Lucius Cornelius Cinna (consul 32 BC)

Lucius Cornelius Cinna (flourished 1st century BC) was the son of the consul Lucius Cornelius Cinna, who was a supporter of politician Gaius Marius. His sister, Cornelia, was the first wife of dictator Julius Caesar and he was the maternal uncle of their daughter Julia Caesaris. Cinna was a member of the illustrious gens Cornelia, who were of patrician status. He was suffect consul in 32 BC.

Early career

In 78 BC, Cinna allied himself with Marcus Aemilius Lepidus in attempting to overthrow the Roman constitution of dictator Lucius Cornelius Sulla. Before he left Rome, he sought out the support of Julius Caesar for the rebellion which was not forthcoming. After the defeat and death of Lepidus in Sardinia, Cinna went into exile, accompanying Marcus Perperna Vento to join general Quintus Sertorius in Spain. Caesar was able to recall Cinna from exile back to Rome and used him in the Roman Senate against senatorial opposition. Due to his father’s association with Marius, under Sulla’s constitutional reforms he was unable to promote his career. However, when Caesar became dictator, Cinna was soon promoted to the praetorship.

Conspiracy against Caesar

Although Cinna strongly disapproved of Caesar’s authoritarian way of governing, he did not become an active participant in the conspiracy that led to his assassination on the Ides of March in 44 BC. The previous day, Cinna had given an inflammatory speech against Caesar, which the people subsequently felt linked him to the plot.[1]

On the day of Caesar's funeral, a tribune of the plebs, likely Helvius Cinna, was murdered when an enraged mob mistook him for Lucius Cornelius Cinna. At the time of the murder, Cinna was walking in Caesar’s funeral procession. During the political chaos after these events Cinna did not take advantage of his position to claim a Roman province to govern. Cicero praises him for this act of self-restraint. In 32 BC Cinna served as a suffect consul.

Personal life

After 47 BC, Cinna married Pompeia Magna, the daughter of the assassinated triumvir Pompey and his third wife Mucia Tertia. This was Cinna's first marriage, and Pompeia's second; her first husband, Faustus Cornelius Sulla, had died in battle. Cinna became a stepfather to Pompeia’s son from her first marriage. She bore Cinna two children: a son, Gnaeus Cornelius Cinna Magnus, and a daughter, Cornelia Pompeia Magna. Pompeia died before 35 BC.

See also
  • Cornelia (gens)

References
  1. Suetonius, "The Life of Caesar", 85.
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