Quintus Salvius Salvidienus Rufus ( 65 BC – 40 BC) was a Roman general and one of the principal generals and advisors of

Octavian Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian (), was the founder of the Roman Empire, who reigned as the first Roman emperor from 27 BC until his death in ...

during the early years of his political activity.

Biography

Early life

Despite his humble origin, he was one of Octavian's best friends, along with

Marcus Agrippa Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa (; BC – 12 BC) was a Roman general, statesman and architect who was a close friend, son-in-law and lieutenant to the Roman emperor Augustus. Agrippa is well known for his important military victories, notably the Ba ...

Cassius Dio Lucius Cassius Dio (), also known as Dio Cassius ( ), was a Roman historian and senator of maternal Greek origin. He published 80 volumes of the history of ancient Rome, beginning with the arrival of Aeneas in Italy. The volumes documented the ...

mentions that he had a brother.

Career

Salvidienus and Agrippa were with Octavian at Apollonia in March 44 BC when

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (12 or 13 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 Caesar's civil wa ...

was assassinated in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

. Salvidienus became one of the most trusted of Octavian's generals during the civil wars following Caesar's death. In 42 BC, he commanded the fleet of Octavian against

Sextus Pompeius Sextus Pompeius Magnus Pius ( 67 – 35 BC), also known in English as Sextus Pompey, was a Roman military leader who, throughout his life, upheld the cause of his father, Pompey the Great, against Julius Caesar and his supporters during the la ...

, who had taken control of Sicily and was harassing the coasts of Italy. However, Salvidienus was defeated in a naval battle fought off

Rhegium Reggio di Calabria (; ), commonly and officially referred to as Reggio Calabria, or simply Reggio by its inhabitants, is the List of cities in Italy, largest city in Calabria as well as the seat of the Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria. As ...

, largely because of the inexperience of his crews. On Octavian's return from Greece after the

Battle of Philippi The Battle of Philippi was the final battle in the Liberators' civil war between the forces of Mark Antony and Octavian (of the Second Triumvirate) and the leaders of Julius Caesar's assassination, Brutus and Cassius, in 42 BC, at Philippi in ...

, Salvidienus was sent to Spain with six legions, but he hastily retreated to Italy to oppose Lucius Antonius and

Fulvia Fulvia (; d. 40 BC) was an aristocratic Roman woman who lived during the late Roman Republic. Fulvia's birth into an important political dynasty facilitated her relationships and, later on, marriages to Publius Clodius Pulcher, Gaius Scribo ...

(Antony's wife), who had taken up arms against Octavian, starting the so-called

Perusine War The Perusine War (also Perusian or Perusinian War, or the War of Perusia) was a civil war of the Roman Republic, which lasted from 41 to 40 BC. It was fought by Lucius Antonius (the younger brother of Mark Antony) and the Umbrians of Perusia ...

. Salvidienus captured and destroyed the city of

Sentinum Sentinum was a Roman town now located about a kilometre south of the present-day town of Sassoferrato in the Marche region of Italy. Two areas of the town, the forum/urban baths and the suburban baths, can be visited today protected as an ...

and then, with Agrippa, surrounded Lucius Antonius's forces in

Perusia The ancient Perusia, now Perugia, first appears in history as one of the 12 confederate cities of Etruria. It is first mentioned in the account of the war of 310 or 309 BC between the Etruscans and the Romans. It took, however, an important pa ...

. The other Antonian generals, who had no clear orders from

Mark Antony Marcus Antonius (14 January 1 August 30 BC), commonly known in English as Mark Antony, was a Roman people, Roman politician and general who played a critical role in the Crisis of the Roman Republic, transformation of the Roman Republic ...

, remained out of the struggle, and Lucius Antonius was forced to surrender after a few months' siege (winter of 40 BC). After the end of the Perusian War, Octavian sent Salvidienus to

Gaul Gaul () was a region of Western Europe first clearly described by the Roman people, Romans, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and parts of Switzerland, the Netherlands, Germany, and Northern Italy. It covered an area of . Ac ...

as a governor, with a large army of eleven legions. He was also designated as

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 thro ...

for 39 BC, although he had not reached senatorial rank.

Downfall

Despite all these honours, when Antony came from the East with large forces to confront Octavian, Salvidienus offered to desert to Antony with his legions. Apparently this proposal came after Antony had already made an agreement with Octavian (the Pact of

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 ...

). Antony revealed to Octavian the treachery of Salvidienus, who was accused of high treason in the Senate and condemned to death in the fall of 40 BC. He was either executed or committed suicide, as reported by

Appian Appian of Alexandria (; ; ; ) was a Greek historian with Roman citizenship who prospered during the reigns of the Roman Emperors Trajan, Hadrian, and Antoninus Pius. He was born c. 95 in Alexandria. After holding the senior offices in the pr ...

Livy Titus Livius (; 59 BC – AD 17), known in English as Livy ( ), was a Roman historian. He wrote a monumental history of Rome and the Roman people, titled , covering the period from the earliest legends of Rome before the traditional founding i ...

, and Dio.

Personal life

A woman attested in inscriptions as Salvidiena Q. f. Rufa is believed to have been his daughter.

Cultural depictions

16th-century French scholar Denis Lambin proposed that the figure of Nasidienus Rufus ("big red nose") in the poetry of Roman writer

Horace Quintus Horatius Flaccus (; 8 December 65 BC – 27 November 8 BC), Suetonius, Life of Horace commonly known in the English-speaking world as Horace (), was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus (also known as Octavian). Th ...

is a "thinly veiled" parody of Salvidienus. Salvidienus is a point of view character in John Williams' epistolary novel ''Augustus''. In the novel his betrayal of Octavian and downfall occur earlier in the timeline of events, instead of following the battle of Philippi, Antony reveals to Octavian Salvidienus' treachery during the meeting where the Second Triumvirate was agreed upon, not long after the battle of Mutina in 43 BC.

References

Citations Sources *