Many of us are familiar with the tales of Achilles, the most deadly fighter of all the
Greeks, the story of Hector a loving father and husband and Odysseus, the best orator of Greece.
All these great characters are known to us from the Iliad, the Greek history of great
heroes of old, but to the Greeks this was more than just a story of a long past war.
It was also a set example of the behavior and values that all warriors should follow.
To regard the Iliad as the holy bible of the ancient Greeks would be no understatement
and its legacy was present even hundreds of years after these characters died.
Even Alexander the Great was said to be fond of being associated with Achilles and kept a copy
of the Iliad under his pillow and the alleged tomb of Achilles near troy was a place where warriors,
Greek and Persian alike, came to pay their respects to the once great warrior.
What about the Romans? they were no strangers to the Iliad but did they have a collection of their
own great characters to look up to? In short, they did! Traditionalist Romans looked upon the
"mos maiorum", or "ways of the elders" for guidance. It was also a vague set of
principles inspired by Roman heroes of the past, which were transmitted by oral tradition from
generation to generation. It's core principles were the Latin words for manliness, discipline,
self-control, respect to family, loyalty honor and the observance of sacred rituals. These were the
core of roman principles that shaped every aspect of Roman society, setting the moral standard
and the way in which every "proper Roman" was to conduct himself in his daily life. In this video,
we will cover the life of a big character who symbolizes all the concepts of the "mos maiorum":
Titus manlius Torquatus; one of the legendary figures of early Roman history, who was often seen
as the epitome of Roman military discipline. This video was made possible by our sponsor: NordVPN:
an easy to use app with over 5000 servers across 59 countries. The way it works is it encrypts your
connection between your computer and the internet and protects your data from hackers or identity
thieves that would want to steal your information. This is especially useful when using public wi-fi,
which are notoriously insecure. If you use windows for example, you can select the setting "launch at
windows startup" to not worry about your safety at any point of the day. NordVPN works on any device,
regardless if it's an Apple or Android, on mobile phones, laptops and even TVs.
Perhaps the most entertaining benefits is that NodrVPN gives you the opportunity to unlock movies
or history documentaries from other countries by changing the visibility of your location.
Lately, our personal favorite to unlock was "The secrets of the Saqqara Tomb". If some
content is not available in your country, you can simply click on the map to change your location.
It's that easy! They also offer online security lessons to spread awareness of the dangers of
data leaks. Go to the link in the description or use my promo code "filaxim" to get a 2 year plan
plus a bonus gift with a huge discount. There is also a 30-day money-back guarantee in place.
The story begins in 361 BC, in a time before the Punic or even Samnite wars, a time when the
young Roman Republic was but one of many tiny states that dotted the Italian peninsula. Just
three kilometers from Rome, by the river Anius, an invading army of Gauls occupies the western bank
of the river, while a recently assembled Roman army occupies the eastern side. The Romans have
desperately pressed every man of military age they could find into their ranks in order to defend
their capital from the Gallic menace. You can guess how much is at stake for the young Republic,
still recovering from the disaster of the Gallic invasion and sack of Rome just 30 years earlier.
The first skirmishes ensue as both armies attempt to seize the only bridge over the river,
with neither side being able to claim its possession. The battle now enters a stalemate
as both sides stare at each other, ready for their next move. All of a sudden, a giant Gaul appears
from the ranks and comes forward, challenging the Romans to send him their bravest warrior. Silence
is the only answer coming from the roman lines, as the towering Gaull inspires fear in them, much to
the rejoice of the other Gauls. To their surprise, our young Roman noble, Titus Manlius, rises up to
the challenge. It is important to note that he did not break rank to accept the challenge, but made
sure to ask his superior commander for permission first, as doing otherwise would be breaking
military discipline, something only worthy of the Gauls ahead of him. The Roman commander was so
impressed by his courage and bravery, that he granted him permission to duel the mighty giant.
