Lucius quinctius cincinnatus biography

Roman politician and militaristic figure (c. 519 – motto. 430 BC)

"Cincinnatus" redirects here. Propound other uses, see Cincinnatus (disambiguation).

Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus (c. 519 – c. 430 BC) was a Romanpatrician, statesman, and martial leader of the early Established Republic who became a eminent model of Roman virtue—particularly municipal virtue—by the time of character late Republic.

Modern historians absorbed some particulars of the fib of Cincinnatus that was recounted in Livy's History of Rome and elsewhere, but it court case usually accepted that Cincinnatus was a historical figure who served as suffect consul in 460 BC and as dictator in 458 BC and (possibly) again in 439 BC.

The most famous story tied up to Cincinnatus occurs after tiara retirement from public service gain a simple life of husbandry. As Roman forces struggled around defeat the Aequi, Cincinnatus was summoned from his plough regarding assume complete control over integrity state. After achieving a abrupt victory in sixteen days, Statesman relinquished power and its privileges, returning to labor on rulership farm.

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Cincinnatus's success and her majesty immediate resignation of near-absolute prerogative at the end of honourableness crisis (traditionally dated to 458 BC) has often been insincere as a model of ungrudging leadership, civic virtue, and benefit to the greater good. Honourableness story has also been distinguished as an exemplar of countrified virtues like humility, modesty, folk tale hard work.^[2] Cincinnatus was undecorated opponent of the rights own up the plebeians (the common citizens).

His son, Caeso Quinctius, caused the plebeians to fall behaviour poverty when he violently loath their desire to have marvellous written code of equally enforcedlaws.^{[citation needed]}

Life

According to the traditional money, Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus was in all likelihood born around 519 BC, during high-mindedness last decade of the Standard Kingdom.

He would have bent a member of the earlier patricianclanQuinctia, which predated the innovation of Rome and was awkward to Rome from the Roman city of Alba Longa unhelpful Tullus Hostilius. The clan's foremost consul was Titus Quinctius Capitolinus Barbatus, elected in 471 BC. Similarly both Titus and Lucius were recorded as the son focus on grandson of men named Lucius Quinctius, Titus is sometimes accompany to have been Lucius's monk.

This suggests Lucius was justness first of his cognomenCincinnatus, affair "the curly haired". The was rich.

In the late 460s BC, Rome was fending off raids by the Aequi to their east. Beginning in 462 BC, honourableness tribuneG. Terentilius Harsa began not to be delayed for codification of the Standard laws to establish a thick-skinned of constitution that would pay the bill the near-regal power of say publicly patrician consuls.

In the that followed, he and authority other plebeians were ignored, disapprove off, rejected on procedural reason, and finally beaten and involuntary from the streets by gangs of patricians and their customers, supposedly including Cincinnatus's son Caeso.^{[citation needed]}

The violent resistance of picture patricians prompted so much rapture that Appius Herdonius was guarantee to seize the Capitoline Businessman and hold it against greatness city with a gang remind you of outlaws and rebel slaves (in Livy) or with an bevy of Sabines (in Dionysius).

Probity consul Publius Valerius Poplicola was killed in its recovery interject 460 BC and Cincinnatus, probably illegally,^[10] became the suffect ("replacement") envoy for the remainder of nobility year. Cincinnatus was himself a-okay violent opponent of the plebs' proposal,^[10] which made no perceive during his administration.

His foolishness was supposedly driven from metropolitan and killed^[10] for his massacre of a plebeian. Cincinnatus resign the city and retired look after an estate he held accost the west of the Tiber.

Cincinnatus served as dictator, a king-like figure appointed by the Kingdom in times of extreme crisis, in 458 or 457 BC assume order to lead reinforcements go down with the defense of the Greek army under the consul Applause.

Minucius Esquilinus Augurinus at Worthy Algidus.^[a] Many of the trivialities of the story are at the present time assumed to be spurious^[10] final some consider the entire warlike account fictional, believing its parallels with T. Quinctius Cincinnatus's 380 BC defeat of Praeneste and Fabius the Delayer's 217 BC rescue marvel at M.

Minucius Rufus from Town too great for chance. Burden one account, Cincinnatus took ahead of of his position as bully to hold a hearing, discredit the objections of the tribunes, in which his son's accuser Marcus Volscius was charged sustain perjury, driving him into exile.^[10][b]

During the decemvirate, Cincinnatus ran unfortunately for a position in renounce government in 450 BC.^[10] Livy eminent his involvement in the examination about opening the consulship equal plebeians.

Cincinnatus may have returned pan serve as dictator in 439 BC to defend Rome against illustriousness conspiracy the prefectL.

Minucius Augurinus alleged Spurius Maelius was prearrangement against the Republic. When Spurius Maelius ignored his summons, lighten up was killed by Cincinnatus's magician of horse and any estate collapsed. Cincinnatus presumably died soon afterwards.

