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64-562: Fulvia remains an important figure in ancient Roman history due to her perseverance as a woman heavily involved in politics, as well as her role in the Perusine War against Caesar Augustus (Octavian, future emperor Augustus). She played an important political role behind the scenes of her three marriages. Though she is most famous for her involvement in Antony's career, there are many scholarly debates taking place over whether or not Fulvia

128-468: A cavalry vexillatio . As tribounos , the title survived in the East Roman army until the early 7th century. From the use of tribunus to describe various military officers is derived the word tribunal , originally referring to a raised platform used to address the soldiers or administer justice. Military tribunes are featured in notable works of historical fiction, including Ben-Hur: A Tale of

192-483: A consular candidate and rival, Titus Annius Milo , escalated to violence. Milo and his gang killed Clodius on January 18 on the Appian Way . Fulvia first appears in the record after his death. Fulvia and her mother Sempronia were present at the trial of Milo, and Fulvia's was the last testimony given by the prosecution. Milo was convicted and exiled. While alive, Clodius had control of many gangs, and Fulvia retained

256-461: A senatorial career. Each tribune would be assigned to command a portion of the Roman army, subordinate to the magistrates and promagistrates appointed by the senate, and their legates. Within each of the legions , various middle-ranking officers were also styled tribune . These officers included: In the late Roman army, a tribunus was a senior officer, sometimes called a comes , who commanded

320-583: A tribune, who represented each tribe in civil, religious, and military matters. Subsequently, each of the Servian tribes was also represented by a tribune. Under the Roman Kingdom , the tribunus celerum , in English tribune of the celeres, or tribune of the knights , was commander of the king's personal bodyguard, known as the celeres . This official was second only to the king, and had

384-476: Is also possible that former Clodian policies were continued through him. They had two sons together, Marcus Antonius Antyllus and Iullus Antonius , and throughout their marriage, Fulvia defended Antony from Cicero's attacks, sustained his popularity with his soldiers and hindered Octavian's ascension to power. In fact, Fulvia still retained the support of gangs formerly ruled by her first husband, Clodius. By publicly associating himself with Clodius' children, Antony

448-509: Is unknown. Her son Marcus Antonius Antyllus was executed by Octavian in Alexandria , Egypt in 30 BC. Her youngest child, Iullus Antonius , was spared by Octavian and raised from 40 BC by Octavia Minor. Iullus married Octavia's daughter and Octavian's niece Claudia Marcella Major and they had a son Lucius Antonius and possibly a daughter Iulla Antonia . Perusine War The Perusine War (also Perusian or Perusinian War , or

512-454: The magister equitum or "Master of the Horse". The tribuni plebis , known in English as tribunes of the plebs, tribunes of the people, or plebeian tribunes, were instituted in 494 BC, after the first secession of the plebs , to protect the interests of the plebeians against the actions of the senate and the annual magistrates, who were uniformly patrician . The ancient sources indicate

576-658: The Perusine War of 41-40 BC. According to Appian, Fulvia was a central cause of the war, due to her jealousy of Antony and Cleopatra's affair in Egypt; she may have escalated the tensions between Octavian and Lucius in order to draw back Antony's attention to Italy. However, Appian also wrote that the other main causes were the selfish ambitions of the commanders and their inability to control their own soldiers. Together with Lucius Antonius, Fulvia raised eight legions in Italy to fight for Antony's rights against Octavian, an event known as

640-491: The Perusine War . The army occupied Rome for a short time, and Lucius organized his troops at Praeneste , but eventually retreated to Perusia (modern Perugia ), where Octavian besieged him. Lucius waited for Antony's legions in Gaul to come to his aid. However, unaware of the war, Antony was still in the eastern provinces, and his legions were unsure of his commands and did not assist Lucius. Although during this conflict, Fulvia

704-613: The Roman Empire , the tribunes continued to be elected, but had lost their independence and most of their practical power. The office became merely a step in the political careers of plebeians who aspired toward a seat in the senate. The tribuni militum, known in English as military tribunes or literally, tribunes of the soldiers , were elected each year along with the annual magistrates. Their number varied throughout Roman history, but eventually reached twenty-four. These were usually young men in their late twenties, who aspired to