To this date, the young Titus's life has not been easy... His abusive father,
consul Manlius Imperiosus, banished him from the city and forced him to work as a laborer
due to his slowness of speech and clumsiness. His father was known to be a strict man, but banishing
his own son was the peak of his cruelty. Even a tribune had to stand up for his son's defense
and threaten charges against the unpopular consul, but when the young Titus heard of this,
he chose to stand on his father's defense. He knew that he was being overly tough on him, but he was
still his father regardless and he wouldn't let any man challenge or raise charges against him.
It is said that the young man went to the extent of sneaking into the tribune's
house and threatening him with a knife if the charges against his father were not dropped.
It was this action that supposedly earned him the praise of fellow roman aristocrats.
Now, is the second instance where Titus Manlius finds himself in the spotlight of history: he had
just accepted a challenge from a large and furious foe. As the two contenders set foot on the bridge,
we are told that the Gaul, upon realizing the size and modest equipment of his Roman opponent, stuck
out his tongue in contempt and started to laugh. With his shield in front of him, he advanced
with speed towards the Roman but the young Titus remains undeterred. With more courage than skill,
he charges the giant Gaul, throwing his opponent off balance with his shield and killing him with
two quick stabs. Titus then proceeds to cut off his head and despoil it of its torque,
the golden prize of the Gaul. By doing so, he turned the scene into a gruesome display of
military prowess and with their champion fallen, the Gauls flee the battlefield to the loud roar
of Roman cheers. The soldiers congratulate their champion and bestow him the title of "Torquatus",
meaning "the torqued one". Thus, the legend of Titus Manlius Torquatus is born. The following
years were marked by constant war against Latin city states and Gallic invasions. By 340 BC,
Manlius Torquatus has been appointed dictator three times and is regarded as the first dictator
to enter office without having been elected consul first; an extraordinary achievement for Roman
history. By this time, Rome had established itself as a dominant power in central Italy,
but this recent expansion unsettled many members of the Latin league, who started plotting a war
to fight for their independence one last time. They were soon joined by the recently annexed
Campanians along with the Volscians and Sidicini, creating a large anti-Roman coalition. Meanwhile,
the Romans were able to secure the alliance of the Samnites in a surprising diplomatic move.
The board was now set for the final confrontation between Rome and the Latin-Campanian coalition.
With the beginning of the campaign season, both armies spot each other near Capua and set up their
camps nearby. The Roman force was composed of two legions, each commanded by one of the two consuls:
Manlius Torquatus and his colleague, Publius Decius Mus. In their preparation for battle,
a very strict command was given to the army, that no roman is allowed under any circumstances to
break formation to attack or establish contact with the enemy. This was done to enforce strict
discipline and prevent any friendly fire, as the Romans and Latins were equal in skill, language,
organization and even appearance and it was important to not mistake friends as enemies
and vice versa. The consuls threatened severe punishment if this order is not followed.
Very soon, this order will be put to the test. Ss both armies camp in close vicinity of each other,
small scouting units from both sides are dispatched to observe enemy activity. One of these
units is led by a young Titus Manlius, the son of our hero and consul Titus Manlius Torquatus.
Riding beyond the enemy camp, the scouting party stumbles upon a Latin outpost manned by horsemen
from Tusculum, commanded by one Geminus Macius, a renowned warrior and aristocrat.
Recognizing the Roman cavalry and their commander, Geminis starts to mock them, asking if manly
as a small unit is all they brought to fight the Latin army. According to Livy, the Roman
commander laconically replies that the main army will be here soon enough and that the Romans will
strip the oath-breaking Latins of the will to challenge the Romans again in a field of battle.
In response to this, the angered Geminus rides out of his formation and in full view of his men,
challenges Manlius to a duel to settle the issue of which nation has better warriors.
Manlius, with his heart filled with shame or rage, accepts the duel; disobeying his father's orders.
