Coriolanus

(Caius Marcius Coriolanus)

500–450 BC

"OH MOTHER, THOU HAST SAVED ROME, BUT THOU HAST LOST THY SON."

Coriolanus was a brave Roman nobleman, who was respected by the patricians but disliked by the plebeians, in spite of his achievements. He narrowly missed being elected consul, but then was exiled from Rome due to a dispute with the lower classes. He went to the camp of Rome’s enemies, and offered to lead their army against Rome, to win back the same territory he had helped Rome take away from them. He was at the very gates of Rome, but turned back when his mother and wife were brought to the camp to plead with him.

Coriolanus was the basis of one of Shakespeare’s historical plays.

Key events during the life of Coriolanus:

Year	Event
496 BC	Fought in the Battle of Regillus, crowned as a hero.
493 BC	Captured town of Corioli.
492 BC	Lost consulship due to plebeians, then was exiled.
491 BC	Led Volscian army against Rome.
	Put to death by the Volscians for treason.

Contemporary	Short Biography
Venturia	Mother of Coriolanus.
Valeria	Roman noblewoman who asked Venturia for help.
Tullus Aufidius	Chieftain of the Volscians.

Other Resources

Story Links	Book Links
Story of Old Rome  in	Fifty Famous People  by  James Baldwin
Coriolanus  in	Stories From Livy  by  Alfred J. Church
Of Caius Marcius Coriolanus  in	Stories from Roman History  by  Lena Dalkeith
How a Woman Saved Rome  in	Tales of the Romans: The Children's Plutarch  by  F. J. Gould
Story of Coriolanus  in	The Story of the Romans  by  H. A. Guerber
Coriolanus  in	Famous Men of Rome  by  John H. Haaren & A. B. Poland
Caius Marcius Coriolanus  in	Our Young Folks' Plutarch  by  Rosalie Kaufman
Coriolanus and His Mother Veturia  in	The Story of Rome  by  Mary Macgregor
Revenge of Coriolanus  in	Historical Tales: Roman  by  Charles Morris
Coriolanus  in	On the Shores of the Great Sea  by  M. B. Synge
Coriolanus  in	Plutarch's Lives W. H. Weston  by

Image Links
Coriolanus and his mother  in Fifty Famous People	The mother of Coriolanus pleads with her son.  in Stories From Livy	Coriolanus at the gates of Rome  in Stories from Roman History
Coriolanus before Rome  in The Story of the Romans	Pleading with Coriolanus  in Famous Men of Rome	Coriolanus Yields to the Entreaty of his Wife and Mother  in Greatest Nations - Rome
Coriolanus and his Mother  in Our Young Folks' Plutarch	O my mother, thou hast saved Rome, but thou hast lost thy son.'  in The Story of Rome	You have saved Rome, but lost your son.'  in On the Shores of the Great Sea
Coriolanus and the Matrons of Rome  in Plutarch's Lives W. H. Weston