Spurius Maelius (died 439 BC) was a wealthy
Roman plebeian who was slain because he was suspected of intending to make himself king.
Biography
During a severe famine, Spurius Maelius bought up a large amount of
wheat
Wheat is a grass widely cultivated for its seed, a cereal grain that is a worldwide staple food. The many species of wheat together make up the genus ''Triticum'' ; the most widely grown is common wheat (''T. aestivum''). The archaeolog ...
and sold it at a low price to the people of Rome. According to
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 in ...
, this caused Lucius Minucius Augurinus, the
patrician ''praefectus annonae'' (president of the market), to accuse Spurius Maelius of collecting arms in his house, and that he was holding secret meetings at which plans were being undoubtedly formed to establish a monarchy. The accusation was widely believed. Maelius was summoned before the aged
Cincinnatus (specially appointed ''
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 ti ...
''), but he refused to appear, and was slain by the
Master of the Horse
Master of the Horse is an official position in several European nations. It was more common when most countries in Europe were monarchies, and is of varying prominence today.
(Ancient Rome)
The original Master of the Horse ( la, Magister Equitu ...
,
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 dagg ...
. Afterward his house was razed to the ground, his wheat distributed amongst the people, and his property confiscated. The open space called the Equimaelium, on which his house had stood, preserved the memory of his death along the
Vicus Jugarius.
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 est ...
calls Ahala's deed a glorious one, but, whether Maelius entertained any ambitious projects or not, his
summary execution
A summary execution is an execution in which a person is accused of a crime and immediately killed without the benefit of a Right to a fair trial, full and fair trial. Executions as the result of summary offense, summary justice (such as a drumhea ...
was an act of
murder, since by the ''
Lex Valeria Horatia de provocatione'' the dictator was bound to allow the right of appeal.
See also
*
Marcus Junius 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 Ser ...
References
;Attribution
* Endnotes:
Sources
*Niebuhr's ''History of Rome'', ii. 418 (Eng. trans., 1851);
*G. Cornewall Lewis, ''Credibility of early Roman History'', ii.;
*Livy, iv. 13;
*Ancient sources:
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 in ...
, iv.13; Cicero, ''De senectute'' 16, ''De amicitia'' 8, ''De republica'', ii.49;
Florus, i.26;
Dionysius Halicarnassensis xii.I.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maelius, Spurius
439 BC deaths
Ancient Roman murder victims
5th-century BC Romans
Maelii
Year of birth missing