What is Valerius?

Information about Valerius

Valerius originally was a Roman nomen of the gens Valeria, one of the oldest patrician families of the city. The name was in use throughout Roman history. Later it became also a given name.

Possible Latin forms include, in the nominative:
  • Valerius, male singular
  • Valeria, female singular
  • Valerii, male plural
  • Valerianus, male adoptive

Branches of the gens Valeria

The earliest branches of Poplicola , Potitus, and Volusus appear to be derived from Publius Valerius Poplicola, an early republican hero. The other branches appear only from the mid-fourth century, starting with Corvus or Corvinus, apparently descended from another great Valerian consul. The Messalla or Messala branch, so prominent in imperial Rome, is a sub-branch of this. The origins of the Flaccus branch is less certain; the first consul by that name appears in 261 BC, but a Potitus had been nicknamed Flacus (with one "c") some decades earlier circa 331 BC. In late republican Rome, the branches of Messalla (or Messala) and Flaccus were the best-known and most influential.

The Valerii Messalla (or Valerii Messala)

Among the branches of the Valerii, there were those who bore the cognomen Messalla. Messalla was originally assumed by Manius Valerius Maximus Corvinus Messalla after his relief of Messana in Sicily from blockade by the Carthaginians in the second year of the first Punic War, 263 BC.(Macrob. Sat. i. 6 ; Sen. Brev. Vit. 13.)

They appear for the first time on the consular Fasti in 263 BC, and for the last in 506; during these nearly eight centuries, they held twenty-two consulships and three cen­sorships.(Sidon. Apollin. Carm. ix. 302 ; Rutil. L c.; Symmach. Ep. vii. 90.)

The cognomen Messalla, frequently written Messala, appears with the agnomens Barbatus, Niger or Rufus, with the nomens Ennodius, Pacatus, Silius, Thrasia Priscus or Vipstanus, and with the praenomens Potitus and Volesus, and was itself originally, and when com­bined with Corvinus, an agnomen, as M. Valerius Maximus Corvinus Messalla, i. e. of Messana.

Notable members of the gens Valeria

The gens Valeria produced many consuls and censors, mostly in the early republic. Several authors notably Valerius Maximus also bear the name of Valerius, but their antecedents are mostly unknown.

Early republic

  • Publius Valerius Publicola, consul 509 BC, four times consul in the early Republic.
  • Marcus Valerius Volusi f. (Volusus?), consul 505 BC
  • Lucius Valerius M.f. Potitus (Publicola), consul 483 BC, 470 BC
  • Publius Valerius P.f. Poplicola, consul 475 BC, 460 BC
  • Marcus Valerius M\'. f. Maximus Lactuca, consul 456 BC
  • Lucius Valerius Potitus, consul 449 BC
  • Gaius Valerius Potitus, consular tribune 415 BC
  • Lucius Valerius Potitus, consular tribune 414 BC
  • Gaius Valerius L.f. Potitus Volusus, consul 410 BC
  • Lucius Valerius L.f. Potitus, consul 393 BC-392 BC390 BC, possibly consular tribune 391 BC; possibly the same man who was consular tribune 379 BC in his fifth term.
  • Lucius Valerius Publicola, consular tribune 388 BC
  • Titus Valerius, consular tribune 385 BC-382 BC
  • Lucius Valerius, consular tribune 379 BC, possibly Lucius Valerius L.f. Potitus who had already been consul three times; said to have been this man's fifth term.
  • Publius Valerius, consular tribune in 379 BC in his third term, and 376 BC in his fourth term, per Varro
  • Gaius Valerius, consular tribune 374 BC
  • Publius Valerius, consular tribune 374 BC
  • Marcus Valerius L.f. Poplicola, consul 355 BC, 353 BC
  • Publius Valerius P.f. Poplicola, 352 BC
  • Marcus Valerius Corvus, consul several times in 4th century BC, starting in 348 BC as a young man, then 346 BC, 343 BC, and 335 BC. His last consulship was said to be in 300 BC, with a suffect consulship in 299 BC. He was also dictator in 342 BC and 301 BC. The range of years for his consulship and alleged accomplishments are not impossible, if he was elected consul while in his early twenties. However, it is more likely that the later consulships were attributable to his son, and were confused and exaggerated by later family members including Valerius Antias.
  • Gaius Valerius L.f. Potitus (Flacus), consul 331 BC, possible progenitor of the Valerii Flacci branch.
  • Marcus Valerius M.f. Maximus Corvinus (Corrinus?), consul 312 BC, 289 BC per Varro; possibly he was the consul in 300 BC and suffect consul in 299 BC and also dictator in 301 BC (the third dictator year), rather than his father.
  • Marcus Valerius Maximus Rullianus, dictator 301 BC in fourth dictator year

