30. Ancient Rome’s Most Beloved Dictator
Lucius Quintius Cincinnatus (519 – 430 BC) was one of the Roman Republic’s most admired figures. He was elected Rome’s consul in 460 BC, and was twice appointed dictator, in 458 BC and 439 BC. Cincinnatus became legendary for his selfless devotion to the republic during crises. He assumed extraordinary power when it was thrust upon him to deal with grave problems, then surrendered it when the crises were over.
Cincinnatus was a conservative patrician and a capable general who had opposed the plebeians’ – Rome’s commoners – demands for a greater share of power. He ended up on the losing side of that fight. When his son killed a plebeian and fled Rome, Cincinnatus’ opponents held him accountable and impoverished him with a huge fine. His possessions were reduced to a small farm, and he was reduced to manual labor at an advanced age, forced to toil in his fields with his own hands. That changed in 458 BC when a military emergency cropped up that required the appointment of a dictator, and the Romans realized that the man whom they had recently reviled and ruined was the best man for the job.