Both horsemen charge at each other at full speed with spears leveled, passing each other as they
strike, but both miss their targets. Manlis gathers himself first and stabs Geminus' horse in
the head, which in turn throws off its rider. As Geminus tries to rise with the help of his shield,
Manlus plunges his spear into his neck and kills him. The victorious Manlius gathers the
breastplate from his corpse and rides back to the Roman camp, accompanied by the victorious
cheers of his horsemen. Once there, he rushes to the headquarters of his father with full pride.
The historian Livy captures the embellished essence of what was about to happen...
"Father", the young Titus Manlius said, "that all men might truly report me to be your son, I bring
these equestrian spoils, stripped from the body of an enemy who challenged me". Upon hearing this,
the consul turned from his son and commanded a trumpet to sound the assembly to publicly address
his thoughts. When the men gathered in full numbers, the consul began his speech: "in as much,
Titus Manlius, as you have held in reverence neither consular authority nor a father's dignity,
and despite our edict have quitted your place to fight the enemy and so far as in you lay,
have broken military discipline, whereby the Roman state had stood until this day unshaken.
Thus, compelling me to forget either the republic or myself. For my own part, I am moved, not only
by a man's instinctive love of his children but by this instance you have given of your bravery,
perverted though it was by an idol show of honor. But since the authority of the consuls must
either be established by your death or by your impunity and since I think that you yourself,
if you have a drop of my blood in you, would not refuse to raise up by your punishment the military
discipline which through your misdemeanor has slipped and fallen. Go Lictor, bind him to the
stake." Torquatus was proud of his son's victory, but it was a deliberate and selfish break of
military discipline and even worse, it disobeyed his direct orders; not as a father but as a consul
of Rome. Tarquatas also won a challenge against the Gaul many years back, but he made sure to
first ask his commander for permission to do so and did not break rank on his own accord.
He further explains that if this goes unpunished, the name of the Republic and the highly esteemed
title of consul will have no meaning, as this would now inspire future generations
to challenge authority and act on emotions rather than orders. This is what he meant when he said:
"he is now compelling me to forget either the Republic or myself", Titus had to choose either
his own values and emotions as a father and save his son from punishments, or choose the Republic
and its laws, by which he must be true to his word for promising severe punishment.
Manlius Torquatus chose the latter and his son was bound to the stake.
The rest of the army watched in utter astonishment and silence, paralyzed more by
fear than discipline. Only when the lictor's acts came down and severed the head of the young noble,
did shouts and curses of all kinds rise from the men, but no harm was done to Manlius Torquatus,
nor any threat made. He can rest assured that the soldiers have learnt the lesson and know what
happens to those who disobey. For if a consul even puts his own son to death without hesitation, he
surely wouldn't hesitate to do the same to them. As the trauma of the execution passes, the corpse
of Titus Manlius is carried by the soldiers and burned in a pyre outside the camp with all honors,
along with his spoils. The legacy of Manlius's order would now resonate throughout the rest of
Roman history and even enter the Roman dictionary, as future generations would forever use the
term "Manlian order" as a synonym of excessive severity. The final battle takes place days later,
with the Romans decisively crushing the enemy under the cunning strategy of Manlius Torquatus.
From this point onward, our hero disappears from history and fades into obscurity. The only thing
we know is that he was appointed dictator for a third time in 320 BC, but his final years and
death remain unknown to us. Not everything Manlius did in his life would be seen as the right thing
to do in our modern eyes, but the massive fame and respect he would receive from future Romans
gives us an understanding of what was considered the epitome of manliness and discipline in their
time and perhaps what every Roman strived to become. For defending his tyrannical father,
he showed respect to family (and loyalty). For his bravery in battle, he showed manliness and honor.
By executing his son and putting the interests of the Republic before his own, he showed discipline
and self-control. For this, he earned a place among the legendary heroes of Roman history,
becoming a model for future generations and a true symbol of the "mos maiorum".
There are yet many more underrated ancient heroes whose stories are waiting to be told,
so let me know if you would enjoy a series of such biographies. As always,
a special thanks goes to my Patrons that continue to support the channel.
Feel free to check out other videos I've made, I'll see you all in the next one!