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.
Tiberius Sempronius and Gaius Sempronius Gracchus were born into one of Rome’s most politically connected families of their generation. This in turn, benefitted both of their short controversial political careers. Tiberius Gracchus, the eldest of the two, was described by Florus as “a man who easily stood out from others in birth, appearance and eloquence...” (n.d., p. 221) and Velleius identified Tiberius as being the epitome of perfection (p. 55). These sources, created nearly 100 years after the death of Tiberius Gracchi, describe Tiberius to be the ‘perfect’ human-being which could demonstrate a bias accou...
From ages past, the actions of conquerors, kings and tyrants had brought the Roman Republic to a stance that opposed any idea of a singular leader, of a single man that held total power over the entirety of the state. Their rejection of the various ruthless Etruscan rulers that had previously dictated them brought the Republic to existence in 509 BC , and as a republic their prominence throughout the provinces of the world exponentially expanded. Throughout these years, the traditions of the Romans changed to varying degrees, most noticeably as a result of the cultural influence that its subject nations had upon the republic, as well as the ever-changing nature of Roman society in relation to then-current events. However, it was not until the rise of Augustus, the first of a long line of succeeding emperors, that many core aspects of the Republic were greatly changed. These were collectively known as the “Augustan Reforms”, and consisted of largely a variety of revisions to the social, religious, political, legal and administrative aspects of the republic’s infrastructure. Through Augustus, who revelled in the old traditional ways of the past, the immoral, unrestraint society that Rome was gradually falling to being was converted to a society where infidelities and corruption was harshly looked upon and judged. The Roman historian Suetonius states, “He corrected many ill practices, which, to the detriment of the public, had either survived the licentious habits of the late civil wars, or else originated in the long peace” . Through Augustus and his reforms, the Republic was transformed into an Empire, and through this transformation, Rome experienced one of its greatest and stabl...
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.
Imagine it is the year 59 B.C.E., the greatest republic to date is collapsing and it seems it is doomed with a senate which does not care about its people. There seems to be no hope. But then comes a young man who has ideas of equality that could save the republic. That man is Julius Caesar. Conqueror of Gaul, Crosser of the Rubicon, member of the First Tiumbarant, Caesar was a brilliant politician and general. At the time, Rome was governed by Pompey and the senate. Both were in favor bettering themselves and not the poor people. Caesar was in favour of improving life for the lower class. This was not accepted by the senate or Pomey, making them question his ethics. As Caesar became more powerful, as when he conquered Gaul, Pompey and the senate began to plot. They could not have someone as dangerous as Caesar in Rome. Because of this, the senate planned and carried out an assassination attempt, and succeeded. This was only for the senate to maintain power and complete control over Rome. Along with caesar, a little bit of
It was clear to the people of Rome that the concerns of the common man were now of little importance to the aristocrats that held positions in government. Additionally, new policies paid the army with gold and land instead of it being a public service for the good of the Roman Republic leading soldiers to be more loyal to the generals than the republic itself. Julius Caesar, a successful military leader, utilized the control he had over his soldiers to rise to prominence in Roman politics in 78-60 BCE. Caesar joined the 1st triumvirate, a mutual split of power between himself, Pompey, and Crassus for control of Rome, but after the death of Crassus and the defeat of Pompey in Northern Italy was the only remaining leader. Caesar then focused on social and economic reforms that addressed the class inequality that resulted from the aftermath of the Gracchi brothers, subsequently making him very popular with the commoners. Caesar most likely saw his popularity as an advantage, knowing that having the people of Rome on his side would make it much more difficult for him to be stripped of his title. Unfortunately, popularity would prove not to be enough to keep Caesar in office. Because Caesar’s initiative was focused around the concerns of the common man, some of Caesar’s senate did not approve of the way he was utilizing his power. In 44 BCE, Julius Caesar would be stabbed to death while in a senate meeting. Upon hearing that Caesar had fallen to the aristocrats, his followers, mostly commoners, were enraged and caused the Roman Republic to go into a state of disarray once
Philosopher A: In the Republic, the Senate was the primary branch of the Roman government and held the majority of the political power. It controlled funds, administration and foreign policy, and had significant influence of the everyday life of the Roman people. When Augustus came to power, he kept the Senate and they retained their legal position. The Emperor’s rule was legitimized by the senate as he needed the senators experience to serve as administrators, diplomats and generals. Although technically the most authoritative individual in Rome, Augustus strived to embody Republican values. He wanted to relate and connect to all parts of society including Plebeians. Through generosity and less extravagance, Augustus achieved a connection with the common people.
