Gaius Servilius Glaucia

Who was Gaius Servilius Glaucia?

Gaius Servilius Glaucia was a Roman politician who served as tribune of the Plebs in 101 BC and praetor in 100 BC. He arranged for the murder of an elected tribune of plebs to make spot for Lucius Appuleius Saturninus who was the next one to become tribune by the votes. While attempting to stand for consul for 99 BC, he was engaged in an exchange between himself and another candidate Gaius Memmius who attempted to prevent his candidature on the grounds that he had not waited the mandatory two years between election as praetor and election to the consulship, as stipulated by the "Lex Villia Annalis". In a fit of rage he killed him and fled to the home of one his supporters, where he committed suicide after Saturninus riot was suppressed.

The accepted account of Glaucia's death is that he died in 100 BCE alongside his ally the Tribune Saturninus. They were killed following the issuance of a senatus consultum ultimum given to C. Marius by the Senate. Marius had previously disqualified Glaucia for candidature in the consular elections. Saturninus, not Glaucia, had Memmius killed because he feared he would be a hostile consul towards Saturninus' legislative programs. Memmius was not killed in altercation with Glaucia, and they were never competitors for the office of consul. The tradition that reports that they were competitors comes from Appian, and has been thoroughly disproved by Badian,who uses Cicero, among other ancient sources, to disprove Appian's account. Badian attributes the error to Appian's affinity for dramatic embellishment in his narratives.