Lucius Opimius

Lucius Opimius was Consul of Rome in 121 av. J. - C..

Known to have crushed the revolt of the city of Fregellae in 125 av. J. - C., it was elected consul into 121 with Quintus Fabius Maximus Allobrogicus.

It is during its consulate, and whereas Q. Fabius Maximus had left to order the Roman legions in Gaulle, that Gaius Gracchus and Marcus Fulvius Flaccus was beaten at the time of their attempt at re-election to the magistrature of Tribun of the plebs, and occupied the Aventin with their partisans. The Sénat then addressed a senatus consultum ultimum to the magistrates, and to the first chief with the only consul then in Rome, Lucius Opimius, authorizing it to use the force to protect the State. It is besides the first senatus consultum ultimum of which we have the trace. L. Opimius joins together a group of senators and their customers and went against the partisans of Gaius Gracchus which found death during the battle, like Mr. Flaccus. Then, in order to definitively eliminate the party from the Gracques, it made judge and condemn to death 3000 partisans of Gaius Gracchus.

In -120, Opimius had to answer of the exactions made during these events, but was discharged with the assistance of Gaius Papirius Carbo. The institutionalization of the senatus consultum ultimum put at the hands Sénat and of its factions an unbounded weapon against possible opponents and one used it against Saturninus into 100, Catilina into 63.

In -116, Opimius chaired the commission which divided the Numidie between Jugurtha and his/her cousin Adherbal. Suspectés to be corrupted by Jugurtha, the members of this commission were condemned, and Opimius had to take the way of the exile where he died.

Sources

Plutarque, Life of Gracques , XXXIV to XXXIX
Dictionary of Antiquity published by the University of Oxford.

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