...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.
“His birth marked the beginning of a new chapter in roman history”. By 31, Caesar had fought in several wars and become heavily involved in politics; being appointed dictator and consul on multiple occasions (Biography.com, 2014). It was Caesar’s assassination and following events that ultimately brought an ...
"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. It is likely that they interpreted the problems far too simply, and they failed to see that Roman society had changed. The Senate also failed to see these changes and reacted to the Gracchi's actions in the only way they could - violence. The senate felt threatened by the Gracchi's methods, and as a result violence was used for the first time in Roman politics.
Tiberius was a man of just reasoning and great honor. To have been a son of Tiberius Gracchus the elder, virtue was one of the traits that would pass along with his name. Tiberius married the daughter of the great Scipio who defeated Hannibal. This not only added to his fame, but also provided support. “We are told, moreover, that he once caught a pair of serpents on his bed, and that the soothsayers, after considering the prodigy, forbade him ...
Many Roman people believed that Tiberius’ later years damaged the carefully crafted political edifice put together by Augustus. They then realized that Tiberius was a glorious emperor compared to Caligula. As the people called him “our baby” and “our star”, it is ironic that his name later became synonymous with words such as hedonism, cruelty, tyranny, and insanity.
Over the span of five-hundred years, the Roman Republic grew to be the most dominant force in the early Western world. As the Republic continued to grow around the year 47 B.C it began to go through some changes with the rise of Julius Caesar and the degeneration of the first triumvirate. Caesar sought to bring Rome to an even greater glory but many in the Senate believed that he had abused his power, viewing his rule more as a dictatorship. The Senate desired that Rome continued to run as a republic. Though Rome continued to be glorified, the rule of Caesar Octavian Augustus finally converted Rome to an Empire after many years of civil war. Examining a few selections from a few ancient authors, insight is provided as to how the republic fell and what the result was because of this.
When many people think of Rome, they think of the famous Julius Caesar. Julius Caesar is well known for his many victories in Rome, as well as his interesting family life. Caesar was born into a well known family, so his family life and experiences were often well known throughout Rome. With that being said, one of the most important factors in the Roman society was family. Family has always been an important factor in my life, so it’s important to me to understand what family life was like in Rome during the time period of 100-44 BC. When looking at Roman family life, it’s interesting to see that Roman family was much like modern day families in America. Families experienced a tremendous amount of feud, along with family unison. In the midst
The Romans have had almost every type of government there is. They've had a kingdom, a republic, a dictatorship, and an empire. Their democracy would be the basis for most modern democracies. The people have always been involved with and loved their government, no matter what kind it was. They loved being involved in the government, and making decisions concerning everyone. In general, the Romans were very power-hungry. This might be explained by the myth that they are descended from Romulus, who's father was Mars, the god of war. Their government loving tendencies have caused many, many civil wars. After type of government, the change has been made with a civil war. There have also been many civil wars between rulers. But it all boils
The Roman Republic was founded in 509 BC after the ruling Tarquins abused their extensive power as monarchs and were overthrown. The goal of the Roman Republic was to have a strong government, governed equally by the patricians and the plebians, and to avoid another Roman Monarchy. For years Rome was guided by great men, such as Cincinnatus and Scipio Africanus, who led the Republic through hard times, conquering such enemies as the Etruscans and the Carthaginians. Large-scale war united Roman society in its common goals. However, after Scipio’s victory at Zama in 202 BC, a new Roman world began to take shape. Roman soldiers returned home from their victory to find that they could not pay for their farms, becoming “squatters” on their own lands after having to sell them to richer men. The Senate became corrupted, and despite the Gracchi brothers’ best efforts, the rich patricians soon monopolized nearly all aspects of the Republic, from trading and “farming” to governing the people. After marching on Rome, Sulla became dictator in 82 BC. After Sulla, the First Triumvirate: Pompey, Crassus, and Caesar, owned virtually all power in Rome, yet each had his own desire to defeat the other two and become Emperor. When Crassus died in battle, Caesar had his chance. He defeated Pompey and marched on Rome, victorious. After declaring himself Dictator for Life, Caesar was assassinated, and another Civ...