Trebonius
Gaius. A Roman who played a prominent part in the last
days of the Republic. He commenced public life as a supporter of the aristocratic party, but
changed sides soon afterwards, and in his tribunate of the plebs (B.C. 55) he proposed the
lex Trebonia, by which Pompey obtained the two Spains, Crassus Syria, and
Caesar the Gauls and Illyricum for another period of five years. (See
Caesar.) For this service he was rewarded by being appointed one of
Caesar's legates in Gaul. In 48 Trebonius was city-praetor, and towards the end of 47
succeeded Q. Cassius Longinus as pro-praetor in the government of Farther Spain. Caesar raised
him to the consulship in October, 45, and promised him the province of Asia. In return for all
these honours and favours, Trebonius was one of the prime movers in the conspiracy to
assassinate Caesar, and after the murder of his patron (B.C. 44) he went as proconsul to the
province of Asia. In the following year (B.C. 43) Dolabella surprised Smyrna and put Trebonius
to death.
