Publius Valerius Publicola
Publius Valerius Publicola (or
Poplicola, his surname meaning "friend of the people") (–
503 BC) was a Roman
consul, the colleague of
Lucius Junius Brutus in
509 BC, traditionally considered the first year of the
Roman Republic. According to
Livy and
Plutarch, his family, whose ancestor Volusus had settled in Rome at the time of King
Titus Tatius, was of
Sabine origin. He took a prominent part in the expulsion of the last king,
Lucius Tarquinius Superbus, and though not originally chosen as the colleague of Brutus he soon took the place of
Tarquinius Collatinus.
On the death of Brutus, which left him sole consul, the people began to fear that he was aiming at kingly power. To calm their apprehensions he discontinued the building of his house on the top of the
Velian Hill, and also gave orders that the
fasces should be lowered whenever he appeared before the people. He further introduced two laws to protect the liberties of the citizens, one enacting that whosoever should attempt to make himself a king might be slain by any man at any time, while another provided an appeal to the people on behalf of any citizen condemned by a magistrate. He died in
503 BC, and was buried at the public expense, the matrons mourning him for ten months.
A collection of 85
essays about the
US Constitution, called The
Federalist Papers, were written by
Alexander Hamilton,
John Jay, and
James Madison during
1787-
1788 under the
allonym Publius in honor of his role in establishing the Roman Republic.
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Lapis Satricanus
