Definition:
For the Romans, family came first. Pater familias ruled the roost, but mater wasn't far behind. The story of the fifth century B.C. patrician military Coriolanus shows just how influential she was.
The end of the era of the Roman kings and the early Roman Republic is in the period of Roman history known through legends and stories passed down from one generation to the next more than from reliable historical sources.
Themes stand out -- like the class conflict between the generally wealthy patricians and the generally poor plebeians. Since the plebeian farmers had no way to support their families unless they worked the land, yet couldn't avoid military service, some of them resolved to leave and found a new colony. To persuade them to stay, the patricians offered them a salvo -- political representatives called tribunes with great clout: veto power. The plebeians accepted.
Many patricians believed they'd lost too much in the deal, so when an opportunity (famine) presented itself to reduce plebeian power, Coriolanus leapt on it.
Rome imported grain to dole out to the suffering people, mainly plebeians. Before it could be administered, Coriolanus said publicly that the plebeians must choose between corn and tribunes.
Reaction was furious. Charged with misappropriation of funds, Coriolanus had to leave the city. He fled to Rome's neighbors, but not friends, the Volscians. They were pleased to have a competent general -- and they knew he was because they'd faced him when he led Romans against them.
They wished him to lead them against Rome. And Coriolanus would have done so, had not his mother (Veturia), wife (Volumnia), and children come to stop him.
On the brink of battle, at his mother's request, Coriolanus put down his arms, turned back, and lived out his life in exile followed by execution by the Volscians.
Plutarch describes the assassination:
Examples: William Shakespeare wrote a tragedy called Coriolanus based on the stories of the Roman general and the women in his life.
Detailed Biography of Coriolanus | Basics
For the Romans, family came first. Pater familias ruled the roost, but mater wasn't far behind. The story of the fifth century B.C. patrician military Coriolanus shows just how influential she was.
The end of the era of the Roman kings and the early Roman Republic is in the period of Roman history known through legends and stories passed down from one generation to the next more than from reliable historical sources.
Themes stand out -- like the class conflict between the generally wealthy patricians and the generally poor plebeians. Since the plebeian farmers had no way to support their families unless they worked the land, yet couldn't avoid military service, some of them resolved to leave and found a new colony. To persuade them to stay, the patricians offered them a salvo -- political representatives called tribunes with great clout: veto power. The plebeians accepted.
Many patricians believed they'd lost too much in the deal, so when an opportunity (famine) presented itself to reduce plebeian power, Coriolanus leapt on it.
Rome imported grain to dole out to the suffering people, mainly plebeians. Before it could be administered, Coriolanus said publicly that the plebeians must choose between corn and tribunes.
Reaction was furious. Charged with misappropriation of funds, Coriolanus had to leave the city. He fled to Rome's neighbors, but not friends, the Volscians. They were pleased to have a competent general -- and they knew he was because they'd faced him when he led Romans against them.
They wished him to lead them against Rome. And Coriolanus would have done so, had not his mother (Veturia), wife (Volumnia), and children come to stop him.
On the brink of battle, at his mother's request, Coriolanus put down his arms, turned back, and lived out his life in exile followed by execution by the Volscians.
Plutarch describes the assassination:
"Accordingly, the conspirators decided to make no more delay, and not to test the feelings of the multitude; but the boldest of them, crying out that the Volscians must not listen to the traitor, nor suffer him to retain his command and play the tyrant among them, fell upon him in a body and slew him, and no man present offered to defend him."
Plutarch Coriolanus
Examples: William Shakespeare wrote a tragedy called Coriolanus based on the stories of the Roman general and the women in his life.
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