Marcus Calpurnius Bibulus

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Marcus Calpurnius Bibulus (d. 48 BC) was a politician of the late Roman Republic.

Bibulus was the son in law of Marcus Porcius Cato Uticencis. In 59 BC he was elected consul, supported by the optimates, the conservative Republican opponents in the Senate of Gaius Julius Caesar and of the triumvirate he had formed. Caesar, also elected to the consulship in 59, failed in securing the election of his ally Lucius Lucceius to the consulship. Nevertheless with the combined strength of the triumvirate, they were largely able to circumvent the authority of Bibulus and the optimates.

Bibulus' only major act as consul was to veto the bill proposed by Caesar that would give land in Campania to Pompey's soldiers, and to then declare that the rest of the days on which the Centuriate Assembly could meet would be religious holidays. Caesar presented his bill at the Assembly anyway, and when Bibulus tried to intervene, the crowd broke his fasces and dumped feces on him. He retired from the Forum, leaving Caesar with complete control over the consulship, although he occasionally issued complaints against Caesar, which led to attacks on his house from Caesar's supporters, the populares. For the rest of the year, the populares joked that the two consuls were really "Julius and Caesar," a pun of the tradition of naming years after the two consuls. Bibulus spent the remainder of his term sequestered in his house where he claimed he was watching for omens, an act that technically invalidated all legislation passed that year.

As a senator in 52 BC, he supported Pompey, who was by now a political enemy of Caesar. Bibulus and Cato Uticencis allowed Pompey to serve as sole consul in 52 BC after the murder of Publius Clodius. In 51 BC he became governor of Syria, but offended the army there by claiming a victory which had been won before he arrived.

In 48 BC he allied with Pompey against Caesar, commanding Pompey's navy in the Adriatic Sea. He captured Caesar's fleet, leaving Caesar stranded in Epirus, although this was a small feat as Caesar went on to defeat Pompey at the Battle of Pharsalus. Bibulus died later in 48 BC.

Bibulus was married twice. From the first marriage he had three sons, including the later statesman Lucius Calpurnius Bibulus. His two eldest sons were killed in Egypt by some of the soldiery which Aulus Gabinius had left there after having restored Ptolemy Auletes to the throne. His second wife was Cato's daughter Porcia.

Preceded by: Lucius Afranius and Quintus Caecilius Metellus Celer

Consul of the Roman Republic with Gaius Julius Caesar 59 BC

Succeeded by: Lucius Calpurnius Piso Caesoninus and Aulus Gabinius