Caius Marcius

Also known as: Coriolanus / Marcius · Family: Marcii · Role: Roman soldier and general · First appears: Coriolanus

Caius Marcius was left an orphan and brought up by his widowed mother, Volumnia, to whom he showed lasting gratitude and respect. His first campaign came while still young, against Tarquinius Superbus, and during the fighting he rescued a fallen Roman soldier. He later married Vergilia and had children. At Corioli, his performance earned him the surname Coriolanus, while Cominius and Titus Lartius served in the same campaigns.

At Rome, the commons rejected Coriolanus for the consulship, and a majority of the tribes condemned him to perpetual banishment. His hostility toward Sicinnius Vellutus was part of the conflict that led to this sentence. The Volscians then appointed him joint commander with his longtime enemy and rival, Tullus Aufidius. Coriolanus conquered Toleria, Lavici, Peda, and Bola, plundering their inhabitants, and led the forces toward Rome before breaking camp and taking them homeward.

At Antium, conspirators among the Volscians attacked and killed Coriolanus, with Tullus Aufidius associated with the conflict. The Volscians gave him honorable burial, adorning his sepulchre with arms and trophies as a noble hero and famous general. In another period, Tiberius Sempronius created him consul alongside Scipio Nasica, and the two later returned to Rome and laid down their magistracy.