Quintus Caecilius Metellus Pius

Quintus Caecilius Metellus Pius (c. 130 BC – 63 BC) was a pro-Sullan politician and general who was Roman consul in 80 BC. He was the principal Senatorial commander during the Sertorian War, fighting alongside Pompeius Magnus. He was given the agnomen (nickname) “Pius” because of his constant and unbending attempts to have his father officially recalled from exile.^[1]

Early career

Coin of Quintus Caecilius Metellus Pius

Metellus Pius, a member of the distinguished plebeian gens Caecilia was the son of Quintus Caecilius Metellus Numidicus, who was consul in 109 BC. His career began in that same year, when he accompanied his father to Numidia as his contubernalis (cadet) during the Jugurthine War, returning to Rome in 107 BC, when his father was forcibly recalled by the actions of Gaius Marius.^[2] In 100 BC, after his father was banished as a result of the political manoeuvrings of Gaius Marius and Lucius Appuleius Saturninus, Metellus Pius launched a campaign to have his father brought back from exile. He produced a petition in 99 BC to this effect, and his constant pleading on the subject resulted in Quintus Calidius, the Plebeian Tribune of 98 BC passing a law which allowed his father to return.^[3] As a result of his fidelity, he was given the agnomen “Pius” for the constancy and inflexibility with which he fought for his father's political rehabilitation and return to Rome.

Sometime during 90s BC, Metellus Pius was elected to the College of Pontiffs as a result of his family's eminence and influence.^[4] The outbreak of the Social War saw him employed as a legate in late 89 BC, probably of the consul Pompeius Strabo, where he won some battles against the Marsi.^[5] As a result of these victories, he was elected Praetor in the following year (88 BC).^[6] During his praetorship, he was tasked with enrolling the Italian allies as new Roman citizens within sixty days, in accordance with the Lex Plautia Papiria.^[7] Once this was completed, Metellus Pius was again posted to the Social War, replacing Gaius Cosconius on the southern front. He harassed the territory around Apulia, captured the town of Venusia, and defeated the leading Italian leader, Quintus Poppaedius Silo, who died in the storming of Venusia.^[8][9]

In 87 BC, Metellus Pius’ command was extended, with his appointment as Propraetor, responsible for continuing the war against Samnium. Later that year, however, saw a dispute between the two consuls Lucius Cornelius Cinna and Gnaeus Octavius flare up into war. Cinna, expelled from Rome, met up with the exiled Gaius Marius, and both laid siege to Rome. During the early phase of this conflict, the Senate, fearing that they may need additional troops and commanders, ordered Metellus Pius to negotiate a peace with the Samnites.^[10]

Marching to Rome, he made camp at the Alban Hills, accompanied by Publius Licinius Crassus. Here he met up with Gnaeus Octavius, who had abandoned Rome, but both men soon fell out with each other, over Metellus Pius’ troops demanding that their commander take over overall command from Gnaeus Octavius. The Senate then asked him to negotiate with Cinna on their behalf, during which time he recognized Cinna as the legitimate consul.^[11] However, with Cinna’s occupation of Rome and the executions initiated by Gaius Marius, Metellus Pius decided to abandon Rome and head to North Africa.^[12]

Supporter of Sulla

Arriving in Africa by early 86 BC, Metellus Pius started raising an army from his private clients, with the intent of joining Lucius Cornelius Sulla, who had been the principal opponent of Cinna and Marius.^[13] He was joined by Marcus Licinius Crassus, but both men fell out, and Crassus was forced to leave and eventually join up with Sulla in Greece.^[14] He acted as proconsular governor of the province, but this was unrecognized by Cinna and his regime at Rome.^[15] Nevertheless, it wasn’t until 84 BC that the Marians at Rome were able to send out their own governor, Gaius Fabius Hadrianus.^[16] Upon his arrival, he drove out Metellus Pius who fled to Numidia; pursued here, he and the Numidian king Hiempsal II were forced to flee onwards to Mauretania.^[17] From here, Metellus Pius made his way to Liguria by late 84 BC or early 83 BC.^[18]

By 83 BC, Sulla had returned from the east and was marching slowly to Rome for his confrontation with the Marian regime. Moving quickly, Metellus Pius was the first to meet him along the Via Appia, bringing new troops with him. He, like many of the aristocracy, only joined Sulla when it was prudent to do so, and not because they approved of his measures, such as his first march on Rome.^[19] Regardless, recognizing Metellus as possessing proconsular imperium, Sulla made him his principal subordinate.^[20] By July 83 BC, the Senate, under the direction of the consul Gnaeus Papirius Carbo, declared Metellus Pius a public enemy.^[21]

In 82 BC, he was sent by Sulla to secure the northern parts of Italy, and accompanied by the young Gnaeus Pompeius, Metellus Pius attacked and defeated Gaius Carrinas at Picenum. He then achieved a victory over Papirius Carbo and Gaius Norbanus at Faventia, pacifying Cisalpine Gaul for Sulla.^[22] With Sulla’s victory in 82 BC, he began rewarding his supporters, and made Metellus Pius the Pontifex Maximus in 81 BC, following the murder of Quintus Mucius Scaevola Pontifex.^[23] He was also a Monetalis from 82 BC to 80 BC.^[24]

During this entire period, he was shown to be one Sulla’s best subordinates. A traditionalist supporter of the Senate’s prerogatives, he had no other objective apart from fighting the populism of Marius and Cinna, and did not participate in the atrocious violence that marked the arrival of the dictatorship of Sulla. Finally in 80 BC, he was appointed consul alongside Sulla,^[25][26] Metellus Pius used his position to reward Quintus Calidius, who had helped bring his father back, by supporting his bid for the praetorship.^[27]

