Editing Gaius Suetonius Paulinus

{{Short description|1st century Roman general and provincial governor}}
{{Primary sources|date=August 2024}}
{{Infobox military person
| name             = Gaius Suetonius Paulinus
| native_name      = 
| native_name_lang = 
| image            = Roman baths suetonius paulinus 02.JPG
| image_size       = 
| alt              = 
| caption          = 19th-century statue of Gaius Suetonius Paulinus on the terrace of the Roman Baths in [[Bath, Somerset]]
| birth_date       = before 10 AD
| death_date       = after 69 AD
| birth_place      = Probably Pisaurum (modern [[Pesaro]])
| death_place      = 
| placeofburial    = 
| nickname         = 
| birth_name       = 
| allegiance       = [[Roman Empire]]
| serviceyears     = 
| rank             = 
| battles          = {{plainlist|
* [[Roman conquest of Anglesey]]
* [[Battle of Watling Street]]
* [[Battle of Bedriacum]]
  }}
| battles_label    = Wars
| awards           = 
| spouse           = 
| relations        = 
| signature        = 
}}
'''Gaius Suetonius Paulinus'''{{Efn|Also spelled '''Paullinus'''. When [[Tacitus]] refers to Gaius Suetonius Paulinus by one name, he almost invariably uses "Suetonius" rather than "Paulinus", and this convention is used here. Later sources often prefer to use "Paulinus", as "Suetonius" is usually understood to refer to [[Suetonius|the historian]].}} (fl. AD 40–69) was a [[Roman people|Roman]] general best known as the commander who defeated [[Boudica]] and her army during the [[Boudican revolt]].

==Early life==
Little is known of Suetonius' family, but it likely came from Pisaurum (modern [[Pesaro]]), a town on the Adriatic coast of Italy. He is not known to be related to the biographer [[Suetonius]].<ref name=dnb>A. R. Birley, "Suetonius Paullinus, Gaius (fl. c.AD 40–69)", ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, May 2006, [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/48301 accessed 9 May 2014]</ref>

==Mauretanian campaign==
Having served as ''[[praetor]]'' in 40 AD, Suetonius was appointed governor of [[Mauretania Tingitana|Mauretania]] (modern northern Morocco) the following year. In collaboration with [[Gnaeus Hosidius Geta]], he suppressed the revolt led by [[Aedemon]] in the mountainous province that arose from the execution of the local ruler by [[Caligula]].<ref>[[Cassius Dio]], ''Roman History'' [https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Cassius_Dio/60*.html#9 60:9]</ref> In 41 AD Suetonius was the first Roman commander to lead troops across the [[Atlas Mountains]],<ref>{{cite book|first=Nic|last=Fields|page=21|title=Boudicca's Rebellion AD 60-61|isbn=978-1-84908-313-3|date=2011-04-19|publisher=Bloomsbury USA }}</ref> and [[Pliny the Elder]] quotes his description of the area in his ''[[Natural History (Pliny)|Natural History]]''.<ref>[[Pliny the Elder]], ''[[Natural History (Pliny)|Natural History]]'' [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?lookup=Plin.+Nat.+5.1 5.1]</ref>

==Governor of Britain==
In 58 AD, before being [[Roman consul|consul]],<ref name=dnb /> he was appointed [[Roman Governor|governor]] of [[Roman Britain|Britain]], replacing [[Quintus Veranius]], who had died in office.<ref>[[Tacitus]], ''[[Agricola (book)|Agricola]]'' [[s:Agricola#14|14]]</ref> He continued Veranius's policy of aggressively subduing the tribes of modern [[Wales]], and was successful for his first two years in the post. His reputation as a general came to rival that of [[Gnaeus Domitius Corbulo]].<ref>Tacitus, ''[[Annals (Tacitus)|Annals]]'' [[s:The Annals (Tacitus)/Book 14#29|14.29]]</ref> Two future governors served under him: [[Quintus Petillius Cerialis]] as legate of [[Legio IX Hispana|Legio IX ''Hispana'']],<ref>Tacitus, ''Annals'' [[s:The Annals (Tacitus)/Book 14#32|14.32]]</ref> and [[Gnaeus Julius Agricola]]<ref>Tacitus, ''Agricola'' [[s:Agricola#5|5]]</ref> as a military [[tribune]] attached to [[Legio II Augusta|II ''Augusta'']], but seconded to Suetonius's staff.

Around 60 or 61 AD Suetonius [[Roman conquest of Anglesey|made an assault on the island of Mona]] ([[Anglesey]]), a refuge for British fugitives and a stronghold of the [[druid]]s. The tribes of the south-east took advantage of his absence and staged a revolt, led by queen [[Boudica]] of the [[Iceni]]. The ''[[Colonia (Roman)|colonia]]'' of [[Camulodunum]] ([[Colchester]]) was destroyed, its inhabitants tortured, raped, and slaughtered, and [[Battle of Camulodunum|Petillius Cerialis's legion routed]]. Suetonius brought Mona to terms{{Vague|date=August 2024}} and marched along the Roman road of [[Watling Street]] to Londinium ([[London]]), the rebels' next target, but judged he did not have the numbers to defend the city and ordered it evacuated. The Britons duly destroyed it, the citizens of Londinium suffering the same fate as those of Camulodunum, and then did the same to Verulamium ([[St Albans]]).<ref>Tacitus, ''Agricola'' [[s:Agricola#15|15-16]]; ''Annals'' [[s:The Annals (Tacitus)/Book 14#29|14.29-33]]; Cassius Dio, ''Roman History'' [https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Cassius_Dio/62*.html#7 62.7]</ref>

