Titus Manlius Torquatus ( consul 347 BC ) Titus Manlius Imperiosus Torquatus held three consulships of republican Rome and was also three times Roman Dictator . His father Lucius was appointed dictator in 363 BC in order to fulfill religious duties , but instead undertook preparations for war . This resulted in strong opposition from the plebeian tribunes and he was brought to trial at the beginning of the next year , after he had resigned the dictatorship . Amongst the charges against him was that he had banished Titus from Rome on account of his speaking difficulties and made him work as a labourer . Upon hearing of these accusations against his father , Titus went to the home of the tribune Marcus Pomponius , where he was expected by the latter to provide further charges and was thus promptly admitted . However , once they were alone , he drew his hidden knife and threatened to stab the tribune unless he made a public oath not to hold an assembly to accuse Lucius Manlius , which Pomponius agreed to and duly performed . Titus Manlius ' reputation grew on account of his filially pious actions , which helped him to be elected as a military tribune later in the year . In 361 BC , Titus Manlius fought in the army of Titus Quinctius Poenus against the Gauls . When a Gaul of enormous size and strength challenged the Romans to single combat , Manlius accepted the challenge with the approval of Poenus after the rest of the army had held back from responding for a long period of time . Despite being physically inferior , he killed the Gaul with blows to the belly and groin , after which he stripped the corpse of a torc and placed it around his own neck . From this , he gained the agnomen Torquatus , a title that was passed down also to his descendants . In 353 BC , he was named dictator and prepared to attack Caere , but they responded by sending envoys and were granted peace . The campaign was then directed towards the Falisci , but the Roman army found on arrival that the Falisci had disappeared . They ravaged the land but spared the cities before returning to Rome . He was appointed dictator again in 348 BC to oversee elections . A year later , he was elected for his first consulship . His second consulship came in 345 BC . In 340 BC , when Manlius was consul for the third time , Rome had leadership over the Latin League . It received a delegation from member states headed by Annius , demanding coequal status in Roman government , such as a place in the senate and a consulship , but Manlius , appealing to Jupiter , refused them . Roundly abusing the Roman Jupiter , Annius fell down the steps of the public assembly , senseless . Manlius said he would strike down Rome ' s enemies as Jupiter struck down Annius . The Latin embassy required a Safe conduct and an escort of magistrate s to leave Rome unmolested . Rome realigned itself with the Samnites against the Latins . During the conduct of the war , Manlius and his co - consul , Publius Decius Mus , decided that the old military disciplines would be reinstated , and no man was allowed to leave his post , under penalty of death . Manlius ' s son , seeing an opportunity for glory , forgot this stricture , left his post with his friends , and defeated several Latin skirmishers in battle . Having the spoils brought to him , the father cried out in a loud voice and called the legion to assemble . Berating his son , he then handed him over for execution to the horror of all his men . Thus , " Manlian discipline . " After Decius Mus sacrificed himself to achieve victory at the battle of Vesuvius , Manlius was able to crush the Latin allies and pursue them into Campania . He defeated them again at Trifanum , bringing the war to an end , and returned to Rome . He was unable on account of ill health to conduct a further campaign against the Antiates and appointed Lucius Papirius Cursor as dictator to fulfil this role instead .