Marcus Valerius Laevinus

Marcus Valerius Laevinus was a politician and general Roman of third century BC

Its Préture in Sicily (227)

In 227 av. J. - C., it began its political career as a Préteur of the Sicily

Its first Consul At (220)

In 220 av. J. - C., it was elected Consul suffect .

Its préture pérégrine in Apulie (215)

In 215 av. J. - C., it was praetor pérégrin: it was thus qualified to regulate any litigation between Rome and its adversaries. It was in charge of the command of the legions which returned from Sicily. It sent its troops in Apulie to defend the country, accepted 25 vessels, and became commander of a fleet in Adriatique to protect the coast from Tarente and Brindes.

Philippe V, king of Macedonia, was delighted by advanced by Hannibal in Italy and chooses to embrace its party. It sent Ambassadeur S which went to find Marcus Valerius Laevinus, Préteur of Rome. They declared to him, without ciller, that the Macedonia was ready to be combined with Rome, and this last, merry to find allies after so many defections in Italy on the passage of Hannibal, showed them the situation, and the positions Roman and enemy. The embassy, carried out by Xénophane, joined then the Carthaginois and concludes with him a treaty from alliance and friendship, according to the following terms, Tite-Live.

In Italy, the defections continued. Three cities of the Hirpins, Vercellium, Vescellium and Sicilinum, were taken again of attack by Valerius, revolted put at deaths.

Marcus Valerius was charged to confirm or not that the Macedonians returned in war against Rome. If that were confirmed, it was to join the fleet with Tarente and, from there, to pass in Macedonia to contain Philippe in his kingdom. It was initially sent to Brindes since Lucera with its army to protect the coast from the Sallentins of a possible attack of the Macedonians.

Its first propréture in Macedonia (214 with 210)

In 214 av. J. - C., its mandate was extended in propréture and it accepted the command of the coasts close to Brundisium, to supervise all the movements of Philippe, king of Macedonia. For that, after the réaffection of the armies, one of the eighteen legion was allotted to him for the service of the fleet of Adriatique of which it had the command.

To the autumn, Hannibal went on Tarente and tried to reconcile the latter by avoiding plundering in this area, but the Propréteur made so that it did not find any ally in this area.

A delegation come from Oricum announced to him that Philippe had tried to seize Appolonie, the allied one of Rome, then was caught some with Oricum, small town without defense. This delegation also announced to him that the king of Macedonia had nearly 120 galères, and called for the Rome aid, because Philippe only attacked these cities to prepare the war in Italy.

Marcus Valerius Laevinus had been ready to act for one year, it took on board these men and arrived the following day at Oricum, which it took again without difficulty, the weak garrison left by Philippe who cannot fight. From there, he learned that Apollonie was besieged. He sent to it a garrison of 2000 soldiers of elite, ordered by Quintus Naevius Crista, chief of the allies, who succeeds in entering the city. The following night, it seized the camp of Philippe by surprise, this last succeeding in fleeing, 3000 of its men were killed and there were even more prisoners, Apollonie seized the machines war, and the Romains of the remainder of the spoils. Marcus Valerius Laevinus, learning the news, blocked prevented the Macedonians from fleeing by sea, and the latter had to flee by ground to their country, overcome by the Romains.

The following year, in 212 av. J. - C., its command is again extended, like in 211 av. J. - C., whereas the war makes rage in Italy.

One of both Consul S of the year 211 av. J. - C., Publius Sulpicius Bent Maximus, took the command of the war against Philippe with the beginning of the year 210 av. J. - C. has Rome, with the autumn, the elections Consul surfaces took place. Initially, Titus Manlius Torquatus and Titus Otacilius Crassus were chosen by the first Centurie to vote, but the Consul surface Titus Manlius Torquatus recalled to the order the voters, exhorting them to elect other candidates, because it was old and almost blind man, and could not fight Hannibal. One called upon the old men of this first Centurie, who indicated three plausible candidates: Quintus Fabius Maximus Verrucosus (already four times Consul), Marcus Claudius Marcellus (already three times Consul) and Marcus Valerius Laevinus (once Consul, and the voters chose finally the two last: Marcus Claudius Marcellus was elected for the fourth time, and Marcus Valerius Laevinus for the second time Consul of the Roman République for the year according to, both absent from Rome.