Middle republic

Late republic

Early imperial Rome

Late imperial Rome

Other uses of the name Valerius

References

Comune di Roma

Flag
Seal
Nickname: "The Eternal City"
Motto: "Senatus Populusque Romanus" (SPQR)   (Latin)
..... Read more.
In the naming convention of ancient Rome the archetypical name of a male citizen consisted of three parts (tria nomina): praenomen (given name), nomen gentile or gentilicium (name of the gens or clan) and cognomen
..... Read more.
gens (pl. gentes) was a clan, caste, or group of families, that shared a common name (the nomen) and a belief in a common ancestor. In the Roman naming convention, the second name was the name of the gens to which the person belonged.
..... Read more.
Valeria is a female given name dating back to the Latin verb valere. The male version is Valerius, Valerio or Valery. Valerian is also connected to the same root.

It is primarily used in Russian, Italian, Hungarian and Latin American Spanish.
..... Read more.
Valerian may mean:
  • Valerian (herb), a medicinal plant
  • Valerian I, Roman emperor 253-260
  • Valerian II, son of Gallienus (d. 258)
  • St. Valerian, bishop of Abbenza (d. 457)
  • St.

..... Read more.
Publius Valerius Publicola (or Poplicola, his surname meaning "friend of the people") (d. 503 BC) was a Roman consul, the colleague of Lucius Junius Brutus in 509 BC, traditionally considered the first year of the Roman Republic.
..... Read more.
4th century BC - 3rd century BC
360s BC  350s BC  340s BC - 330s BC - 320s BC  310s BC  300s BC 
334 BC 333 BC 332 BC - 331 BC - 330 BC 329 BC 328 BC

Politics
State leaders - Sovereign states

..... Read more.
Marcus Valerius Messalla is the name of several members of the gens Valeria of the Roman Republic.

Among the most prominent men named M. Valerius Messalla there are:
  • Marcus Valerius Messalla (consul 226 BC)
  • Marcus Valerius Messalla (consul 188 BC)

..... Read more.
Manius Valerius Maximus Corvinus Messalla, was Roman consul in 263 BC.

In this year, with his colleague Manius Otacilius (or Octaciius) Crassus, he gained a brilliant victory over the Carthaginians and Syracusans: more than sixty of the Sicilian towns acknowledged the
..... Read more.
Country Italy
Region Sicily
Province Messina (ME)
Mayor Francantonio Genovese

Area km
Population
 - Total (as of 1 January 2005)
 - Density /km
Time zone CET, UTC+1
..... Read more.
The Punic Wars were a series of three wars fought between Rome and Carthage. They are known as the Punic Wars because the Latin term for Carthaginian was Punici (older Poenici, from their Phoenician ancestry).
..... Read more.
3rd century BC - 2nd century BC
290s BC  280s BC  270s BC - 260s BC - 250s BC  240s BC  230s BC 
266 BC 265 BC 264 BC - 263 BC - 262 BC 261 BC 260 BC

Politics
State leaders - Sovereign states

..... Read more.
6th century · 7th century
470s 480s 490s 500s 510s 520s 530s
503 504 505 506 507 508 509
..... Read more.
The cognomen ("name known by" in English) was originally the third name of a Roman in the Roman naming convention. The term is also occasionally seen in modern times as a synonym for nickname or epithet.
..... Read more.
An Agnomen is a nickname. It is not a pseudonym as it is a real name, but an agnomen is usually a name in addition and not a substitution for the real name. For example, Aristides "the Just" or "Iron" Mike Tyson.
..... Read more.
Valerius Maximus was a Latin writer and author of a collection of historical anecdotes. He flourished in the reign of Tiberius.

