to defend the state against Caesar, he ordered Trebonius on 20 October 50 BC to take three legions and move to Matisco, where he was to wait for further instructions. These arrived in April 49 BC, where Caesar instructed him to travel down to

Massilia Massalia (Greek: Μασσαλία; Latin: Massilia; modern Marseille) was an ancient Greek colony founded ca. 600 BC on the Mediterranean coast of present-day France, east of the river Rhône, by Ionian Greek settlers from Phocaea, in Western An ...

to take command of three newly recruited legions from Northern Italy and begin the

siege of Massilia The siege of Massilia, including two naval engagements, was an episode of Caesar's Civil War, fought in 49 BC between forces loyal to the Optimates and a detachment of Caesar's army. The siege was conducted by Gaius Trebonius, one of Caesar's s ...

. Arriving around April 3, 49 BC, Trebonius began preparing for the siege under Caesar's eye, before the latter left Trebonius on April 14 in charge of the land assaults, while Decimus Brutus Albinus commanded the naval forces. Before he commenced the siege, Trebonius collected labourers and cattle from the Province, ordered timber and wood suitable for wattle-work to be brought up, and then proceeded to construct the principal terrace. The siege lasted from April 19 to September 6, as Trebonius erected a

contravallation Investment is the military process of surrounding an enemy fort (or town) with armed forces to prevent entry or escape. It serves both to cut communications with the outside world and to prevent supplies and reinforcements from being introduced. ...

to blockade the town by land. He also constructed terraces to directly assault the walls, and used battering rams and mines to try to breach the walls. Eventually, in early July, Trebonius's men broke through the wall, and the Massiliots approached Trebonius and begged him to stop operations until the arrival of Caesar, where they would agree to capitulate to him. Trebonius, after conferring with his fellow officers, agreed to suspend the attack, as Caesar had told him under no circumstances was he to storm the town. This led to his soldiers becoming disgruntled, as they were hoping to sack the town and they blamed Trebonius for halting the attack, and they were only kept under control with great difficulty. Then in late August, Trebonius was surprised when the Massiliots burst out of the town, took advantage of the lack of guards posted around, and destroyed the siege equipment which had breached the walls. Trebonius therefore resumed the siege, and proceeded to weaken their defences. The Massiliots, hearing word of Caesar's victories in Spain, again offered to surrender, and asked Trebonius to again wait for Caesar. He agreed, although this time he insisted that the defenders should surrender their weapons, their treasure and their ships, thereby bringing the siege to an end.

Later career and plotting Caesar’s assassination

Following Caesar into Italy, Trebonius was elected

urban praetor Praetor ( , ), also pretor, was the title granted by the government of Ancient Rome to a man acting in one of two official capacities: (i) the commander of an army, and (ii) as an elected ''magistratus'' (magistrate), assigned to discharge variou ...

in 48 BC, and was given the task of administering Caesar's debt laws. In this, he had to deal with the ambitions of

Marcus Caelius Rufus Marcus Caelius Rufus (28 May 82 BC – after 48 BC) was an orator and politician in the late Roman Republic. He was born into a wealthy equestrian family from Interamnia Praetuttiorum ( Teramo), on the central east coast of Italy. He is best know ...

, the ''

Praetor peregrinus Praetor ( , ), also pretor, was the title granted by the government of Ancient Rome to a man acting in one of two official capacities: (i) the commander of an army, and (ii) as an elected ''magistratus'' (magistrate), assigned to discharge variou ...

'', who had turned against Caesar as he had been hoping for the post of Urban Praetor. Caesar's debt laws robbed him of the chance to clear his enormous debts, and so he was determined to obstruct Trebonius's administration of the law and to court popularity by siding with the debtors. He set up his chair next to Trebonius and brazenly declared that if anyone felt cheated by Trebonius, he would listen to their case favourably. When no-one took him up on his offer, Rufus proposed instead to cancel all debts, and instigated a mob to attack Trebonius, driving Trebonius from his tribunal. Trebonius continued to oppose Rufus's debt relief measures, until Rufus fled Rome. During that year, Trebonius also helped

Cicero Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, and academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises that led to the esta ...

after Cicero's return to Italy. At the end of the year he was given a

proconsul A proconsul was an official of ancient Rome who acted on behalf of a consul. A proconsul was typically a former consul. The term is also used in recent history for officials with delegated authority. In the Roman Republic, military command, or ...

ar command and sent to govern

, replacing

Quintus Cassius Longinus Quintus Cassius Longinus, the brother or cousin of Cassius (the murderer of Julius Caesar), was a governor in Hispania (the Iberian Peninsula, comprising modern Spain and Portugal) for Caesar. Cassius was one of the '' tresviri monetales'' of the ...

