Lucius Cornelius Maluginensis Uritinus

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Lucius Cornelius Maluginensis Uritinus
Consul of the Roman Republic
In office
1 August 459 BC [1] – 31 July 458 BC
Preceded byGaius Claudius Sabinus Regillensis, Publius Valerius Poplicola (consul 475 BC)
Succeeded byGaius Nautius Rutilus, Lucius Minucius Esquilinus Augurinus
Personal details
BornUnknown
Ancient Rome
DiedUnknown
Ancient Rome

Lucius Cornelius Maluginensis Uritinus was a Roman politician and general of the 5th century BC, who served as consul once in 459 BC.

Family

Lucius Cornelius Maluginensis Uritinus was a member of the patrician gens Cornelia and was the son of Servius Cornelius Maluginensis, the first consul of the family who acquired the office in 485 BC. Cornelius was either the father or brother of Marcus Cornelius Maluginensis, who served as a member of the decemviri in 450 and 449 BC.

Consulship

In 459 BC, Cornelius was elected consul alongside Quintus Fabius Vibulanus, himself a two time consular. In this year, two events occurred which necessitated armed conflict, firstly the Aequians stormed the city of Tusculum, a Roman ally, and secondly an array of Volscians and Roman colonists rose up in revolt in the Roman colony of Antium. In response to these events, the senate assigned Fabius to fight the Aequians, and Cornelius to put down rebellious Antium. Upon arriving in Antium, Cornelius confronted the rebellious Antiates in battle, defeating them and putting them to flight. Cornelius then ravaged the nearby territory and laid siege to Antium. In response the Antiates attempted a sortie but were easily defeated. After this Cornelius resolved to take the city quickly and, with the use of scaling ladders and battering rams, thenceforth took Antium by storm. Upon entering the city, Cornelius took much loot and riches to deposit in the treasury and had the ringleaders of the rebellion scourged and beheaded. Upon returning to Rome, the senate decreed that both he and his colleague Fabius, who had also succeeded in his own campaign, be granted triumphs.[2]

There is another tradition, which is imparted by Livy, which states that there was no Antiate rebellion and that both consuls conducted a joint campaign against the Aequians at Tusculum. This sequence of events seems less likely however, as the Fasti Triumphales records triumphs celebrated by both consuls against different enemies.[3][4]

Later life

In 449 BC, in the midst of the second year of the second set of decemviri, which included his son or brother Marcus and his former colleague Fabius, the decemvirs summoned the senate to discuss whether they should raise a levy to defend against the Sabines and Aequians, who had just raided Roman territory. Many senators, including

Dionysius of Hallicarnassus stating that he recommended appointing a dictator, while Livy writes that he threatened to take his demands for the decemvirate to be overthrown to the people. Either way however, after Valerius had finished speaking, Cornelius, in fear that the proposal of Valerius would beat out his own, demanded that deliberations be put to an end and voting started. In the end the majority still preferred the proposal of Cornelius, and the decemvirs set out to war against the Sabines and Aequians[5][6]

References

  1. ^ Robert Maxwell Ogilvie, Commentary on Livy, books 1–5, Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1965, pp. 404, 405.
  2. ^ Dionysius of Hallicarnassus, X, 21
  3. ^ Livy, III, 23
  4. ^ Fasti Triumphales
  5. ^ Livy, III, 40-41
  6. ^ Dionysius of Hallicarnassus, XI, 7-21