Marcus Valerius Corvus

Marcus Valerius Corvus (c. 370 BC – 270 BC) was a Roman general of the 4th century BC, characterized as a farmer who lived to be one hundred.

Biography

According to the legend, a raven settled on his helmet during his combat with a gigantic Gaul, and distracted the enemy's attention by flying in his face. He was twice dictator and six times consul, and occupied the curule chair twenty-one times. In his various campaigns he defeated successively the Gauls, the Volscians, the Samnites, the Etruscans and the Marsians. His most important victory (343) was over the Samnites at Mount Gaurus.

His list of accomplishments is suspiciously long; Valerius Antias is considered to have been responsible for some of the exaggeration.

Timeline

• 349 - as tribune, defeats a giant Gaul in single combat, helped by a crow or raven (thus the agnomen - corvus is Latin for 'crow')
• 348 - consul, at age of 22
• 346 - consul again, defeats Volsci
• 343 - consul again, defeats Samnites
• 342 - dictator
• 335 - consul, defeats Cales
• 301 - dictator again
• 300 - consul, defeats Aequi, introduces law of appeal
• 299 - suffect consul, defeats Etruscans

References

Preceded by Lucius Furius Camillus and Appius Claudius Crassus Inregillensis	Consul of the Roman Republic with Marcus Popillius Laenas 348 BC	Succeeded by Gaius Plautius Vennox Hypsaeo and Titus Manlius Imperiosus Torquatus
Preceded by Gaius Plautius Vennox Hypsaeo and Titus Manlius Imperiosus Torquatus	Consul of the Roman Republic with Gaius Poetelius Libo Visolus 346 BC	Succeeded by Marcus Fabius Dorsuo and Servius Sulpicius Camerinus Rufus
Preceded by Gaius Marcius Rutilus and Titus Manlius Imperiosus Torquatus	Consul of the Roman Republic with Aulus Cornelius Cossus Arvina 343 BC	Succeeded by Quintus Servilius Ahala and Gaius Marcius Rutilus
Preceded by Lucius Papirius Crassus and Kaeso Duillius	Consul of the Roman Republic with Marcus Atilius Regulus Calenus 335 BC	Succeeded by Spurius Postumius Albinus and Titus Veturius Calvinus
Preceded by Marcus Livius Denter and Marcus Aemilius Paullus	Dictator of the Roman Republic 301 BC	Succeeded by Marcus Valerius Corvus and Quintus Appuleius Pansa
Preceded by Fourth dictator year	Consul of the Roman Republic with Quintus Appuleius Pansa 300 BC	Succeeded by Marcus Fulvius Paetinus and Titus Manlius Torquatus
Preceded by Marcus Fulvius Paetinus and Titus Manlius Torquatus	Consul (Suffect.) of the Roman Republic with Marcus Fulvius Paetinus 299 BC	Succeeded by Lucius Cornelius Scipio Barbatus and Gnaeus Fulvius Maximus Centumalus