On the other side of the Adriatic , Marcus Valerius Laevinus negotiated with the king Attale Ier and the confederation étolienne, who become the friends of Rome against the Royaume of Macedonia. It was committed helping Étoliens to push back the Macedonians. The war began again, and it took the towns of Zakynthos, Œniadæ and the island of Naxos, while the étoliens tried to take again territories lost. The Propréteur was withdrawn then with Corcyre for the winter judging that Philippe could not threaten Rome any more, and still not knowing that he had been elected Consul for the following year.

With the beginning of the year 210 av. J. - C., it put the seat around Anticyre, and the Étoliens joined it. In very little time, the city fell, the city was given to the Étoliens, the spoils with the Romains, according to the terms of the treaty. It is only there that he learned that he had been elected Consul, and that Publius Sulpicius Galba Maximus replaced it in the war against Philippe V of Macedonia. Marcus Valerius Laevinus was sick, and returned only tardily to Rome.

Its second Consul At (210)

Of return in Italy, the Consul Marcus Valerius Laevinus reached at the requests of the Campaniens, and in particular of those of Capoue, to be able be sorry their the Sénat, after their treason (see delights of Capoue), against the opinion of Quintus Fulvius Flaccus.

It made a statement on the situation in addition to Adriatique to the Sénat, suggesting that one could point out the legion remained on the spot, Philippe not being more one threat, and that the fleet would be enough to protect the Italy from the Macedonians.

Then, the Sénat decided that one of the Consul S would remain in Italy to continue the war against Hannibal, while the other would go in Sicily. 21 legions were raised or maintained for the year 210 av. J. - C..

Lastly, the Siciliens were accepted with the Sénat, where they exposed their objections, and their charges against Marcus Claudius Marcellus. One reproached him, in particular at the time of the seat of Syracuse, to have taken it by storm and to have ransacked rather than to trust some Syracusains which proposed to open the doors peacefully to him, but the situation was confused and not very clear alliances, the new tyrant of Syracuse, Hiéronyme, decided to be combined with Hannibal betraying Rome, whereas the population did not follow this choice. Marcus Claudius Marcellus had preferred to take the city by the force to kill these enemies.

The Sénat took the party of the Consul, and required of his/her colleague, now charged with the island, to spare their interests. The Syracusains were reconciled with Marcus Claudius Marcellus, becoming its customers.

Then, the Sénat accepted the Campaniens brought by the Consul, but their treason justified the seat of the city by the Romains until unconditional surrender, like wanted it Quintus Fulvius Flaccus. The Sénat condemned them moreover to various sanctions, confiscation of the goods, slavery, etc

Lastly, the Consul S had to impose unpopular measurements. Rome missed oarsmen, and did not have any more money, and one asked the people, which had very lost in this long war, to pay and nourish new oarsmen. The people thundered, the Sénat recognized that the complaints of the people were founded.

In front of this situation, Marcus Valerius Laevinus proposed that the senators show the example, and all came to the Treasury to give all that they had, imitated soon by the knights, then by all the people of Rome, without no Loi, no edict, no Senatus consulting is not pronounced.

Countryside of Sicily (210)

He went then in Sicily to the autumn 210 av. J. - C., after various forwardings. He arranged first of all the businesses of Syracuse, as the Sénat was committed there. He moved then against Agrigente, last important city with the hands of the Carthaginois, ordered by Hannon. But the latter rented some Muttinès, which ordered the Numides, and plundered all the allied cities with the Romains without whoever not being able to prevent it from entering and to leave Agrigente. Hannon of it was jealous, and withdrew its command to him. Muttinès, made indignant, was gone from there to see the Consul to negotiate the rendering of Agrigente. The Numides opened the doors of the city, and Hannon was constrained to flee, giving up Agrigente and the island with the Romains.

