Lex Vatinia

The lex Vatinia (probably passed in May or early June 59 BC)[1][2][3] also known as the lex Vatinia de provincia Caesaris[4] or the lex Vatinia de imperio Caesaris,[5] was legislation which gave Gaius Julius Caesar governorship of the provinces of Cisalpine Gaul and Illyricum for five years.[6][7][3] It was named after and proposed, in the Tribal Assembly, by plebeian tribune Publius Vatinius.[8] Along with the provinces, it also gave him the three legions already present there and the privilege of naming his own legates.[9] Caesar also received Titus Labienus as legatus cum imperio in the law; Labienus' appointment may have been, according to Syme, a sign of friendship between Pompey and Caesar.[10]

Caesar seemed to want to use the law to prepare for a war of choice against the kingdom of Dacia.[11] However, after the unexpected death of the governor of Transalpine Gaul, and at the proposal of Pompey and Piso,[6] the senate also added to Caesar's assigned provinces the further Gaul as well, giving him another legion.[8] According to Cicero and Suetonius, the senate's assignment was done out of fear that if they did not do so, a tribune would introduce and the people would pass further legislation assigning the province as well.[12]

  1. ^ Taylor 1968, p. 173.
  2. ^ Drogula 2015, p. 306.
  3. ^ a b Jameson 1970, p. 645.
  4. ^ Jehne, Martin (2017). "Why the anti-Caesarians failed: political communication on the eve of the civil war". In Rosillo-Lopez, Christina (ed.). Political communication in the Roman World. Brill. p. 210. ISBN 9789004350847.
  5. ^ Taylor, Lily Ross (1951). "On the Chronology of Caesar's First Consulship". American Journal of Philology. 72 (3): 254–268. doi:10.2307/292075. ISSN 0002-9475. JSTOR 292075.
  6. ^ a b von Ungern-Sternberg, Jurgen (2014). "The Crisis of the Republic". In Flower, Harriet (ed.). The Cambridge Companion to the Roman Republic (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 91. doi:10.1017/CCOL0521807948. ISBN 9781139000338.
  7. ^ Drogula 2015, p. 371.
  8. ^ a b Chrissanthos, Stefan (2019). The Year of Julius and Caesar: 59 BC and the Transformation of the Roman Republic. Baltimore: JHU Press. p. 73. ISBN 978-1-4214-2969-4. OCLC 1057781585.
  9. ^ Taylor 1968, p. 182.
  10. ^ Drogula 2015, p. 336.
  11. ^ Drogula 2015, p. 316.
  12. ^ Drogula 2015, p. 316. Citing Cic. Att. 8.3.3; Suet. Iul. 22.1.