Lepidus

Lore & Background

Lepidus was the son of Marcus Aemilius Lepidus (consul in 78 BC) and married Junia Secunda, half-sister of Marcus Junius Brutus. He joined the College of Pontiffs as a child and began his career as triumvir monetalis. A loyal supporter of Julius Caesar, he was appointed praetor in 49 BC and later served as magister equitum. After Caesar's assassination, Lepidus acted decisively to maintain order and obtained the post of pontifex maximus. He negotiated with Sextus Pompey and later joined Antony and Octavian to form the Second Triumvirate, legalized by the Lex Titia in 43 BC.

Reader's Guide

Lepidus is significant as the third member of the Second Triumvirate, which formally sidelined the consuls and Senate and signaled the death of the Roman Republic. Though an able military commander, he is consistently portrayed as the least influential triumvir, a view some scholars attribute to propaganda by Cicero and later Augustus. His willingness to yield seven legions to Octavian and Antony consigned him to a subsidiary role. As the last pontifex maximus before the empire, he preserved a niche in history, but his legacy is overshadowed by his more powerful colleagues.

Did You Know?

• Lepidus was the last known interrex and the last magister equitum to hold military command.
• He was the son of a consul and his brother was Lucius Aemilius Lepidus Paullus, consul in 50 BC.
• Caesar dined at Lepidus's house the night before his assassination.
• Lepidus agreed to the proscriptions that led to the death of Cicero, though Cassius Dio hints he helped his own brother escape.