AnnaMarie Garlin Magistra Manse Latin 3 4/11/14 The Gracchi Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus was born in approximately 163 B.C.E to Tiberius Gracchus the Elder and Cornelia Africana. Gaius Gracchus, his younger brother, was born in 154 B.C.E. In the 2nd century B.C., the two brothers formed “The Gracchi”. The two, born plebeians, belonged to one of the most influential families in Rome, the Sempronia. Their father was the tribune of the plebs, the praetor, consul and censor. Fatherless from a young age, they were taught democratic views by tutors. As they grew older and gained influence, their goal became to restructure Rome in a way that benefited the underprivileged and unfortunate. At the time, their help was especially welcome as members of the Populare, a political group whose purpose was to serve the people, rather than the aristocracy (like the Optimates). The ideals of the Gracchi leaned towards what people today would call populism or socialism; in fact, they are almost reverently called “the founding fathers” (Fife 1) of the aforementioned political parties. The brothers were perhaps so interested in restoring the rights of the people because of the dichotomy of their plebeian births within a noble line. Although the siblings shared principles, the ways they went about enforcing them were surprisingly quite different. While Tiberius was involved in politics, he also had a strong military background; he was one of the most illustrious younger officers in the Third Punic war. Tiberius brought with him concerns about how economic distress would have consequences within the military. There were strict rules about eligibility to enter the army, and owning land was one of them. Peasants who were driven off of the... ... middle of paper ... ...ar, but Gaius unconstitutionally got re-elected for a second one- after having much of what he planned to have passed, passed. His failure, however, was in trying to grant citizenship to more non-Roman Italians. The Roman Plebeians felt superior to other Italians and jealously guarded their citizenships. With Gaius’s support weakened, the consul Lucius Opimius swooped down and annihilated the last of the Gracchan movement. A mob was raised to kill Gaius Gracchus, and in true Roman fashion, he committed suicide on Aventine Hill before anyone else could get to him. Tiberius lost his life because he put too much trust in the people to back hime up, and Gaius met the same fate because the Roman constitutional system had check and balances specifically designed to keep power from staying in one place for too long. The Populist Gracchan government met a bloody end.
Caesar’s death brought turmoil to into Rome. Augustus was determined to avenge his adopted father’s death and vied with two of his chief rivals for power, Mark Antony and Lepidus. After some minor conflicts and disputes, both military and political, Augustus realized the importance and significance of making peace with his rivals. Through these small skirmishes, Antony was driven across the Alps, while Augustus was made senator and then consul. Soon after, Augustus and Antony were joined by Antony’s ally. They met and formed the Second Triumvirate to rule the Roman domains. Their alliance was sealed by a huge proscription in which 300 senators and 200 knights were killed. These were the Triumvir’s enemies.
During the last century of the Roman republic, the system of government was drastically changed and eventually fell apart, not only because of Marius and his military reforms, but also because of the dictatorship and proscriptions of Sulla, seven consulships of Marius, political alliances of the first and second triumvirates and the growing corruption and ineptitude of the senate.
...ion this all showed that style of governing and ruling an empire started a century long pattern of events that eventually lead to the fall and destruction of the old oligarchy led by the Senate. The combination of desire for personal gain and glory of a politician or general was what weakened the Roman customs and the Senate. This was a cycle among the Senate, to find themselves stuck in a problem and to find others to fix with of course military means but in turn make everything more corrupt with their disruptive practices such as Pompey and Julius Caesar. But they were not the only ones there were others who were to blame for causing such decay and corruption such as Marius, Sulla, Gaius and Tiberius Gracchus. They were the ones who kept this corruption cycle going and it was Augustus Caesar who finally broke the cycle and brought stability and order back to Rome.
The Significance of the Gracchi "When Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus sought to establish the liberty of the common people and expose the crimes of the oligarchs, the guilty nobles took fright and opposed their proceedings by every means at their disposal" - Cicero. The Gracchi brothers were clearly well intentioned men who had the interests of Rome at heart, instead of their own, which was a common attitude amongst the other senators. The reforms of the Gracchi were long over-due and their programs were genuine attempts to deal with Rome's problems. During the Gracchi's existence, Rome was facing a number of social, political and economic problems. They were frustrated with the conservatism and selfishness of the oligarchy and so adopted methods which threatened the balance between the senate, the magistrates and the people which had existed for a very long time - in this way they can be regarded as revolutionary.
Julius Caesar assassination was so astound that the people of Rome wanted vengeance over his killers. By the time of the Caesar, Rome had long-established the Republic government headed by two consuls with mutual powers A special temporary office, called the dictatorship, was established for use only during times of war. Minutes before Julius’s assassination, Brutus one of his closet peers surprised Julius with a fatal blow in the neck followed by countless jabs by loyal Senate of Rome. However, Julius Caesar was more than a piece to an assassination plot, he was a dictator, politician and a military commander. As a dictator he established the whole empire under his absolute rule.as politician he was elected consul, he passed laws that favored
They begin by telling the history of how Caligula’s great uncle Tiberius was chosen to reign after the passing of Augustus, the great grandfather of Caligula. An account of Caligula’s family me...