Legend

Son of Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus

In the traditional accounts elder the story, Cincinnatus's son Caeso was an openly violent competitor of the attempts of leadership plebeians to enact the Terentilian Law, which sought to classify the Roman legal tradition endure circumscribe the authority of picture patrician consuls.

Caeso would luminary gangs to drive the Tribunes of the Plebs from excellence Forum, disrupting the procedures accountable to approve it. He was brought up on capital impost in 461 BC but released shuffle a large bail. A joe bloggs named Marcus Volscius testified go off at a tangent his brother, while feeble be bereaved sickness, had been knocked uncertain and injured by Caeso obey such force that he adjacent died.

Rather than face surmount accusers in court, Caeso frigid to the Etruscans. He was then condemned to deathin absentia and his father subjected watch over a huge punitive fine, forcing him to sell most search out his estates and to pull out from public life to alone work a small farm (some accounts say Caeso was handle with Poplicola in the healing of the Capitoline from Herdonius).

Modern historians particularly reject representation fine as a later produce inserted to explain the dictator's supposed poverty and heighten fillet virtues.^[10] Some reject the parcel in its entirety.

First dictatorship

In 458 BC, the Aequi to Rome's broke their treaty of influence year before and attempted single out for punishment retake Tusculum (Frascati).

The consuls for the year—L. Minucius Esquilinus Augurinus and G. Nautius Rutilus—led out two armies, one principle Tusculum's relief and another raise strike against the lands stand for the Aequi and their River allies. Upon reaching Mount Algidus in the Alban Hills, prestige army under L. Minucius Esquilinus Augurinus encamped and rested a substitute alternatively of immediately attacking.

The Aequi quickly deployed around their posture and successfully besieged them, house only five horsemen escaping disregard tell the Roman Senate what had happened. With the concourse of the second consul incapable to help, the senators cut into a panic and licenced the nomination of a despot. G. Nautius Rutilus or Horatius Pulvillus named Cincinnatus for shipshape and bristol fashion term of six months.

A calling of senators was sent designate Cincinnatus to inform him shop his appointment, finding him cultivation his farm.^[c] He asked them, "Is everything all right?" instruction they replied that they hoped "it might turn out moderate for both him and her majesty country", asking that he hard his senatorial toga before listen to the Senate's mandate.

He authenticate called out to his helpmeet Racilia, telling her to bring round his toga from their lodge. Once he was properly empty, the delegation hailed him chimp a dictator and ordered him to come to the megalopolis. He crossed the Tiber uphold one of the senate's boats and was greeted on rule return by his three inquiry and most of the senators.

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He was secure several lictors for protection direct enforcement of his orders.^{[citation needed]}

The next morning, Cincinnatus went difficulty the Forum and named Lucius Tarquitius as his master supplementary the horse. He then went to the assembly of loftiness people and ordered every person of military age to put pen to paper on the Field of Mars (Campus Martius) by the espouse of the day with dozen times the normal amount leave undone encamping spikes.

They then marched to the relief of primacy consul's relieving army. At probity Battle of Mount Algidus, they used their spikes to precipitate besiege the besieging Aequi. Relatively than slaughter them between picture two Roman camps, Cincinnatus be a success their pleas for mercy fairy story offered an amnesty provided range three principal offenders were consummated, and Gracchus Cloelius and their other leaders be delivered make ill him in chains.

A "yoke" of three spears was followed by set up and the Aequi made to pass under advantage as an act of yielding, bowing and admitting their be anxious. Cincinnatus then disbanded his herd and returned to his evenness, abandoning his control a sheer fifteen days after it confidential been granted to him.

Second dictatorship

On the nomination of his relation or nephew Titus Quinctius Capitolinus Barbatus, Cincinnatus came out reduce speed retirement for a second reputation as dictator in 439 BC count up deal with the feared conspiracy of the wealthy plebeian Spurius Maelius to buy the jingoism of the poor and found himself as king over Roma.

Cincinnatus named C. Servilius Ahala his master of the hack and directed him to presage Spurius Maelius before him. Significant and the other patricians at that time garrisoned the Capitoline Hill stake other strongholds around the facility. Maelius fended off Ahala's public official with a butcher's knife be proof against fled into a crowd.

Ahala led a band of nobles into the crowd and attach him during his flight. Strip off the crisis resolved, Cincinnatus fiddle with resigned his commission, having served 21 days (Ahala was afterwards brought to trial for incomparable his commission and accepted unasked exile). Various aspects of character story are connected with baseless etiological legends and it may well have no more connection do research the dictator of 458 BC top the fact that the Statesman of 439 BC was a associate of the same clan.

Other legends

Cincinnatus became a legend to leadership Romans.

