September 22, 36 BCE: Marcus Aemilius Lepidus retires from the Second Triumvirate, which he had been part of with Octavian (future Augustus) and Antony. Born is 89 or 88 BCE as a patrician, Lepidus began public service as a young men, becoming a member of the Collegium Pontificum (College of Ponfiffs). These were the highest-ranking priests in Romes state religion. He then began his cursus honorum (Roman career ladder) as a triumvir monetalis, one of three officers whose job was to supervise the minting of coins, the English word money likely deriving from this. Lepidus was a great admirer and supporter of Julius Caesar, who named hi praetor in 49 BCE while Caesar pursued Pompey to Greece after crossing the Rubicon and marching on Rome. After helping to secure Caesars position as dictator (a title with a very different meaning in the Roman Republic than today), he was rewarded by being named proconsul of the Spanish province of Hispania Citerior. Unbeknownst to him, his head as well as that of Antony was on the block with Caesar in 44 BCE as Cassius attempted to persuade Brutus to kill them as well. Brutus refused and reminded Cassius that they were participating in an assassination because of the powers Caesar had bequeathed to himself and his appointment as peretua dictator (dictator for life), not a political coup. Caesar dined with Lepidus the night before his death, and upon hearing of it Lepidus immediately moved a contingent of troops to Romes Campus Martius, a well-guarded and heavily populated area of Rome. After dealing with the conspirators at the Battle of Philippi, Lepidus and Antony joined Caesars great-nephew and adopted heir, Octavian, in the Second Triumvirate with his primary area of control being North Africa as well as Sicily. However, as a result of the Sicilian Revolt in 36 BCE, Octavian accused him of incompetence and actually fomenting the rebellion. The troops under Lepidus left him to serve under Octavian, and his power was entirely diminished. All offices were removed from him except that of Pontifex Maximus and he was exiled by Octavian to Circeii in central Italy. His son developed a conspiracy to assassinate Octavian following the defeat of Antony and Cleopatra at the Battle of Actium and was executed. He died in late 13 or early 12 BCE.
Posted on: Mon, 22 Sep 2014 04:04:21 +0000
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