Marcus Licinius Crassus
Marcus Crassus was born around 115 B.C., though this date is not certain. He was the son of Publius Crassus who had served as consul and held various other offices. When Marius the Younger captured the city in 87 B.C., Crassus fled from Rome to Spain where his father had been governor. Crassus' father and brother became victims of Marius' proscription list during this time.
Crassus was a successful officer during the Civil War from 83-82 B.C. He managed to win a key battle, the Battle of Colline Gate, which ensured Sulla a victory in the Civil War when he had thought all hope was lost. Even so, Crassus was never a big supporter of Sulla's constitution. After Crassus supposedly tampered with proscription lists, Sulla never completely trusted him again.
After the defeat of Marius and his followers, Crassus made a fortune by confiscating their land. Since fires were common in Rome at this time, Crassus also set up his own fire brigade. When property would catch fire, Crassus and his fire brigade would rush to the scene, he would buy the property very cheaply, and the brigade would put out the fire. It is actually thought that Crassus' men started many of these fires. It did not take Crassus long to become the wealthiest man in Rome.
In 72 B.C., a slave named Spartacus escaped from a gladiator school and led a slave revolt. After many attempts, Crassus managed conquer Spartacus and his army of 90,000 men. This was seen as a great victory in the eyes of the Senate, but Pompey managed to take most of the credit. This only fueled Crassus and Pompey's hatred for one another.
Neither Crassus nor Pompey was popular with the Senate. Because of this, the two men saw a need to work together, even though they despised one another. In 70 B.C., Crassus and Pompey became consuls. Both retired after their yearlong service, but Pompey did not stay out of politics long.
Crassus refused to let Pompey steal the limelight. He also feared that if Pompey got too powerful, that his name would be on the top of Pompey's proscription list. Crassus decided the only way to protect himself was to amass a huge army. He gained support for his army by loaning money to various individuals and by being a legal representative for the wealthy.
Julius Caesar (Britannica School) “Caesar’s political ambitions developed under these circumstances. From the start he probably aimed at winning office, not just for personal glory but also to achieve the power to save Rome from decay.” (Julius Caesar -- Britannica School) Once he was travelling to Rhodes and was captured by pirates. His ransom was paid, and then Caesar hunted his captors down and had them crucified.
It is believed that Julius Caesar was born on July 12, 100 B.C. (biography). He obtained the position of consul around 60 B.C. and had an alliance with Pompey, who was a general, and Crassus, who was a patrician. The alliance was broken after Crassus died in battle and Caesar and Pompey had a disagreement that resulted in a civil war. After Pompey was defeated, there was no one to compete against Caesar and he named himself dictator of Rome in 46 B.C. (Ushistory).
"Certainly the Romans say that in the case of Crassus many virtues were obscured by one vice, namely avarice; and it did seem that he had only one vice, since it was such a predominant one that other evil propensities which he may have had were scarcely noticeable." Beginning the Life of Crassus with this statement, Plutarch starts the reader off with a negative feeling of who Crassus was. This statement is very strong because it not only points out Crassus's largest shortcoming, but also implies that it was so prevalent that it outweighed all his virtues as well as his other faults. One can read between the lines and in order to see that Plutarch did not favor Crassus. If Plutarch had wanted to, he could have conveyed the same information about Crassus's faults in a much gentler manner. He wants the reader to see how horrible greed is and that it has the ability to destroy people no matter how wonderful their other characteristics may be....
The first crisis that the late republic had to face was the slave revolt in 73 B.C. The slave army had about 70,000 men led by a gladiator named Spartacus. He was a gladiator who escaped from a training facility and attracted t...
Julius Caesar was a great military leader.He lead Rome to many victories.“He used it to change the world driven
power and wealth in early Rome. Caesar was born on July 12, 100 BC. His father
With its popularity equivalent to the modern day version of the tale of Snow White, the title character of the Greek tragedy of Sophocles’ Oedipus the King can turn iron-fists into timorous wimps. As an honorable king and a miracle worker, the positive attributes of Oedipus would have been worthy of taking into account had he not committed one of the greatest sins of human life – and yes, this was even worse than a verbal sin. Portrayed as the protagonist and villain, Oedipus’ situation was destined by the supreme will of the gods and any attempt to escape the evil that the gods intimidate him with would eventually fail, because his hubris towards his power and position would instigate more castigation from the gods.
One war was the battle of Gaul where Caesar conquered gaul. One of Caesar's greatest accomplishment was to be universally admired by his people for much of his reign. The death of Julia(caesar's daughter) in 54 BC and the death of Crassus in 53 BC destroyed Caesar and Pompey's relationship. In 52 BC Pompey was made sole consul. In 50 BC Pompey joined with Caesar's political enemies, and ordered Caesar to disassemble his army. Instead, Caesar crossed the Rubicon River into Italy and fought against Pompey("Triumvirates, Roman." Ancient Greece and Rome), which created another civil war in Rome. In many battles Caesar defeated Pompey which caused Pompey to flee to the east. Caesar secured Spain and then fought Pompey in Greece, defeating him at Pharsalus. Pompey escaped with some of his soldiers to Egypt, where he was eventually murdered. Caesar followed Pompey to Egypt and soon made civil war there. Caesar made Cleopatra his mistress and also made her the queen of Egypt.Caesar’s impact on the city of Rome continued even after his
...cted upon the system. Thus, though Pompey was unarguably, being part of the three way alliance, an important player in the downfall of the Republic, others like Caesar and Crassus also played part.
Brutus, a senator in William Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar, claims the life of Julius Caesar in order to preserve Rome, his country and home. He puts aside his love for his comrade; Caesar to do what he felt was best. Both of these characters, Creon and Brutus, clearly felt compelled to do what each felt was preeminent for their country.
Gaius Octavius, or later known as Octavian, was the adopted son of Julius Caesar. He took over after Julius died and the republic fell. He belonged to a successful family. His father was the first of his family to become a senator, his mother was the niece of Julius Caesar. They lived in Velitrae. This shows how little of a political background he came from. He traveled with his uncle/ adopted father and learned the ropes of government. He was 18 when he came to Rome to claim his dictatorship. Mark Antony was chief lieutenant at the time (Grant). Augustus Caesar is often a man mistaken for his adoptive father, Julius Caesar, but this man made a name for himself by becoming the first emperor of Rome. He rebuilt Rome from the crumbling civilization that it was to a thriving empire by reorganizing the government and ending the Roman Republic once and for all.
"We are in bondage to the law in order that we may be set free"
Gaius Julius Caesar, born 100 B.C.E. in Rome to the impoverished patrician Julian Clan, knew controversy at an early age. Nephew to Populare Gaius Marius, he was earmarked by the Optimate dictator Sulla for prosciption after his refusal to divorce his Populare wife, Cinna. Fleeing Rome, and not returning until after Sulla’s resignation in 78 B.C.E, upon his return he gained a position as a pontificate, an important Roman priesthood. Slowly but surely throughout his lifetime he worked his way up the political ladder, eventually becoming Consul, and finally Dictator Perpeteus – Dictator for life. One of the most influential political and military leaders of all time, Caesar was also a highly intelligent man and an exceptional orator. However, acquiring this absolute power was no mean feat, and Caesar had well equipped himself through previous expeditions with all the resources necessary to gain power in Ancient Rome.
After marching to 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 to Rome, victorious. After declaring himself Dictator for Life, Caesar was assassinated, and another Civil War ensued.... ...
Crassus' motives for the need for the First Triumvirate according to Scullard are as follows,