, who was accused of mismanaging the province. He held this position until 46 BC, where he was confronted by rebellious legions, and the resurgence of

’s forces. They drove him out of his province by the summer of 46, with Trebonius returning at the end of the year accompanied by Caesar. It was during this year that Trebonius approached Marcus Antonius, bringing up the notion of a plot to assassinate Caesar but was put down.

even claimed, years later, that Trebonius and Marcus Antonius conspired to send an assassin to murder Caesar in 45 BC. Caesar appointed Trebonius as

on 1 October 45 BC. But his consulship ended up in being more of a mockery, with him being dismissed and Caesar's another subordinate, being appointed as consul, who would later have an untimely death, before the expiry of his tenure. With Trebonius actively continuing to plot against him. According to Cicero, Trebonius preferred the liberty of the Roman people over his friendship for Caesar. In early 44 BC, he dared to protest to Caesar for Caesar's refusal to stand when the members of the Senate came to inform him of the honors the Senate had conferred upon him; Caesar apparently simply stared back at him arrogantly without making a comment. On March 15, 44 BC, the day marked for the Dictator's assassination, Trebonius was the person who distracted Mark Antony into a conversation, kept him outside the

Theatre of Pompey The Theatre of Pompey ( la, Theatrum Pompeii, it, Teatro di Pompeo) was a structure in Ancient Rome built during the latter part of the Roman Republican era by Pompey the Great (Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus). Completed in 55BC, it was the first perma ...

while Caesar was being stabbed. Having been nominated by Caesar for the post of

for

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...

, he immediately left for the province during 44 BC. While there, he raised money and troops for

Brutus Marcus Junius Brutus (; ; 85 BC – 23 October 42 BC), often referred to simply as Brutus, was a Roman politician, orator, and the most famous of the assassins of Julius Caesar. After being adopted by a relative, he used the name Quintus Serv ...

and Cassius. He also helped Cassius on his way to Syria later in the year. Later, he attempted to fast-track Publius Cornelius Dolabella in his passage through Asia by providing whatever supplies he needed, as well as refusing to open cities for Dolabella. However, Dolabella took

Smyrna Smyrna ( ; grc, Σμύρνη, Smýrnē, or , ) was a Greek city located at a strategic point on the Aegean coast of Anatolia. Due to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence, and its good inland connections, Smyrna rose to promi ...

Asia Minor Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...

, where he captured Trebonius in the process. In January 43 BC, Dolabella put Trebonius on trial for treason before proceeding to torture him and then behead him.Broughton, pg. 349; Syme, pg. 172; Bringmann, pg. 291

References

Sources

* Broughton, T. Robert S., ''The Magistrates of the Roman Republic, Vol II'' (1952). * Bringmann, Klaus, ''A History of the Roman Republic'' (2007) * Holmes, T. Rice, ''The Roman Republic and the Founder of the Empire'', Vol. II (1923) * Holmes, T. Rice, ''The Roman Republic and the Founder of the Empire'', Vol. III (1923) * Syme, Ronald, ''The Roman Revolution'' (1939) * Smith, William, ''Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology'', Vol III (1870). {{DEFAULTSORT:Trebonius, Gaius 90s BC births Year of birth unknown 43 BC deaths 1st-century BC Roman consuls Ancient Roman equites Ancient Roman generals Ancient Romans in Britain Ancient Romans involved in Julius Caesar's invasions of Britain Assassins of Julius Caesar Correspondents of Cicero Executed ancient Roman people Roman governors of Asia Roman governors of Hispania Roman legates Roman Republican praetors People executed by decapitation People executed by the Roman Republic

Gaius Gaius, sometimes spelled ''Gajus'', Kaius, Cajus, Caius, was a common Latin praenomen; see Gaius (praenomen). People * Gaius (jurist) (), Roman jurist *Gaius Acilius *Gaius Antonius *Gaius Antonius Hybrida *Gaius Asinius Gallus *Gaius Asinius P ...

Tribunes of the plebs

Early career

Caesar’s legate

Later career and plotting Caesar’s assassination

See also

References

Sources