Sertorian War

Quintus Metellus from Guillaume Rouillé's Promptuarii Iconum Insigniorum

Sometime during his consulship, Quintus Sertorius, an opponent of Sulla, established himself in Spain and began a rebellion against the Senate. After defeating the governor of Hispania Ulterior, the Senate decided to send Metellus Pius once his term as consul had ended. Upgrading Hispania Ulterior to a consular province, they dispatched Metellus Pius to take charge of the war against Sertorius.^[28] Facing Sertorius and Marcus Perpenna Vento, Metellus Pius established his bases at Metellinum (today Medellín) Castra Caecilia (today Cáceres), Viccus Caecilius, at the Sierra de Gredos, and at Caeciliana, near Setúbal.^[29]

From the start, it was clear that Metellus Pius was no match for Sertorius,^[30] suffering repeated defeats through Sertorius’ use of guerrilla tactics. His legate Thorius, dispatched to come to the assistance of the governor of Hispania Citerior, Marcus Domitus Calvinus, was defeated by Sertorius (79 BC).^[31] After his unsuccessful push towards the Tagus in 79 BC, and suffering a defeat by Sertorius at Lacobriga in 78 BC, Pius was forced to ask for help from the governor of Gallia Transalpina, but he was defeated by Sertorius’ legate and unable to help.^[32] The end result was that an exhausted Pius was pushed out of his province of Hispania Ulterior.^[33]

When the consuls of 78 BC declined the opportunity to join Metellus Pius as proconsuls in Spain once their terms ended, the Senate in late 77 BC, hearing of Pius’ ongoing reverses at the hands of Sertorius, decided to send Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus together with another army to give Pius what assistance he could, while Pius’ governorship was prorogued.^[34] Both men worked well together, but were hard pressed to win any encounter with Sertorius.^[35] With Pompey’s arrival in 76 BC, Sertorius turned his attention to him, freeing Metellus Pius to campaign against Sertorius’ subordinates.

Almost immediately this paid dividends; in 76 BC he defeated Hirtuleius, Sertorius’ quaestor, at Italica.^[36] This was followed by another victory over Hirtuleius at Segovia in 75 BC, where Hirtuleius died.^[37] Metellius Pius then came to the aid of Pompey after his defeat at Sucro (he had refused to wait for Pius before engaging Sertorius in battle), before both men finally won a battle against Sertorius at Saguntum. Pius was acclaimed imperator by his men.^[38]

Spending the winter in Gaul, Metellus Pius returned to Spain in 74 BC. He captured the towns of Bilbilis and Segobriga, before joining Pompey at the siege of Calagurris. They were forced to raise the siege when Sertorius approached, after which Pius returned to Gaul.^[39] Continued successes during 73 BC saw him ease up and allow Pompey to take the burden of the final phases of the war, with Sertorius’ murder in 72 BC. He imposed new taxes in Hispania Ulterior after the end of Sertorius’ rebellion.^[40] Pius’ governorship ended in 71 BC with the end of the war. He disbanded his army after crossing the Alps, and celebrated a triumph together with Pompey on December 30, 71 BC.^[41] Regardless of the triumph, during those eight years of resistance he was unable to conclusively defeat Sertorius, and it was only after Sertorius' assassination by his own men that the rebels were forced to cede to the military ability of Metellus Pius.^[42]

Later career

Regardless of his working relationship with Pompey in Spain, Metellus Pius’ politics meant that he was opposed to Pompey’s continued irregular extra-magisterial career throughout the 60s BC. Though Pompey was largely untouchable, senatorial resentment could be visited upon his clients and former subordinates. When the former Plebeian tribune and associate of Pompey, Gaius Cornelius, was accused of maiestas, the prosecution called on as witnesses a number of key anti-Pompeian former consuls, including Metellus Pius.^[43]

Metellus Pius was a friend and patron of the noted poet Aulus Licinius Archias.^[44] Pius died around 63 BC, the year that Julius Caesar replaced him as Pontifex Maximus.

Family relations

He married Licinia Crassa Secunda or Minor, daughter of Lucius Licinius Crassus Orator, and wife Mucia Secunda, from whom he had no children. For this reason he adopted his nephew by marriage and son of his second cousin Publius Cornelius Scipio, renamed Quintus Caecilius Metellus Pius Scipio Nasica. He was the son of Quintus Caecilius Metellus Pius's wife's sister Licinia Crassa Prima or Major and Publius Cornelius Scipio Nasica Serapio, who was in turn the son of Publius Cornelius Scipio Nasica Serapio and Caecilia Metella, daughter of Quintus Caecilius Metellus Macedonicus.

In fiction

Metellus Pius is a prominent character in the novels The Grass Crown and Fortune's Favorites by Colleen McCullough. In the novels he is characterised as having a stutter, and is referred to by contemporaries, including Sulla, as “the Piglet”.

He is also mentioned in John Maddox Roberts' SPQR series as the fictional main character Decius Caecilius Metellus' uncle.

See also

• Caecilia (gens)
• Quintus Caecilius Metellus Pius Scipio

Notes

References

• Brennan, T. Corey, The Praetorship in the Roman Republic, Vol. 2 (2000)
• Broughton, T. Robert S., The Magistrates of the Roman Republic, Vol II (1952)
• Broughton, T. Robert S., The Magistrates of the Roman Republic, Vol III (1986)
• Gruen, Erich S., The Last Generation of the Roman Republic (1995)
• Lovano, Michael, The Age of Cinna: Crucible of Late Republican Rome (2002)
• Smith, William, Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, Vol II (1867)

Further reading

• Manuel Dejante Pinto de Magalhães Arnao Metello and João Carlos Metello de Nápoles, "Metellos de Portugal, Brasil e Roma", Torres Novas, 1998