Brothers in consecutive consulates

[Caesar CXXXVII]

In 184 it was Publius Claudius Pulcher who won the elections under his brother Appius, cos. 185 . It was a political bomb by all standards and Develin called it a change in the rules of the game .

can't remember, it was unprecedent ? (the case of the Fabii in the 470' is problematic because of its authenticity) .

[Pompieus]

Sometimes it's hard to tell if these fellows were brothers or cousins, but some candidates for precedent are: Cn & L Cornelius Scipio (260 & 259 both sons of L (filus) grandsons of Cn (nepos)), L & P Cornelius Lentulus Caudinus (237-236 both L filus Ti nepos) and C & M Servilius Geminus (203-202 both C filus P nepos; their cousin Cn Servilius Caepio Cn filus Cn nepos was consul in 203 as well).

 

Livy's apparent indignation at the results of the election of 185 seems forced (or due to ant-Claudian bias in his source), as he passes over these precedents and the election of 182 almost without comment. Both consuls of 182 were engaged in Liguria and decided between themselves that Cn Baebius Tamphilus would return to Rome to conduct the elections. His brother Marcus was duly elected. Baebius directly presided over the election of his brother, he was a plebian and a novus homo, while Appius and his brother were distinguished patricians, and Publius was elected thru the intermediary of Appius' colleague.

 

The succession of brothers to the consulship evidently became endemic for a while after 185. Other examples of brothers succeeding each other in the consulship in this period are: P & Q Mucius Scaevola (175 & 174), Sp & L Posthumius (174 &173) and M & C Poplius Laenas (173 & 172). Definitely unique was the consulship of two brothers in 179 (althoufg one was adopted) Q Fulvius Flaccus and L Manlius Acidinus Fulvianus.

 

Servilii brothers were at it again in 141-140 with C & Cn Serviliius Caepio both Cn filus Cn nepos.

Edited February 22, 2009 by Pompieus

[Caesar CXXXVII]

Sometimes it's hard to tell if these fellows were brothers or cousins, but some candidates for precedent are: Cn & L Cornelius Scipio (260 & 259 both sons of L (filus) grandsons of Cn (nepos)), L & P Cornelius Lentulus Caudinus (237-236 both L filus Ti nepos) and C & M Servilius Geminus (203-202 both C filus P nepos; their cousin Cn Servilius Caepio Cn filus Cn nepos was consul in 203 as well).

 

Livy's apparent indignation at the results of the election of 185 seems forced (or due to ant-Claudian bias in his source), as he passes over these precedents and the election of 182 almost without comment. Both consuls of 182 were engaged in Liguria and decided between themselves that Cn Baebius Tamphilus would return to Rome to conduct the elections. His brother Marcus was duly elected. Baebius directly presided over the election of his brother, he was a plebian and a novus homo, while Appius and his brother were distinguished patricians, and Publius was elected thru the intermediary of Appius' colleague.

 

The succession of brothers to the consulship evidently became endemic for a while after 185. Other examples of brothers succeeding each other in the consulship in this period are: P & Q Mucius Scaevola (175 & 174), Sp & L Posthumius (174 &173) and M & C Poplius Laenas (173 & 172). Definitely unique was the consulship of two brothers in 179 (althoufg one was adopted) Q Fulvius Flaccus and L Manlius Acidinus Fulvianus.

 

Servilii brothers were at it again in 141-140 with C & Cn Serviliius Caepio both Cn filus Cn nepos.

 

Thanks Pompey .

I have checked the cases - Cos. 259 was the brother of cos. 260 but, probably, got elected under Gaius Duilius so it was "o.k"

Cos. 236 was the brother of cos. 237 but, probably, got elected under Quintus Fulvius Flaccus so it was, again "o.k."

Cos. 202 was the brother of cos. 203 but was promoted by the dictator of 203, Galba, to the rank of magister equitum just before the elections in order to make him the new consul (a practice well recorded in the 2nd Punic war) . But there is a possibility that cos. 203 helped his brother .

So, the case of 185-4 is not unprecedent in the matter of brother after brother but it is a precedent in the matter of conducting the elections - Appius presided an election in which his brother was candidate ! Secondly, he did not hide his intentions to make his brother consul - that was the big change in the rules of the game .

[Pompieus]

Livy 39.32 says:

The time for the elections was now approaching. It fell to Sempronius to conduct them, but Claudius reached Rome before him, as his brother Publius was standing for the consulship. The other patrician candidates were L. Aemilius, Q. Fabius and Ser. Sulpicius Galba. They had been unsuccessful in previous contests, and they considered that they had all the stronger claim to the honour because it had been denied them before. Only one consul could be a patrician, and this lent additional keenness to the contest. The plebeian candidates were all popular men: L. Porcius, Q. Terentius Culleo and Cnaeus Baebius Tamphilus, and they, too, had had their hopes of attaining the distinction deferred by previous defeats. Out of all the candidates, Claudius was the only new one. It was generally looked upon as a certainty that Q. Fabius Labeo and L. Porcius Licinius would be the successful candidates. But Claudius, unattended by his lictors, was bustling about with his brother in every corner of the Forum, notwithstanding the loud remonstrances of his opponents and of most of the senators, who told him to bear in mind that he was the consul of the people of Rome rather than that he was Publius' brother.

 

Apparently the indignation of the senators was due to Appius' active advocacy, not that he used the presidency of the assembly to skew the result. Or perhaps they thought the other candidates were older and more deserving. Or maybe the campaign was a foretaste of the "democratic" reaction that would soon see the first instance of the election of two plebian consuls (172), a fact Livy passes over in silence (42.9). The Claudii were notorious for their support of "popular" politics and the succesful plebian candidate (Baebius) was a new man who actual did preside as consul over the election of his brother.

 

However, as an example of political chicanery in what were supposedly the "salad days" of the Republic, the antics of the Servilii in 203-202 seem at least as unseemly. Cn Servilius Caepio (cos 203) left his province without permission (rescuing his father from the Gauls in the process) and his relative and colleague C Servilius Geminus tried to supplant Scipio in Africa, crossing to Sicily in defiance of the senate, forcing the appointment of a dictator to recall him. Munzer says (pg 136) that the elections of 203, conducted by another dictator appointed by C Servilius, "were prearranged for the preservation of the rule of the Servilian party in Rome" resulting in the election of Gaius' brother M Servilius Pulex Geminus. Marcus then made Gaius dictator, supposedly to hold the elections, but March and April passed without magistrates (Livy 30.39) and Gaius still dictator (illegally, as he should not have held office after the consul who appointed him retired). When he finally did hold elections, his partisan P Aeliius Paetus was elected. After this nonsense the dictatorship was not used again - until Sulla.

 

The fierce political competition between aristocratic families and the bending of the laws in pursuit of power and office probably went back to the beginning of the Republic. Livy (or his sources) often chooses to ignore or pass over such unpleasantness.

Edited February 23, 2009 by Pompieus