Suetonius regrouped with the [[Legio XIV Gemina|XIV ''Gemina'']], some detachments of the ''[[Legio XX Valeria Victrix|XX Valeria Victrix]]'', and all available auxiliaries. The II ''Augusta'', based at [[Exeter]], was available, but its [[prefect]], [[Poenius Postumus]], declined to heed the call. Nonetheless, Suetonius was able to assemble a force of about ten thousand men. Heavily outnumbered (the Britons numbered 230,000 according to [[Cassius Dio]]),<ref>Cassius Dio, ''Roman History'' [https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Cassius_Dio/62*.html#8 62.8]</ref> the Romans stood their ground. The resulting [[Battle of Watling Street|battle]] took place at an unidentified location in a [[defile (geography)|defile]] with a wood behind him, probably in the [[West Midlands (region)|West Midlands]] somewhere along [[Watling Street]] – at Cuttle Mill, 2 miles southeast of [[Towcester]] in [[Northamptonshire]], in front of a narrow defile which answers the topographical description of Tacitus, human bones have been found over a large area;<ref>{{cite news|last1=Rogers|first1=Byron|title=The original Iron Lady rides again|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/artsandculture/728896/UK-The-original-Iron-Lady-rides-again.html|work=Daily Telegraph|date=11 October 2003}}</ref> [[High Cross, Leicestershire|High Cross]] in [[Leicestershire]] and [[Manduessedum]] near the modern day town of [[Atherstone]] in [[Warwickshire]] have also been suggested - where Roman tactics and discipline triumphed over British numbers. The Britons' flight was impeded by the presence of their own families, whom they had stationed in a ring of wagons at the edge of the battlefield, and defeat turned into slaughter. Tacitus heard reports that almost eighty thousand Britons were killed, compared to only four hundred Romans. Boudica poisoned herself, and Postumus, having denied his men a share in the victory, fell on his sword.<ref>Tacitus, ''Annals'' [[s:The Annals (Tacitus)/Book 14#34|14.34-37]]; Cassius Dio, ''Roman History'' [https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Cassius_Dio/62*.html#8 62.8-12]</ref>

Suetonius reinforced his army with legionaries and auxiliaries from [[Germania]] and conducted punitive operations against any remaining pockets of resistance, but this proved counterproductive. The new [[Procurator (ancient Rome)|procurator]], [[Gaius Julius Alpinus Classicianus]], expressed concern to the [[Roman emperor|Emperor]] [[Nero]] that Suetonius's activities would only lead to continued hostilities. An inquiry was set up under Nero's [[freedman]], [[Polyclitus (freedman)|Polyclitus]], and an excuse, that Suetonius had lost some ships, was found to relieve him of his command. He was replaced by the more conciliatory [[Publius Petronius Turpilianus]].<ref>Tacitus, ''Agricola'' [[s:Agricola#16|16]]; ''Annals'' [[s:The Annals (Tacitus)/Book 14#38|14.38-39]]</ref> But Suetonius was not disgraced: a lead [[tessera]] found in Rome features both his and Nero's names and symbols of victory, and a man named Gaius Suetonius Paulinus was consul in 66 AD, either a son of the same name <ref name=dnb /> or the general himself<ref>{{cite book|first=Nic|last=Fields|page=22|title=Boudicca's Rebellion AD 60-61|isbn=978-1-84908-313-3|date=2011-04-19|publisher=Bloomsbury USA }}</ref> appointed for a second time.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/suetonius.shtml | title=BBC - History - Historic Figures: Suetonius (?)}}</ref>

==Year of Four Emperors==
In 69, during the year of civil wars that followed the death of Nero (see [[Year of Four Emperors]]), Suetonius was one of [[Otho]]'s senior generals and military advisors.<ref>Tacitus, ''[[Histories (Tacitus)|Histories]]'' [[s:The Histories (Tacitus)/Book 1#87|1:87]]</ref> He and [[Aulus Marius Celsus]] defeated [[Aulus Caecina Alienus]], one of [[Vitellius]]'s generals, near [[Cremona]], but Suetonius would not allow his men to follow up their advantage and was accused of treachery as a result.<ref>Tacitus, ''Histories'' [[s:The Histories (Tacitus)/Book 2#23|2:23-26]]</ref> When Caecina joined his forces with those of [[Fabius Valens]], Suetonius advised Otho not to risk a battle but was overruled, leading to Otho's decisive defeat at [[Battle of Bedriacum|Bedriacum]].<ref>Tacitus, ''Histories'' [[s:The Histories (Tacitus)/Book 2#31|2.31-44]]</ref> Suetonius was captured by Vitellius and obtained a pardon by claiming that he had deliberately lost the battle for Otho, although this was almost certainly untrue.<ref>Tacitus, ''Histories'' [[s:The Histories (Tacitus)/Book 2#60|2.60]]</ref> His eventual fate remains unknown.

==Notes==
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==References==
{{Reflist}}

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{{succession box|title = [[Roman governors of Britain|Governor of Britain]]|before = [[Quintus Veranius]]||after = [[Publius Petronius Turpilianus]] |years = 58 - 62}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Gaius Pomponius Pius (consul 65)|Gaius Pomponius Pius]] <br/>and [[Gaius Anicius Cerialis]]|as=consules suffecti}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[List of early imperial Roman consuls|Consul]] of the [[Roman Empire]] |years=66 |regent1=[[Gaius Luccius Telesinus]]}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Marcus Annius Afrinus]] <br/>and [[Gaius Paccius Africanus]]|as=consules suffecti}}
{{s-end}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Suetonius Paulinus Gaius}}
[[Category:Roman governors of Britain]]
[[Category:1st-century Roman consuls]]
[[Category:Ancient Roman generals]]
[[Category:Ancient Romans in Britain]]
[[Category:People of the Year of the Four Emperors]]
[[Category:Suetonii]]