Lucius Aemilius Paullus
The Death of Paulus Aemilius at the Battle of Cannae by John Trumbull
Roman consul
In office
15 March 216 BC – 2 August 216 BC
Preceded byGaius Lutatius Catulus
Lucius Veturius Philo
Succeeded byGaius Terentius Varro
(remaining term)
In office
15 March 219 BC – 14 March 218 BC
Preceded byGnaeus Servilius Geminus
Marcus Atilius Regulus
Succeeded byPublius Cornelius Scipio
Tiberius Sempronius Longus
Personal details
Died2 August 216 BC
Cannae, Roman Republic
NationalityRoman
ChildrenLucius Aemilius Paullus Macedonicus
Aemilia Prima
Aemilia Secunda
Aemilia Tertia
Military service
AllegianceRoman Republic
Battles/wars

Lucius Aemilius Paullus (died 2 August 216 BC), also spelled Paulus, was a consul of the Roman Republic twice, in 219 and 216 BC. He is primarily remembered for being one of the commanders of the Roman army at the Battle of Cannae, and for his death in the same battle.

Biography

Lucius Aemilius Paullus was the son of Marcus Aemilius Paullus, the consul of 255 BC. Paullus shared his first consulship with Marcus Livius Salinator.[1] During this year, he defeated Demetrius of Pharos in the Second Illyrian War, and forced him to flee to the court of Philip V of Macedon.[2] On his return to Rome, he was awarded a triumph. He was subsequently charged, along with his colleague, with unfairly dividing the spoils, although he was acquitted.[1][3]

During the Second Punic War, Paullus was made consul a second time and served with Gaius Terentius Varro. He shared the command of the army with Varro at the Battle of Cannae. Varro led out the troops against the advice of Paullus and the battle became a crushing defeat for the Romans.[4][5] Paullus died in the battle, while Varro managed to escape.[6]

In Silius Italicus' epic poem Punica, Paullus is described as killing the Carthaginian commander Viriathus prior to his own death.[7]

Paullus was the father of Lucius Aemilius Paullus Macedonicus. His daughter, Aemilia Tertia, married Scipio Africanus, the Roman commander who defeated Hannibal.[8][9][10] He was the grandfather of Publius Cornelius Scipio Aemilianus, the Roman commander who destroyed Carthage.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b O'Connell, Robert L. (2010-07-13). The Ghosts of Cannae: Hannibal and the Darkest Hour of the Roman Republic. Random House Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-679-60379-5.
  2. ^ Taylor, Don (2017-01-31). Roman Republic at War: A Compendium of Battles from 502 to 31 B.C. Casemate Publishers. ISBN 978-1-4738-9444-0.
  3. ^ T. Robert S. Broughton: The Magistrates Of The Roman Republic. Vol. 1: 509 B.C. - 100 B.C.. Cleveland / Ohio: Case Western Reserve University Press, 1951. Reprint 1968. (Philological Monographs. Edited by the American Philological Association. Vol. 15, 1), p. 236
  4. ^ T. Robert S. Broughton: The Magistrates Of The Roman Republic. Vol. 1: 509 B.C. - 100 B.C.. Cleveland / Ohio: Case Western Reserve University Press, 1951. Reprint 1968. (Philological Monographs. Edited by the American Philological Association. Vol. 15, 1), p. 247-253
  5. ^ Hanson, Victor Davis (2007-12-18). Carnage and Culture: Landmark Battles in the Rise to Western Power. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-307-42518-8.
  6. ^ Livy Ab urbe condita XXII 38-50
  7. ^ Silius Italicus Punica, 5, 219-233
  8. ^ Livius, Titus (1875). Lee-Warner, Henry (ed.). Extracts from Livy, with notes by H. Lee-Warner. Oxford University.((cite book)): CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  9. ^ Bahmanyar, Mir (2016-09-22). Zama 202 BC: Scipio crushes Hannibal in North Africa. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4728-1423-4.
  10. ^ Mulligan, Bret (2015-10-05). Cornelius Nepos, Life of Hannibal: Latin text, notes, maps, illustrations and vocabulary (in Arabic). Open Book Publishers. ISBN 978-1-78374-132-8.
Political offices Preceded byGaius Lutatius CatulusLucius Veturius Philo Roman consul (1st term) 15 March 219 BC – 14 March 218 BC With: Marcus Livius Salinator Succeeded byPublius Cornelius ScipioTiberius Sempronius Longus Preceded byGnaeus Servilius GeminusMarcus Atilius Regulus Roman consul (2nd term) 15 March – 2 August 216 BC With: Gaius Terentius Varro Succeeded byGaius Terentius Varro(remaining term)
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