Decimus Laelius (born late-90s/early 80s BC) was a

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

of the

Roman Republic The Roman Republic ( ) was the era of Ancient Rome, classical Roman civilisation beginning with Overthrow of the Roman monarchy, the overthrow of the Roman Kingdom (traditionally dated to 509 BC) and ending in 27 BC with the establis ...

in 54 BC. In 59 BC, he was the lead prosecutor in the extortion case against L. Valerius Flaccus, who was defended by

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

in the speech ''Pro Flacco''. Laelius served under Pompeius Magnus as envoy and naval

prefect Prefect (from the Latin ''praefectus'', substantive adjectival form of ''praeficere'': "put in front", meaning in charge) is a magisterial title of varying definition, but essentially refers to the leader of an administrative area. A prefect' ...

in 49 and 48 BC, during the civil war against Julius Caesar. Cicero accuses him of bringing the case against Flaccus at the instigation of Pompeius.

Prosecuting Flaccus

Cicero shows perhaps uncharacteristic regard for the opposing

counsel A counsel or a counsellor at law is a person who gives advice and deals with various issues, particularly in legal matters. It is a title often used interchangeably with the title of ''lawyer''. The word ''counsel'' can also mean advice given ...

by calling him "the son of the best sort of man" and "a good young man, from a respectable background, and eloquent," but emphasizes his youth by repeatedly referring to him as an ''adulescens'', the usual term in the Late Republic for a young man not yet having entered the ''

cursus honorum The , or more colloquially 'ladder of offices'; ) was the sequential order of public offices held by aspiring politicians in the Roman Republic and the early Roman Empire. It was designed for men of senatorial rank. The comprised a mixture of ...

'' or political career track. The implication is that the prosecution is an attempt to boost his career. Laelius appears to have had a strong and well-presented case, and yet: Laelius presented the

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

and

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

witnesses at the trial, while his co-counsel, the son of Gaius Appuleius Decianus, handled

Roman citizens Citizenship in ancient Rome () was a privileged political and legal status afforded to free individuals with respect to laws, property, and governance. Citizenship in ancient Rome was complex and based upon many different laws, traditions, and cu ...

who had been living abroad. One of the accusations brought by Laelius was that Flaccus had tried to bribe Decianus. Cicero impugns Laelius's witnesses by their ethnicity. Although

Macrobius Macrobius Ambrosius Theodosius, usually referred to as Macrobius (fl. AD 400), was a Roman provincial who lived during the early fifth century, during late antiquity, the period of time corresponding to the Later Roman Empire, and when Latin was ...

later records Flaccus's guilt, the former

governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

was

acquitted In common law jurisdictions, an acquittal means that the criminal prosecution has failed to prove that the accused is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt of the charge presented. It certifies that the accused is free from the charge of an o ...

. Flaccus may have won the case because of bias, but a general awareness of his guilt is indicated by his failure to advance to the consulship, an achievement that would have been expected based on his family history.

Later career

Laelius was a consistent Pompeian supporter. As tribune in 54 BC, Laelius gave his support to Aulus Gabinius, another Pompeian associate, when he was prosecuted and convicted by Memmius. During the civil war, Laelius recruited for Pompeius in

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

and

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

. In February 49 BC, he was a special envoy to the consuls Claudius Marcellus and Lentulus Crus at

Capua Capua ( ; ) is a city and ''comune'' in the province of Caserta, in the region of Campania, southern Italy, located on the northeastern edge of the Campanian plain. History Ancient era The name of Capua comes from the Etruscan ''Capeva''. The ...

, with the task of urging their retreat to

Brundisium Brindisi ( ; ) is a city in the region of Apulia in southern Italy, the capital of the province of Brindisi, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. Historically, the city has played an essential role in trade and culture due to its strategic positio ...

Family connections

Laelius's loyalty to Pompeius dated back to his father, who had died serving under the young Pompeius in

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

around 77 BC. Cicero's use of the word "respectable" (''honestus'') instead of "noble" (''nobilis'') to describe his family background suggests that he was not descended from the consular Laelii. This Laelius was, however, an ancestor of the Laelii Balbi of the Imperial era. D.R. Shackleton Bailey, "The Roman Nobility in the Second Civil War," ''Classical Quarterly'' 10 (1960), p. 256.

References

Selected bibliography

*Alexander, Michael Charles. ''The Case for the Prosecution in the Ciceronian Era''.

University of Michigan Press The University of Michigan Press is a university press that is a part of Michigan Publishing at the University of Michigan Library. It publishes 170 new titles each year in the humanities and social sciences. Titles from the press have earn ...

, 2002, pp. 80–97. Limited previe
online.
* Broughton, T.R.S. ''The Magistrates of the Roman Republic'', vol. 2, 99 B.C.–31 B.C. (New York:

American Philological Association The Society for Classical Studies (SCS), formerly known as the American Philological Association (APA), is a non-profit North American scholarly organization devoted to all aspects of Greek and Roman civilization founded in 1869. It is the pree ...

, 1952), pp. 223, 265, 270, 578. {{DEFAULTSORT:Laelius, Decimus 1st-century BC births 1st-century BC Romans Decimus Tribunes of the plebs Year of birth uncertain Year of death unknown