The remainder of the Sicily which was still the ally of the Carthaginois were taken, either by treason, or voluntarily, or by the force. He entrusted his province to a Préteur, and his fleet with Marcus Valerius Messalla, and returned to Rome, where he told his exploits in front of the Sénat.

Marcus Valerius Messalla, which plundered the African coasts, learned with the Consul and the Sénat that the Carthaginois prepared a new offensive on the Italy and the Sicily. The Sénat thus wished that the Consul turn over in his province and that it names a dictator to chair the elections. It chooses Marcus Valerius Messalla, but the Sénat, this last being out of Italy. The senators wanted to force the Consul to name the dictator chooses by the people, but it turned over in Sicily without waiting, and it was his/her colleague who named dictator, according to the wish of the people, Quintus Fulvius Flaccus, which carried out the seat of Capoue, and Publius Licinius Crassus Dives was named Maître of cavalry according to same the Plébiscite. It reinforced its army thanks to the deserters Numides and with enrôlement of Siciliens. It divided its troops into two armies, a Propréteur ordered the oriental party of the island, and the proconsul the Western part, and made in the same way its fleet of 70 ships. He traversed itself the island length into broad, with the cavalry of Muttinès, to take care that the cultures follow their course, and thus made it possible to have very important harvests, sufficient in Rome and its province.

In 208 av. J. - C., its proconsulat was extended once again, it accepted new ships, with for order plundering the African shores. Marcus Valerius, with a fleet of one hundred ships, passed in Africa and did not meet on ground any resistance. It overcame a fleet of 83 ships, and returned to Lilybée with important spoils.

In 207 av. J. - C., to the summer, the fleet which it ordered passed in Africa and devastated most of the littoral Carthaginois, close to Utique and Carthage even, plundering the grounds to the doors of these cities. A punic fleet faced him then, and it overcame it, taking 17 ships, by running 4 others, dispersant and putting in escape the remainder of the enemy fleet. It returned in Sicily with enormous spoils.

It accepted the order in Rome with most of its fleet and of its army in 206 av. J. - C.. It led its troops to Arretium to fight against Magon Barca, one of the generals Carthaginois present in Italy.

Its Embassy in Asia (204)

The Roman République did not have allies in Asia, but the war against Philippe V of Macedonia, commune with other Greek people, had created friendships.

Marcus Valerius Laevinus, Consul by twice and which had been charged with the war against Philippe, Marcus Caecilius Metellus, old Préteur, Servius Sulpicius Galba, old municipal official, Cneius Tremellius Flaccus and Marcus Valerius Falto, two old Questeur S, was selected to compose this Ambassade.

Some proposals with the Senate (204 with 203)

Of return, it presents a motion to the Sénat, to refund the sums due to the senators, the knights and the Roman people, which had all to contribute most extremely to fill the Treasury at the time of the war, during his second Consul At. The Sénat approved this motion.

A delegation Carthaginois E arrived at Rome, and pled that Hannibal had declared the war in Rome in its proper name, without the agreement of the senate and the Carthaginian people, and asked that old alliance between Rome and Carthage be maintained.

Marcus Valerius Laevinus saw these men like spies and not of the deputies, and proposed that one escorts the ambassadors in their country and that one orders with Scipion the African to continue the war. The Sénat adopted the proposal of the Consul surface.

Its second propréture in Macedonia (201 with 200)

As of the peace signed with Carthage, which put an end to the First Punic War, after the Bataille of Zama, gained by Scipion the African, one decided to carry the war in Macedonia to help the allies of Rome. Marcus Valerius Laevinus accepted the title of Propréteur, and passed in Macedonia with 38 vessels.

The Sénat voted the war against Philippe V of Macedonia in spring of the year 200 and learned that this last threatened Athens. The Roman people rejected the declaration of war at the end of March, and voted it finally four months, convinced later by the Consul S that Philippe V of Macedonia was in war against Rome, therefore Rome was to enter in war against him.

Its death (200)

He died in 200 av. J. - C. and its sons organized funeral plays which lasted four days, with engagements of gladiators.

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