Gaius Scribonius Curio (89–48 BCE)
Born 89 BCE, died 48 BCE.
Gaius Scribonius Curio (c. 84 BC – 49 BC) was a Roman politician in the late republic. He is best known for his support of Julius Caesar prior to and during Caesar's civil war. His support, possibly secured by a massive bribe, was instrumental in the brinksmanship of the crisis in 50–49 BC that precipitated the war. In the first year of the war, he led Caesarian troops to Sicily and then to Africa, where he was killed in battle. Prior to the civil war, Curio had operated alongside his homonymous father lived, the consul of 76 BC. They had supported Publius Clodius Pulcher during the Bona Dea scandal in 62 BC and opposed the alliance of Caesar, Pompey, and Crassus in 59 BC (during Caesar's first consulship). He was still aligned with prominent anti-Caesarians and the remnants of Clodius allies c. 52 BC when his father died, giving funerary games alongside Marcus Favonius and marrying Clodius' widow Fulvia. His shift towards Caesar occurred during his tribunate in 50 BC.
Text from the Wikipedia article Gaius_Scribonius_Curio_(tribune_50_BC), licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.