The legacy of the Gracchi brothers was one of social mayhem. Their short time spent in office was used attempting to level the playing field for all social classes. They sought to bring down the ultimate power which the senate held and put it in the hands of the citizens. Their violent deaths would be the first of many more riots and executions while the senate struggled with dwindling power. Thanks to the Gracchi brothers ambitious new faces and families were now given motivation and ways to exploit a teetering government. With the fast rise and fall of the Gracchi, the stage was set for the rise of Marius, Sulla, Pompey and eventually the last dictator, Julius Caesar.
Upon expansion of the Roman Empire, lie trials and tribulations for the government to rule the foreign lands and keep the population in check. The Gracchi brothers grew up during a time when the Roman Empire was still under civil unrest. The Roman people were divided, lands were unevenly distributed, the government was disorderly, patriotism ceased to exist, and slave labor made it harder for citizens to uproot themselves from poverty. Tiberius, the elder brother, was the first to bring up the agrarian laws, and was followed after his death by his younger brother, Gaius Gracchus. The brothers knew of the significance of winning the side of the commoners to assert their power over the empire. By ways of the agrarian laws, and other reforms, the two brothers were able to win control of the masses, leaving the senate to fear what could happen if these two rise in power. According to Gaius Gracchus, “in a certain pamphlet, has written that as Tiberius was passing through Tuscany on his way to Numantia, and observed the dearth of inhabitants in the country, and that those who tilled its soil or tended its flocks there were imported barbarian slaves, he then first conceived the public policy which was the cause of countless ills to the two brothers.” (Plutarch, Tiberius Gracchus 8.7)
In the early first century AD, the Roman Empire was subject to autocratic rule and the old Republic was long dead. Augustus had been ruling for forty years and most of that time he was loved and praised by the Senate and the people of Rome. Throughout his reign, Augustus had the one lingering problem of finding a successor to take over the role of Emperor. He had chosen 3 different heirs in his time of rule; however, they all passed before they had the chance to inherit Augustus’ esteemed power. His fourth choice, Tiberius, was the one to succeed Augustus.
Tiberius Gracchus was elected to tribune of the people in 133 BCE. He believed he could solve the problems of the poor by redistributing the land. He set up a land commission to distribute ten-hectare plots. He misused his authority when he announced that he would seek re-election as tribune. Such an act was unheard of in this time. This action in sighted a riot within the already angry land owning senators in Rome. 3000 people were killed, amongst them was Tiberius himself. Regardless, the land commission continued and some 80 000 people were resettled.
In 509 B.C. the Romans declared themselves a republic, free from rule of the Etruscan kings. (“The Rise of…”) From that point on, the Roman’s form of government would never include the title of “king”, in fear that a single person would gain absolute power. The republic included a dictator (in emergencies), the senate, two consuls, and several other positions. (Bishop) Although the goal of creating a republic was to have a government that represented the wishes of its people, the Roman senate consisted of men of wealth or power, leaving most of the plebeians, or common people, out of the picture. Many of the emperors’ policies strengthened the power of the government, and therefore weakened the power of the plebeians. By the end of Sulla’s rule in 78 B.C., grain prices had risen substantially and there was large gap between the rich and poor. (“The Rise of…”) When Julius Caesar took power, he initiated several reforms that were much needed at the time. Caesar spent large volumes of money on entertaining the citizens, while expanding citizenship to people of conquered lands and lessening the power of the senate. His policies threatened the method of income of senators and around 60 senators, in the name of saving the republic, murdered Julius Caesar at a senate hearing in 44 B.C. Civil war then erupted in Rome and lasted over a decade. At the end of the blood brawl, it was Octavian who emerged victorious; he would be the first Roman Emperor and would be known as Augustus. (Morey) Although the “Liberators” (Julius Caesar’s assassins), might not have realized it, the day that Julius Caesar died was the same day that the republic died; t...
The Failure of the Roman Republic was inevitable as it was an unjust system of government and it was left vulnerable after the attempted changes instigated by the Gracchi as the Gracchi exposed the weaknesses in the political structure allowing future politicians to manipulate the system. The changes made by the Gracchi left the Republic in a state of pandemonium as it destroyed political stability as well as creating opportunities for future individuals to rise above and challenge the system.
The Roman Republic ultimately failed due to the lack of large-scale wars and other crises that had united the Roman populous early in the history of the Roman Republic. Roman leadership and honor became compromised. In the absence of war and crisis, Rome’s leaders failed to develop the honor and leadership necessary to maintain the Republic.
Caesar was sole consul and at times acted like a king. The senate did not like this because the Romans held the tradition of a hatred of kings. It was then that the senate believed that Julius Caesar was a threat to the Republic. The senate and everyone liked Caesar, but they had decided that the best way to save the Republic was to assassinate Caesar. This was yet another piece of the game that was pulled out of the structure of the Roman Republic. Yes, the Romans were able to destroy the person that they thought was the threat to the Republic, but it was the position not the person that was the threat. With Julius Caesar gone, the void was still there for someone to fill.
Julius Caesar was the dictator of Rome in his prime. Some say his journey to the top was paved in corruption, other claimed he was a man of the people. His enemies knew to fear him for his ruthlessness. His followers adored him because everything that he had succeeded in was done for them. Unfortunately, his betrayal transpired by his senators who felt he had grown too powerful and stabbed him to death. However, Julius Caesar’s connection to the political world, his innate ability as an army general, and his desire to advocate for the rights of his people made him a great leader.