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768-606: The Second Triumvirate , especially Octavian. Her prominence in the ensuing conflict was unusual for Roman society, where women were excluded from power and their political contributions rarely documented. Fulvia and Lucius Antonius raised eight legions in Italy. The army held Rome for a brief time, but was then forced to retreat to the city of Perusia (modern Perugia , Italy). The Umbrians were sympathetic since some of their towns and surrounding land had been confiscated by Octavian for colonisation by his veterans after

832-597: 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 ), Fulvia (Mark Antony's wife), and the Umbrians of Perusia to support Mark Antony against his political enemy Octavian (the future Emperor Augustus ). Fulvia felt strongly that her husband should be the sole ruler of Rome instead of sharing power with

896-576: The consuls and praetors , promagistrates , and their legates . Various officers within the Roman army were also known as tribunes. The title was also used for several other positions and classes in the course of Roman history. The word tribune is derived from the Roman tribes . The three original tribes known as the Ramnes or Ramnenses , Tities or Titienses, and the Luceres, were each headed by

960-448: The tribunes of the plebs and the military tribunes . For most of Roman history, a college of ten tribunes of the plebs acted as a check on the authority of the senate and the annual magistrates , holding the power of ius intercessionis to intervene on behalf of the plebeians , and veto unfavourable legislation. There were also military tribunes , who commanded portions of the Roman army , subordinate to higher magistrates, such as

1024-509: The Christ , by Lew Wallace , and The Robe by Lloyd C. Douglas . Both novels involve characters affected by the life and death of Jesus , and were turned into epic films during the 1950s. Messala, the primary antagonist in Ben-Hur , was played by Stephen Boyd , while Marcellus Gallio, the protagonist of The Robe , was played by a young Richard Burton . In 445 BC, the tribunes of

1088-496: The Clodian faction. As it turned out, Fulvia's third and final marriage was to Mark Antony in 47 or 46 BC, a few years after Curio's death, although Cicero suggested that Fulvia and Antony had had a relationship since 58 BC. Cicero wrote about their relationship in his Philippicae as a way of attacking Antony. According to him, while Fulvia and Clodius were married, Antony once left a military post to sneak back into Rome during

1152-636: The Clodian legacy. In 50 BC, the year after he married Fulvia, Curio won election as a tribune . Curio died in 49 BC, killed during the Battle of the Bagradas in North Africa, fighting for Julius Caesar against King Juba I of Numidia . During the civil war, Fulvia was most likely in Rome or nearby, because Caesar's troops had taken over Italy. At the time, she would have had her two children by Clodius and

1216-552: The Latin Language, read six insolent verses of Caesar Augustus: "Because Antony fucks Glaphyra, Fulvia has arranged this punishment for me: that I fuck her too. That I fuck Fulvia? What if Manius begged me to bugger him? Would I? I don't think so, if I were sane. "Either fuck or fight", she says. Doesn't she know my prick is dearer to me than life itself? Let the trumpets blare!" Augustus, you certainly grant my clever little books pardon, since you are

1280-509: The Latin term tribunatus , meaning the office or term of a Roman tribunus (see above), was a collective organ of the young revolutionary French Republic composed of members styled tribun (the French for tribune), which, despite the apparent reference to one of ancient Rome's prestigious magistratures, never held any real political power as an assembly, its individual members no role at all. It

1344-467: The Roman citizens would see his wounds and grow angry towards Milo. Fulvia therefore actively inserted herself into the political atmosphere that followed the death of her first husband, as a "visible symbol and reminder of his presence." With Pompey 's seizure of power in Rome, he militarily forced out any remaining supporters of the late Clodius, including captains and tribunes; actions that prompted Fulvia to uphold her late husband's legacy alone within

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1408-509: The Senate from the list of citizens from 25 years up, and annually one fifth was renewed for a five-year term. When it opposed the first parts of Bonaparte's proposed penal code, he made the Senate nominate 20 new members at once to replace the 20 first opponents to his politic; they accepted the historically important reform of penal law. As the Tribunate opposed new despotic projects, he got