Personal History

Nothing is known of his personal history except that his family was poor and undistinguished, and that he owed everything to
..... Read more.
Publius Valerius Publicola (or Poplicola, his surname meaning "friend of the people") (d. 503 BC) was a Roman consul, the colleague of Lucius Junius Brutus in 509 BC, traditionally considered the first year of the Roman Republic.
..... Read more.
Consul (abbrev. cos.; Latin plural consules) was the highest elected office of the Roman Republic and an appointive office under the Empire. The title was also used in other city states, and revived in modern states, notably Republican France before the Napoleonic
..... Read more.
5th century BC - 4th century BC

530s BC 520s BC 510s BC - 500s BC - 490s BC 480s BC 470s BC
509 BC 508 BC 507 BC 506 BC 505 BC
504 BC 503 BC 502 BC 501 BC 500 BC

- - State leaders - Sovereign states
-

Events and trends


..... Read more.
5th century BC - 4th century BC

530s BC 520s BC 510s BC - 500s BC - 490s BC 480s BC 470s BC
509 BC 508 BC 507 BC 506 BC 505 BC
504 BC 503 BC 502 BC 501 BC 500 BC

- - State leaders - Sovereign states
-

Events and trends


..... Read more.
5th century BC - 4th century BC
510s BC  500s BC  490s BC - 480s BC - 470s BC  460s BC  450s BC 
486 BC 485 BC 484 BC - 483 BC - 482 BC 481 BC 480 BC

Politics
State leaders - Sovereign states

..... Read more.
5th century BC - 4th century BC
500s BC  490s BC  480s BC - 470s BC - 460s BC  450s BC  440s BC 
473 BC 472 BC 471 BC - 470 BC - 469 BC 468 BC 467 BC

Politics
State leaders - Sovereign states

..... Read more.
5th century BC - 4th century BC
500s BC  490s BC  480s BC - 470s BC - 460s BC  450s BC  440s BC 
478 BC 477 BC 476 BC - 475 BC - 474 BC 473 BC 472 BC

Politics
State leaders - Sovereign states

..... Read more.
5th century BC - 4th century BC
490s BC  480s BC  470s BC - 460s BC - 450s BC  440s BC  430s BC 
463 BC 462 BC 461 BC - 460 BC - 459 BC 458 BC 457 BC

Politics
State leaders - Sovereign states

..... Read more.
5th century BC - 4th century BC
480s BC  470s BC  460s BC - 450s BC - 440s BC  430s BC  420s BC 
459 BC 458 BC 457 BC - 456 BC - 455 BC 454 BC 453 BC

Politics
State leaders - Sovereign states

..... Read more.
Lucius Valerius Potitus was one of two consuls who were said to have replaced the decemvirs in 449 BC (Marcus Horatius Barbatus being the other).

The two were traditionally regarded as the patricians who reconciled with the plebeians, although their historical
..... Read more.
5th century BC - 4th century BC
470s BC  460s BC  450s BC - 440s BC - 430s BC  420s BC  410s BC 
452 BC 451 BC 450 BC - 449 BC - 448 BC 447 BC 446 BC

Politics
State leaders - Sovereign states

..... Read more.
The Tribuni militum consulari potestate, or Consular Tribunes were tribunes elected with consular power during the Conflict of the Orders in the Roman Republic
..... Read more.
5th century BC - 4th century BC
440s BC  430s BC  420s BC - 410s BC - 400s BC  390s BC  380s BC 
418 BC 417 BC 416 BC - 415 BC - 414 BC 413 BC 412 BC

Politics
State leaders - Sovereign states

..... Read more.
5th century BC - 4th century BC
440s BC  430s BC  420s BC - 410s BC - 400s BC  390s BC  380s BC 
417 BC 416 BC 415 BC - 414 BC - 413 BC 412 BC 411 BC

Politics
State leaders - Sovereign states

..... Read more.