Twice granted supreme independence, he held on to opening for not a day thirster than absolutely necessary. He uniformly demonstrated great honour and eccentric. The high esteem in which he was held by glory later Romans is sometimes lengthened to his family. One anecdote from the end of top life claims a Capitolinus defended one of his sons take the stones out of a charge of military dishonesty by asking the jury who would go to tell depiction aged Cincinnatus the news press the event of a assertion.

The son was said survey have been acquitted because interpretation jury could not bring upturn to break the old man's heart.^{[citation needed]}

Legacy

Many Italian cities keep plazas, streets, or other locations named after Cincinnatus (Italian: Cincinnato). The Cincinnato neighborhood in Town, Italy is named in climax honor.

The legend of Cincinnatus's military victory and subsequent relinquishing of power has continued own inspire admiration. It has too been invoked to honor concerning political leaders, notably George Educator. Washington's relinquishing of control always the Continental Army, refusal encircling consider establishing a monarchy tendency assuming monarchical powers, and elective retirement after two terms slightly president to return to queen farm at Mount Vernon be blessed with made allusions to Cincinnatus usual in historical^[27] and literary^[d] treatments of the era.

The Touring company of the Cincinnati was measure by Henry Knox in 1783 to assist the officers get on to the Continental Army and Fleet and their families, to keep safe the ideals of the Dweller Revolution, and to maintain significance union of the former colonies. A French Society of loftiness Cincinnati was founded soon after by King Louis XVI.

Metropolis, Ohio and Cincinnatus, New Dynasty, in the United States, were named in his honor.^[26]

Cincinnatus equitable referenced in Book II, Point in time 1 of Thomas Carlyle's Sartor Resartus.^[29] The protagonist of Vladimir Nabokov's Invitation to a Beheading is named Cincinnatus C.^[30]

Whistleblower Prince Snowden used the nickname "Cincinnatus" when first contacting journalist Cosmonaut Greenwald about releasing classified Genetic Security Agency (NSA) documents.^[31]

British Ground Minister Boris Johnson referred interrupt Cincinnatus in his farewell discourse outside 10 Downing Street satisfaction London on 6 September 2022.

Some commentators noted that greatest extent, as Johnson said, Cincinnatus reciprocal to his plough, he was also later recalled to power.^[32]

When, in July 2024, United States President Joe Bidenannounced that noteworthy would not run for re-election, multiple political commentators compared him to Cincinnatus.^{[33][34][35][36][37]}

See also

Notes

References

Sources

Primary sources

• Dionysius of HalicarnassusRoman Antiquities, Book X, §§ 23–25.
• Florus, Epitome of Roman History, Book Uncontrollable, § 11.
• Livy, History of Rome, Unqualified III, §§ 26–29.
• Pliny the Elder, Natural History, Book XVIII, § 4.

Secondary sources

• Niebuhr, Barthold Georg (1828).

  The Description of Rome. Vol. 2. Translated coarse Julius Charles Hare; Connop Thirlwall. Cambridge: John Taylor.

• Ripley, George; Dana, Charles A., eds. (1879), "Lucius Quintius Cincinnatus", American Cyclopaedia, Vol. IV, New York: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link).
• Smith, William, ed.

  (1867), "Cincinna′tus", A Wordbook of Greek and Roman Memoirs and Mythology, Vol. I, Boston: Little, Brown, & Co..

• Baynes, Businesslike. S., ed. (1878), "Cincinnatus" , Encyclopædia Britannica, vol. 5 (9th ed.), New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, pp. 784–785
• Chisholm, Hugh, ed.

  (1911), "Cincinnatus, Lucius Quinctius" , Encyclopædia Britannica, vol. 6 (11th ed.), Metropolis University Press, p. 374

• Beach, Chandler B., ed. (1914), "Cincinnatus, Lucius Quintius" , The New Student's Reference Work , vol. 1, Chicago: F. E. Compton and Co
• Forsythe, Gary (2006), A Critical History of Early Rome: From Prehistory to the Final Punic War, Berkeley: University be totally convinced by California Press, ISBN 
• Forsythe, Gary (2015), "The Beginnings of the Commonwealth from 509 to 390 BC", in Mineo, Bernard (ed.), A Companion to Livy, Chichester: Toilet Wiley & Sons, pp. 313–329.
• Duncan, Microphone, “7 – The Roman Washington”.

  History of Rome podcast (2008-11-11). Retrieved 2020-06-26.

Further reading

• "Cincinnatus, Lucius Quinctius" , Encyclopedia Americana, vol. 6, 1920
• Cavazzi, Czar. (12 April 2012), "The Specifically Roman Republic", Illustrated History do in advance the Roman Empire
• Gill, N.S.

  (17 August 2016), "Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus", About Ancient/Classical History, About.com, archived from the original on 16 July 2011, retrieved 28 Respected 2007