1472-429: The authority to pass law, known as lex tribunicia , and to preside over the comitia curiata . Unless the king himself elected to lead the cavalry into battle, this responsibility fell to the tribune of the celeres. In theory he could deprive the king of his imperium , or authority to command, with the agreement of the comitia curiata . In the reign of Lucius Tarquinius Superbus , the last Roman king, this office

1536-583: The blind daughter of "a man with tribunician power" ( vir tribunicae potestatis ). Being that the Roman Empire had withdrawn from Britain in AD 410, the use of this term may imply a continuation of some form of local Roman political system. There exists the possibility that this tribune had commanded a unit of the Roman army which had disbanded after the break with Rome, and was now occupying a more locally-granted appointment to help manage his city's defences. In

1600-412: The city itself, as well as a radius of one mile around. They had no power to affect the actions of provincial governors. The powers of the tribunes were severely curtailed during the constitutional reforms of the dictator Sulla in 81 BC. Although many of these powers were restored in further reforms of 75 BC and 70 BC, the prestige and authority of the tribunes had been irreparably damaged. In 48 BC,

1664-406: The city, taking advantage of every opportunity that allowed her to extend her influence and political prestige. Her widowhood did not last long, as the customary period of mourning for Romans was ten months. Fulvia most likely married her second husband, Gaius Scribonius Curio , soon after his return from Asia and her mourning period had passed. They were married in 52-51 BC, which positioned him as

1728-441: The consuls. The first tribuni militum consulare potestate , or military tribunes with consular power , were elected for the year 444. Although plebeians were eligible for this office, each of the first "consular tribunes" was a patrician. Military tribunes were elected in place of the consuls in half the years from 444 to 401 BC, and in each instance, all of the tribunes were patricians; nor did any plebeian succeed in obtaining

1792-519: The consulship. The number of tribunes increased to four beginning in 426, and six beginning in 405. At last, the plebeians elected four of their number military tribunes for the year 400; others were elected in 399, 396, 383, and 379. But apart from these years, no plebeian obtained the highest offices of the Roman State. The patricians' monopoly on power was finally broken by Gaius Licinius Calvus Stolo and Lucius Sextius Lateranus , tribunes of

1856-540: The defeat of Brutus and Cassius at Philippi in 42 BC. During the winter of 41–40 BC, Octavian's army laid siege to the city, finally causing it to surrender due to starvation when the besieged realized reinforcements from Italy or the East were not coming. The lives of Fulvia and Lucius Antonius were spared, and Antonius was sent to govern a Spanish province as a gesture to his brother. Antony exiled Fulvia to Sicyon , where she died of an unknown illness in 40 BC. She

1920-615: The dictator Marcus Furius Camillus , the senate conceded the battle, and passed the Licinian Rogations . Sextius was elected the first plebeian consul, followed by Licinius two years later; and with this settlement, the consular tribunes were abolished. The exact nature of the Tribuni Aerarii , or Tribunes of the Treasury is shrouded in mystery. Originally they seem to have been tax collectors, but this power

1984-515: The early history of the Republic of Venice , during the tenure of the sixth Doge Domenico Monegario , Venice instituted a dual Tribunal modeled on the above Roman institution - two new Tribunes being elected each year, with the intention to oversee the Doge and prevent abuse of power (though this aim was not always successfully achieved). The " Tribunat ", the French word for tribunate, derived from

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2048-593: The ex-courtesan queen of Cappadocia Glaphyra . It is recorded by Martial within one of his own poems:  - Caesaris Augusti lascivos, livide, versus sex lege, qui tristis verba Latina legis: "Quod futuit Glaphyran Antonius, hanc mihi poenam Fulvia constituit, se quoque uti futuam. Fulviam ego ut futuam? Quod si me Manius oret pedicem? faciam? Non puto, si sapiam. 'Aut futue, aut pugnemus' ait. Quid quod mihi vita carior est ipsa mentula? Signa canant!" Absolvis lepidos nimirum, Auguste, libellos, qui scis Romana simplicitate loqui.  - Spiteful censor of

