'Marcus Calpurnius Bibulus' (d.
48 BC) was a politician of the late
Roman Republic.
Bibulus was the son in law of
Marcus Porcius Cato Uticencis. In
59 BC he was elected
consul, supported by the ''
optimates'', conservative Republicans in the
Senate and opponents of
Julius Caesar's
triumvirate. In this, Caesar, also elected consul in 59, had failed in securing the election to the consulship of his ally
Lucius Lucceius. Nevertheless, with the combined strength of the triumvirate, Caesar was largely able to circumvent the authority of Bibulus and the ''optimates''.
Bibulus' only major act as consul was to
veto Caesar's bill giving land in
Campania to Pompey's soldiers, and to then declare that the rest of the days on which the
Centuriate Assembly could meet would be religious holidays. Caesar presented his bill at the Assembly anyway, and when Bibulus tried to intervene, the crowd broke his ''
fasces'' and dumped feces on him. He retired from the Forum, leaving Caesar with complete control over the consulship, although he occasionally issued complaints against Caesar, which led to attacks on his house from Caesar's supporters, the ''
populares''. For the rest of the year, the ''populares'' joked that the two consuls were really "Julius and Caesar," a pun on the tradition of naming years after the two consuls. Bibulus spent the remainder of his term sequestered in his house where he claimed he was watching for omens, an act that purported to technically invalidate all legislation passed that year.
As a senator, in
52 BC, he supported
Pompey, who was by then a political enemy of Caesar. Bibulus and Cato Uticencis allowed Pompey to serve as sole consul in 52 BC after the murder of
Publius Clodius. In
51 BC he became governor of
Syria, but offended the army there by claiming a victory which had been won before he arrived.
In
48 BC he allied with Pompey against Caesar, commanding Pompey's navy in the
Adriatic. He captured Caesar's fleet, leaving Caesar stranded in
Epirus, although this was a small feat as Caesar went on to defeat Pompey at the
Battle of Pharsalus. Bibulus died later in 48 BC.
Bibulus was married twice. From the first marriage he had three sons, including the later statesman
Lucius Calpurnius Bibulus. His two eldest sons were killed in
Egypt by some of the soldiery which
Aulus Gabinius had left there after having restored
Ptolemy Auletes to the throne. His second wife was Cato's daughter
Porcia.