Quintus Servilius Caepio (consul 106 BC) facts for kids

Quintus Servilius Caepio was an important Roman leader and general. He served as a consul in 106 BC. This was one of the highest positions in the Roman Republic. Later, he was a proconsul (a governor with military power) in a region called Cisalpine Gaul in 105 BC.

He was the father of another Quintus Servilius Caepio. He was also the grandfather of a famous woman named Servilia.

Caepio's Time as Consul

When Caepio was consul in 106 BC, he helped pass a new law. This law changed how jurors were chosen for trials. Before, they were chosen from a group called the equites (wealthy Roman citizens). Caepio's law made it so jurors would be chosen from the senators again.

However, this law didn't last very long. It seems another law, passed a few years later, changed things back.

The Gold of Tolosa Mystery

After his time as consul, Caepio was sent to Gaul. There, he captured a town called Tolosa, which is now Toulouse in France. Inside Tolosa, he found a huge treasure! It was said to be 50,000 bars of gold and 10,000 bars of silver.

Legend says this treasure was stolen from the temple of Delphi in Greece many years before. Caepio arranged for the riches to be sent back to Rome. But only the silver arrived. The gold disappeared! Many people believed Caepio himself had arranged for the gold to be stolen. The Gold of Tolosa was never found.

A Big Battle and Its Consequences

In 105 BC, a large group of people called the Cimbri were moving south. Caepio was given an army to stop them. Another Roman leader, Gnaeus Mallius Maximus, who was a consul that year, also had an army to fight the Cimbri.

Maximus was a "new man" in politics, meaning his family wasn't traditionally powerful. Caepio, who came from an old, important family, refused to work with Maximus. He wouldn't even camp his army near Maximus's troops.

This refusal to cooperate led to a terrible disaster. In the Battle of Arausio, the Cimbri attacked. Because the Roman armies were separated and not working together, they were completely defeated. Between 60,000 and 80,000 Roman soldiers died. It was one of the worst defeats in Roman history.

Life After the Battle

When Caepio returned to Rome, he faced serious consequences. The Roman Assembly (a group of citizens) took away his power as proconsul. A new law was passed that said anyone who lost their military power could also lose their place in the Senate. So, Caepio was removed from the Senate.

He was then accused of stealing the Tolosa gold. But because many senators were on the jury, he was found not guilty.

However, he was later put on trial again. This time, he was blamed for the huge loss of the Roman army at Arausio. Even with a famous speaker defending him, Caepio was found guilty. He received a very harsh punishment:

• He lost his Roman citizenship.
• He was forbidden from living within 800 miles of Rome.
• He was ordered to pay a massive fine, though this fine was so large it was never actually collected.
• He was not allowed to see or speak to his friends or family until he left Rome for exile.

There are different stories about what happened next. Some say he died in prison. But most historians believe he lived the rest of his life in exile in a city called Smyrna in Asia Minor.

Caepio's Family

Quintus Servilius Caepio was likely married to a woman named Caecilia Metella. They had three children:

• A son, also named Quintus Servilius Caepio.
• Two daughters, both named Servilia. One married a man named Catulus, and the other married Marcus Livius Drusus.

His wife, Caecilia Metella, might have been the daughter of a well-known Roman leader named Quintus Caecilius Metellus Macedonicus.

See also

In Spanish: Quinto Servilio Cepión (cónsul 106 a. C.) para niños

• Servilia gens