2112-743: The expert at speaking with Roman frankness. The siege at Perusia lasted two months before Octavian starved Lucius into surrender in February 40 BC. After Lucius' surrender, Fulvia fled to Greece with her children. Appian writes that she met Antony in Athens, and he was upset with her involvement in the war. Antony then sailed back to Rome to deal with Octavian, and Fulvia died of an unknown illness in exile in Sicyon , near Corinth , Achaea . After her death, Antony and Octavian used it as an opportunity to blame their quarrelling on her. According to Plutarch , "there

2176-411: The legality of the action before a magistrate could proceed. This power also allowed the tribunes to forbid, or veto any act of the senate or another assembly. Only a dictator was exempt from these powers. The tribunicia potestas , or tribunician power, was limited because it was derived from the people's oath to defend the tribunes. This limited most of the tribunes' actions to the boundaries of

2240-507: The legitimate "continuator and heir of Clodius' popularis policies," though he had been an optimate . Like Clodius, Curio was very popular with the plebeians. He was from a less distinguished family than Clodius, being from a new consular family, but he may have had more wealth. He soon became important to Gaius Julius Caesar and Clodian supporters, becoming a trusted and valued political ally to these vitally important individuals because of his marriage to Fulvia and her emphasis on promoting

2304-492: The most powerful woman in Rome, seeing as though she had already manifested her political aptitudes throughout the decades. According to Cassius Dio, Fulvia controlled the politics of Rome. Dio wrote that "the following year Publius Servilius and Lucius Antonius nominally became consuls, but in reality it was Antonius and Fulvia. She, the mother-in‑law of Octavian and wife of Antony, had no respect for Lepidus because of his slothfulness, and managed affairs herself, so that neither

2368-485: The night and personally deliver a love letter to Fulvia describing his love for her and saying he had stopped seeing the famous actress Cytheris. Cicero also suggested that Antony had married Fulvia for her money, though at the time of their marriage, Antony was an established politician. He had already been tribune in 49 BC, commanded armies under Caesar and was the Master of the Horse in 47 BC. Fulvia's marriage to Antony

2432-419: The people, who in 376 BC brought forward legislation demanding not merely that one of the consuls might be a plebeian, but that henceforth one must be chosen from their order. When the senate refused their demand, the tribunes prevented the election of annual magistrates for five years, before relenting and permitting the election of consular tribunes from 370 to 367. In the end, and with the encouragement of

2496-403: The plebs had the power to convene the concilium plebis , or plebeian assembly, and propose legislation before it. Only one of the tribunes could preside over this assembly, which had the power to pass laws affecting only the plebeians, known as plebiscita , or plebiscites. After 287 BC, the decrees of the concilium plebis had the effect of law over all Roman citizens. By the 3rd century BC,

2560-405: The plebs succeeded in passing the lex Canuleia , repealing the law forbidding the intermarriage of patricians and plebeians, and providing that one of the consuls might be a plebeian. Rather than permit the consular dignity to pass into the hands of a plebeian, the senate proposed a compromise whereby three military tribunes, who might be either patrician or plebeian, should be elected in place of

2624-519: The political aftermath. After Caesar's death, the senate realized his popularity and declared that it would pass all of Caesar's planned laws. Antony had attained possession of Caesar's papers, and with the ability to produce papers in support of any law, Fulvia and Antony made a fortune and gained immense power. She allegedly accompanied Antony to his military camp at Brundisium in 44 BC. Appian wrote that in December 44 and again in 43 BC, while Antony

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2688-404: The power and status that came with their loyalty. There is some evidence that she may have been involved in organizing the collegia . Even after Clodius' death, however, the Clodian following remained strong because of Fulvia's understanding of her political potential, and Fulvia used this strong political following to avenge his death; she and her mother brought his body to the streets of Rome so

2752-401: The sacrosanctity of the tribunes might be killed without penalty. This was also the source of the tribunes' power, known as ius intercessionis, or intercessio, by which any tribune could intercede on behalf of a Roman citizen to prohibit the act of a magistrate or other official. Citizens could appeal the decisions of the magistrates to the tribunes, who would then be obliged to determine

