Titus Quinctius Flamininus facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Titus Quinctius Flamininus
|
|
|---|---|
Gold stater (an ancient coin) of Titus Quinctius Flamininus in the British Museum, around 197/196 BC.
|
|
| Born | c. 229 BC |
| Died | 174 BC |
| Nationality | Roman |
| Office | Consul (198 BC) Censor (189 BC) |
| Military service | |
| Battles/wars | Battle of Cynoscephalae (197 BC) |
| Awards | Triumph (194 BC) |
Titus Quinctius Flamininus (born around 229 BC, died 174 BC) was an important Roman leader and general. He played a big role in the Roman takeover of Greece.
Contents
Flamininus's Family History
Flamininus belonged to the Quinctia family, which was a noble (patrician) family in ancient Rome. This family had a famous past, including the hero Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus. However, their political power had lessened by the 300s BC.
His great-grandfather, Caeso Quinctius Claudus, was a consul in 271 BC. A consul was one of the two highest elected officials in the Roman Republic. Flamininus's grandfather, Lucius Quinctius, was a flamen Dialis, which was a very important priest of Jupiter, the chief Roman god. The family name "Flamininus" comes from this important priestly role.
Flamininus's father was also named Titus, but we don't know much about him. Titus had two sons: Titus Flamininus (born around 228 BC) and his younger brother, Lucius. By the end of the 200s BC, the Quinctia family became important in Roman politics again.
The Quinctia family had a long-standing friendship with the Fabii, another very powerful Roman family. Flamininus likely married a woman from the Fabia family. This is because a historian named Polybius mentioned that Quintus Fabius Buteo, who served under Flamininus in Greece, was his wife's nephew.
Early Steps in His Career
Military Tribune (208 BC)
Flamininus's early career was unusual because he moved up the ranks very quickly. This happened often during the Second Punic War, a huge war fought against Hannibal. Flamininus started as a military tribune in 208 BC. This was a junior military job. He served under Marcus Claudius Marcellus, a five-time consul, who was fighting Hannibal in Southern Italy. Marcellus died in a surprise attack in 208 BC.
Governor of Tarentum (205–202 BC)
Flamininus then became a quaestor, likely in 206 BC. A quaestor managed public money. He was sent to Tarentum to help his uncle, Quinctius Claudus Flamininus. His uncle was the propraetor, which meant he was like a governor in charge of the Roman soldiers there. Rome kept many soldiers in this Greek city because it had previously sided with Hannibal.
His uncle probably died in Tarentum in 205 BC. It seems Flamininus took over his command because he was already there. Becoming a propraetor before the age of 25 was a huge achievement. It was possible because experienced commanders were needed overseas at the end of the Second Punic War. Flamininus got along well with the Greek people in Tarentum. During his time there, he also learned the Greek language and understood their culture.
Special Commissions (201-200 BC)
In 201 BC, Flamininus was part of a group of ten men. Their job was to help soldiers who had fought with Scipio Africanus settle in Southern Italy. He was chosen probably because he knew the area well from his time in Tarentum. This group continued its work in 200 BC. However, Flamininus was also chosen for another group of three men to help new settlers in Venusia. It was very rare for a Roman to be on two such groups at the same time!
Becoming Consul and Leading in Greece (198–194 BC)
Running for Consul (199 BC)
In 199 BC, Flamininus ran for the position of consul. He was not even 30 years old! At that time, the rules for moving up in Roman politics (called the cursus honorum) were not yet set in stone. Still, his attempt to become consul was very unusual because he was so young. Even Scipio Africanus, a famous general, was 31 when he became consul. Scipio also had amazing military victories and support from a powerful family. Flamininus, however, came from a less famous family and didn't have big war achievements.
Two officials called tribunes of the plebs tried to stop him. They said he was too young and hadn't held the right earlier offices. But the Roman Senate (a powerful governing body) made them remove their objection. This allowed Flamininus to run for consul.
Historians today think that powerful politicians supported Flamininus. He was elected consul, along with Sextus Aelius Paetus Catus. Flamininus was elected second. A writer named Plutarch said that Flamininus became popular by helping distribute land to settlers. These settlers then voted for him.
The two new consuls couldn't agree on which province (area of command) each would get. So, they decided by drawing lots. The most important prize was leading the Second Macedonian War against King Philip V of Macedon. Flamininus was lucky and won this important command.
War in Macedon (198 BC)
After becoming consul, Flamininus was chosen to lead the Roman army in the Second Macedonian War. He replaced the previous general. In 198 BC, he pushed Philip V of Macedon out of most of Southern Greece. He defeated Philip at the Battle of the Aous. As his time as consul was ending, he tried to make peace with the Macedonian king.
During these talks, Flamininus was made proconsul. This meant he had the power to continue the war instead of finishing the peace talks. In 197 BC, he defeated Philip at the Battle of Cynoscephalae in Thessaly. In this battle, the Roman legions showed that the Macedonian phalanx (a type of army formation) was no longer the best.
Philip had to give up all the Greek cities he had taken. He also had to pay Rome a large amount of money (1,000 talents, a unit of weight for money). But his kingdom was allowed to stay in place. This was so it could act as a buffer (a protective area) between Greece and Illyria. Rome's allies in Greece, like the Achaean League, were not happy about this. They wanted Macedon to be completely broken up.
In 198 BC, Flamininus took control of Anticyra in Phocis. He made it his main port for ships and supplies. From 197 to 194 BC, Flamininus managed the political matters of the Greek states from his base in Elateia.
Freedom for Greece (196 BC)
In 196 BC, Flamininus appeared at the Isthmian Games in Corinth. These were famous Greek athletic games. There, he announced that the Greek states were now free! Flamininus spoke Greek very well and loved Greek culture. The Greeks cheered him as their hero and liberator. They even made coins with his face on them, and in some cities, they treated him like a god.
According to the historian Livy, this was a selfless act by someone who truly loved Greek culture. However, it's more likely that Flamininus saw "freedom" as liberty for the rich and powerful families in Greece. These families would then become allies of Rome, rather than being controlled by Macedon. Flamininus and his Greek allies also attacked Sparta. He then returned to Rome in a grand parade (a triumph). He brought with him thousands of freed slaves, including 1,200 who had been captured in Italy and sold in Greece during the Second Punic War.
Later, Eumenes II of Pergamum asked Rome for help against the Seleucid king Antiochus III. Flamininus was sent to talk with Antiochus in 192 BC. He warned Antiochus not to interfere with the Greek states. Antiochus didn't believe Flamininus had the right to speak for the Greeks. He promised to leave Greece alone only if the Romans did the same. These talks failed, and Rome soon went to war with Antiochus. Flamininus was present at the Battle of Thermopylae in 191 BC, where Antiochus was defeated.
In 189 BC, Flamininus was elected censor along with Marcus Claudius Marcellus. A censor was a powerful Roman official who counted citizens and managed public morals. He won against other important Romans, including Cato the Elder.
In 183 BC, Flamininus was sent to talk with Prusias I of Bithynia. His goal was to capture Hannibal, Rome's old enemy, who was living there in exile. But Hannibal took his own life to avoid being captured. According to Plutarch, many Roman senators criticized Flamininus for causing the death of an enemy who was no longer a threat. We don't know much about Flamininus after this, but he seems to have died around 174 BC.
