THE FALL OF THE ROMAN REPUBLIC

The Roman Revolution ( BCE) 133 BCE - Final conquest of Spain, acquisition of the province of Asia Long political transformation that ended the Roman Republic The Changing World of Italy: Increase in slave population, displaced farmers, unemployment and poverty high Couldn’t join the army for cost of armour

Tiberius Gracchus ( BCE) Young Roman statesman who attempted to solve the problems of those who had lost their land Plebeian status through the male bloodline (mother Patrician) 133 BCE – became tribune of Plebeian council Proposed bill to assign parcels of public land to dispossessed farmers Create prosperous farmers & increase recruits for the army Opponents feared Tiberius would seize power and lead the Plebeians into a social revolution Clubbed to death

Gaius Gracchus ( BCE) 123 BCE – Tiberius’ younger brother became tribune of the Plebeian Council (harsher than Tiberius) Sought to limit the powers of the Senate Restricted their freedom of assigning governors to provinces Assigned seats for the jury of the extortion court Continued bill that distributed public land Proposed Roman colony on site of Carthage (hated enemy) Enemies asserted he and his followers were planning a revolution Consul suppressed Gaius Mob hunted him, killed by his slave

THE YEARS OF THE WARLORDS 107 BCE Roman conquests brought the state into more wars which allowed powerful generals who had the support of their armies and used it to seize power. Senate vs. Powerful generals  undermined the Republic  dictatorship

Gaius Marius ( BCE) Novus homo – “new man” – ancestors had not been consuls Changed the membership of the Roman army BCE – acquired prestige by winning a war against Numidia BCE – drove back a Germanic invasion toward northern Italy Consul for 5 consecutive years Abolished requirement that a soldier had to own land and accepted volunteers Poor men who served their commander for land when they were discharged

Sulla the Dictator ( BCE) 80s BCE – civil war broke out in Rome over who should command in a war against Mithridates (king of Pontus, Asia Minor) 88 BCE – marched and seized the city of Rome Mithridates ordered massacre of 80,000 Romans/Italians in Asia Minor 87 BCE – Sulla departed for his campaign against Mithridates Marius seized Rome and conducted a reign of terror 82 BCE – Sulla returns and executes opponents Has himself named as dictator without a time limit Established law that forbade army commanders from making wars outside their borders

Gnaeus Pompeius (Pompey the Great) ( BCE) 77 BCE – another warlord, ended revolts in Spain, helped suppress a rebellion of slaves in Italy against Spartacus (Thracian slave) Worked with his rival, Crassus, to suppress the revolt 71 BCE – marched to the gates of Rome together to demand the consulships They cancelled many of Sulla’s arrangements BCE – Pompey commanded many foreign campaigns 62 BCE – Pompey returns to Rome and joins in a political alliance with Julius Caesar

Cicero ( BCE) Became the chief non-military statesman in Rome during Pompey’s absence Career in law and administration Dedicated to compromise and political negotiation 63 BCE – elected consul Catiline – a rival formed a conspiracy to take over the city

The First Triumvirate Julius Caesar – governor of Spain – returns to Rome in 60 BCE Enemies within the Senate – refused him consulship in 59 BCE Made a political bargain with Pompey Crassus joined because he was at odds with Senators too The First Triumvirate (“body of three men”) Caesar elected to consul in 59 BCE Pompey’s army secured land allotments Crassus’ financial quarrel settled Caesar secured command over the Po valley Gallic War (58-50 BCE) – series of campaigns to bring the modern France and Belgium area under Roman rule 53 BCE – Died during campaign against kingdom of Parthia

The Supremacy of Julius Caesar ( BCE) Senate feared Caesar would become permanent dictator Drew Pompey onto their side Ordered Pompey to command the armies of Rome against Caesar (“last decree”) Senate threatened the lives of tribunes who opposed Caesar could now argue he was defending the rights of the tribunes, the common people, and the loyal soldiers of Rome 49 BCE – “Let the die be cast” Crossed the boundary of his province, the Rubicon River, and invaded his own country Pompey retreated to Greece, then sought refuge in Egypt (unsuccessfully) As Pompey approached the shore, he was decapitated

Julius Caesar (continued) Caesar followed Pompey to Egypt and found he was dead He intervened in a civil war between Ptolemy XIII and his sister Cleopatra VII Arranged them to share rule and had a long affair with Cleopatra Son was named Caesarion (the Little Caesar) Cleopatra’s affection guaranteed Roman control over the resources of Egypt BCE – Caesar’s Rule Took positions of dictator and consul like the model of Sulla Series of rapid reforms in Roman life (Roman calendar – 365 days)

The Death of Julius Caesar March 15, 44 BCE – The Ides of March Brutus & Cassius (his lieutenants) united against him to carry out his murder “You, too, my boy?” His career is a blend of triumph and tragedy

The Second Triumvirate Survivor of one of Caesar’s commanded armies was Marc Antony – consul for the year 44 BCE Antony tried to seize the provincial command in Cisalpine Gaul but the Senate (Cicero) led an attack against him Octavian – Caesar’s 19 year old grandnephew was put in charge of this attack against Antony Antony & Octavian join together because the Senate was ultimately seeking their destruction Marcus Lepidus joins them to invade Rome Senate turns control over to the three of them for 5 years