2816-434: The senate granted tribunician powers ( tribunicia potestas , powers equivalent to those of a tribune without actually being one) to the dictator Julius Caesar . Caesar used them to prevent the other tribunes interfering with his actions. In 23 BC, the senate granted the same power to Augustus , the first Roman emperor , and from that point onwards it was regularly granted to each emperor as part of their formal titles . Under

2880-404: The senate nor the people transacted any business contrary to her pleasure." Shortly afterwards, the triumvirs distributed the provinces among themselves. Lepidus took the west and Antony went to Egypt, where he met Cleopatra VII . Octavian returned to Rome in 41 BC to dispense land to Caesar's veterans, divorced Fulvia's daughter and accused Fulvia of aiming at supreme power. Fearing that Octavian

2944-484: The tribunes could also convene and propose legislation before the senate. Although sometimes referred to as "plebeian magistrates," technically the tribunes of the plebs were not magistrates, having been elected by the plebeians alone, and not the whole Roman people. However, they were sacrosanct , and the whole body of the plebeians were pledged to protect the tribunes against any assault or interference with their persons during their terms of office. Anyone who violated

3008-421: The tribunes may have originally been two or five in number. If the former, the college of tribunes was expanded to five in 470 BC. Either way, the college was increased to ten in 457 BC, and remained at this number throughout Roman history. They were assisted by two aediles plebis , or plebeian aediles. Only plebeians were eligible for these offices, although at least two exceptions existed. The tribunes of

3072-413: Was able to gather that support and, through Fulvia's influence, to use what was left of Clodius' gangs in his own gang wars against Dolabella and his supporters. Through the political connections of his wife, and his close friendship with Julius Caesar, Antony found himself the most powerful man in Rome after Caesar's assassination. Therefore, it was only fitting that Fulvia was to be heavily involved in

3136-412: Was abroad and Cicero campaigned for Antony to be declared an enemy of the state, Fulvia tried to block such declarations by soliciting support for Antony. Antony formed the Second Triumvirate with Octavian, the future emperor Augustus, and Marcus Aemilius Lepidus in 43 BC and began to conduct proscriptions . To solidify the political alliance and to advance Clodian interests, Fulvia's daughter Claudia

3200-481: Was already involved in politics before her husbands or as a result of marrying them. However, one thing is for sure: she was highly interested in politics and developed an increasingly strong public voice over time. She is most famous for her activities during her third marriage and her involvement in the Perusine War of 41–40 BC. She was the first Roman non-mythological woman to appear on Roman coins. Fulvia

3264-451: Was at Praeneste, there is evidence she helped Lucius. According to Appian, she "urged Ventidius, Asinius, and Calenus from Gaul to help Lucius, and having gathered another army, she sent it to Lucius under the command of Plancus." During the war, Octavian's soldiers at Perusia used sling bullets inscribed with insults directed at Fulvia personally and Octavian wrote a vulgar epigram directed at her in 40 BC, referring to Antony's affair with

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3328-554: Was born and raised either in Rome or Tusculum . Her date of birth is not known. Fulvia was a member of the Fulvia gens , which hailed from Tusculum. The Fulvii were one of the most distinguished Republican plebeian wealthy families in Rome; various members of the family achieved consulship and became senators , though no member of the Fulvii is on record as a consul after 125 BC. Fulvia

3392-430: Was declared posthumously to have been the sole cause of dispute between Antony and Octavian, whose repaired alliance was symbolized by Antony's new marriage to Octavian's sister Octavia . This arrangement collapsed eight years later, and Antony and Octavian resumed their civil war . Tribune Tribune ( Latin : Tribunus ) was the title of various elected officials in ancient Rome . The two most important were

3456-538: Was described by Cicero as a madman, who liked to throw his money to the people from the Rostra . Her first marriage was to Publius Clodius Pulcher , circa 62 BC. Fulvia and Clodius had two children together, a son also named Publius Clodius Pulcher and a daughter, Claudia . As a couple they went everywhere together. Claudia later married Octavian , who would later become the first Roman emperor . In 52 BC, Clodius ran for praetor ; his political competition with

3520-488: Was either pregnant with Curio's son or had already given birth. After Curio's death in Africa, the widowed Fulvia was still important in elite circles and her political interests were well known. Marriage to her would provide an important tie to Clodius and his clientela , and could offer a husband money and political organization. Also, her next husband would become the stepfather to Clodius' children, further linking him to

3584-617: Was even more opportunity for a reconciliation with Caesar. For when Antony reached Italy, and Caesar manifestly intended to make no charges against him, and Antony himself was ready to put upon Fulvia the blame for whatever was charged against himself." After Fulvia's death, Antony married Octavian's sister, Octavia Minor , to publicly demonstrate his reconciliation with Octavian, but Antony never regained his position and influence in Italy. Once Antony and Octavia were married, she took in and reared all of Fulvia's children. The fate of Fulvia's daughter, Clodia Pulchra, after her divorce from Octavian

3648-645: Was gaining the veterans' loyalty at Antony's expense, Fulvia traveled constantly with her children to the new settlements in order to remind the veterans of their debt to Antony. Fulvia also tried to delay the land settlements until Antony returned to Rome, so that the two triumvirs could share the credit. With Octavian in Italy and Antony abroad, Fulvia allied with her brother-in-law Lucius Antonius and publicly endorsed Mark Antony in opposition to Octavian. These actions caused political and social unrest. In 41 BC, tensions between Octavian and Fulvia escalated to war in Italy:

3712-412: Was happy to take revenge against Cicero for Antony's and Clodius' sake, Cassius Dio is the only one who describes the joy with which she pierced the tongue of the dead Cicero with her golden hairpins, as a final revenge against Cicero's power of speech. In 42 BC, Antony and Octavian left Rome to pursue Julius Caesar's assassins, Marcus Junius Brutus and Gaius Cassius Longinus . Fulvia was left behind as

3776-638: Was held by Lucius Junius Brutus , the king's nephew, and thus the senior member of the king's household, after the king himself and his sons. It was Brutus who convened the comitia and asked that they revoke the king's imperium. After the fall of the monarchy, the powers of the tribune of the celeres were divided between the Magister Militum , or Master of the Infantry, also known as the Praetor Maximus or dictator , and his lieutenant,

3840-624: Was instituted by Napoleon I Bonaparte 's Constitution of the Year VIII "in order to moderate the other powers" by discussing every legislative project, sending its orateurs ("orators", i.e. spokesmen) to defend or attack them in the Corps législatif , and asking the Senate to overturn "the lists of eligibles, the acts of the Legislative Body and those of the government" on account of unconstitutionality. Its 100 members were designated by

3904-409: Was married to the young Octavian. Appian and Cassius Dio describe Fulvia as being involved in the violent proscriptions that were used to destroy enemies and gain badly needed funds to secure control of Rome. Antony pursued his political enemies, especially Cicero, who had openly criticized him for abusing his powers as consul after Caesar's assassination. Although many ancient sources wrote that Fulvia

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3968-470: Was not one of subordination; rather, they had become a "formidable political force" within the crucial city of Rome. Fulvia played a very influential role in Mark Antony's political career. She was the brains behind many of his policies, such as the decision to give Sicilians Roman citizenship , as well as to confirm Deiotarus in his kingdom, and she was a very persuasive campaigner for her husband. It

4032-520: Was slowly lost to other officials. By the end of the Republic, this style belonged to a class of persons slightly below the equites in wealth. When the makeup of Roman juries was reformed in 70 BC, it was stipulated that one-third of the members of each jury should belong to this class. In his Vita Germani , a hagiography of St. Germanus of Auxerre , Constantius of Lyon writes that during his visit to Britain in AD 429, Germanus miraculously healed

4096-459: Was the only child of Marcus Fulvius Bambalio and Sempronia . As a result, Fulvia may have also represented the last of both the Fulvii and the Sempronii families, which meant she was likely an heiress of extreme worth and value. Her father Marcus received the nickname "Bambalio", from the Latin "to stutter", because of his hesitancy in speech. Her maternal grandfather was Sempronius Tuditanus, who

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