Pre Conflict Politico Military Circumstances

Once in power, Crassus and Pompey extended Caesar's time as governor of Gaul, and then chose for themselves long-term governorships, (Crassus in Syria and Pompey in Spain). However, at the end of 55BC, Pompey did not leave for Spain, instead remaining as the only Triumvir in Rome, while Caesar and Crassus took the heads of powerful armies.

Chalking up the fall of the Roman Republic to a decline in traditional Roman morality, while not false, sells the events and changes that were the causes for the fall of the Republic short. At the end of The Third Punic War with Carthage we arguably see the Republic at its height. However in only a decade things begin to change, we see events that send Rome as a Republic past a point that Rome could not recover. Gaius Marius’s military reforms, specifically that of allowing for the captive cencsi, men who owned no property, and the creation of professional soldiers is the true catalyst for the downfall of the Republic. By enacting these reforms Marius opened up military duty to Rome’s largest group of citizens, however it created unforeseen issues, such as what to do with these men once they returned from battle. These reforms opened the door for military generals like Sulla and Caesar to gain the unquestioned support of their troops, in many instances gaining more respect from the soldiers then they had for the Roman state itself. These military reforms are a constant through line through the fall of the Republic, touching large political issues such as the conflicts between the Populares and the Optimates, or the rise of The First Triumvirate; socioeconomic issues such as the rise of Roman aristocracy, development of a slave based agriculture system to the profits from war. The complexity in which these reforms help lead to this immoral Roman state is complex and has been

Though Pompey sought power by manipulating the political system to his own advantage, the fact that the Senate was already weak and hence gave him this power.This shows that although Pompey’s actions were detrimental to the fall of the Republic, he was not the sole contributor. Pompey was both underage and had held none of the required offices, yet the Senate passed decrees exempting him from these traditional prerequisites, thus allowing for him to be joint consul with Crassus in 70 BC. According to Cicero, “absolute power” was what he had sought, and thus this ambition had nothing to do with “the happiness and honour of the community.” This reveals a callously ruthless dimension to Pompey, in that he would undertake any measure to achieve his own goals. However, it should also be noted that Cicero’s interest areas are sometimes narrow and deliberately, or accidentally selective. By reaching the top without any previously held positions of consequence, Pompey the Great had manipulated the political system to his own advantage. Thus, by doing so he undermined the Senate, reiterating its insignificance and weakness.

Rome, a vast empire that could not control itself, due to how much it had grown, was in a dire need for someone to rule it. Three powerful men would rise to the occasion and answer the call. Everybody thought that the split of power was going to work out, but what they didn’t know was it would lead to a civil war. “An unstable Republic and a near civil war brought three men to set aside their differences and even contempt for one another to join forces and dominate the government of Rome, even controlling elections, for nearly a decade,” (First 1). First we’ll look into the men in the trimunative, then the fight for power, and finally the financial status of the Empire.

Julius Caesar's triumph in a civil war in the 40s BC made him the absolute ruler of Rome he rose to power through his social status, financial support, military leadership, and political reputation. Caesar became the proprietor in Spain, where he gained some military experience and wealth. Upon returning to Rome in 60 BC he joined Crassus and Pompey to form the First Triumvirate, a trio of political leaders.

Julius Caesar was a very influential figure in Roman history. Many features of the Roman Empire came from his reign as dictator. But what, specifically, were some of those great achievements? In this research paper, I will explain Julius Caesar’s youth, the Roman Republic before Caesar came to power, the Roman government before Caesar became dictator-for-life, the effects of Julius Caesar, the reasons for his assassination, and what affects there were when the public learned about his assassination.

The First Triumvirate was formed in 60 B.C. to share the power and make each person more powerful than before. The three men in the triumvirate were Julius Caesar, Marcus Licinius Crassus, and Pompey the Great. Caesar was elected consul in Gaul, where he became very successful. Following the death of Crassus, a rivalry between the Caesar and Pompey erupted. The Senate ordered Caesar to disband his army and return to Rome.

Caesar's successes in Gaul, along with his growing power and wealth, drove Pompey. While Caesar was fighting in Gaul, Pompey proceeded with a legislative agenda for Rome, which revealed that he was now covertly allied with Caesar's enemies. Pompey also made it clear that Caesar would not be permitted to stand for Consul unless he turned over control of his armies. This would, of course, leave Caesar defenseless before his enemies. Pompey was elected consul without colleague in 52. The

Gaius Julius Caesar rose through the ranks from Roman general to Emperor. A critical role he played in Roman politics, was his role in the events that were to lead to the downfall of the Roman Republic and the growth of the Roman Empire. He joined with Crassus and Pompey to form a political alliance. This alliance of three would go on to dominate politics in Rome for several years. “Pompey, Caesar, and Crassus now formed a triple pact, jointly swearing to oppose all public policies in which any of them might disapprove” (Graves and Suetonius 19). The conservative ruling class of the Roman Senate opposed their attempts to accumulate power through the use of populist tactics.

His election into the consul was however not without controversy. There were claims of bribing between the parties involved that tried to get Caesar elected into the senior post in Rome. After being elected into consul, he joined forces with two other wealthy and influential individuals in the empire to form the First Triumvirate. This is further seen in his personal choices of the family he married into. He married off his daughter to Pompey, a member of the First Triumvirate. The members of the First Triumvirate had taken control of much of the state. He was rather forceful in his statements to give out areas of land to the needy; he went further and intimidated the opponents with military use.

The people of Rome wanted some organization in their government, so they demanded that Pompey become either the dictator or consul. Pompey was a successful person, as he according to Livy, had captured Jerusalem, and using both fear and experience, turned it into a protected city that was ready for war. Though he was trusted by the people, he was not trusted by the senate. They did not appoint him dictator, but chose him as consul, on the condition that he choose a colleague. He strategically chose Caesar, because at that time he was in Gaul, so did not have much time to help rule.

Pompey and Crassus were consuls in 70 BC and had rescinded the most offensively reactionary measures of Sulla’s legislation. During Pompey’s absence from 67 to 62 BC during his campaigns against the Mediterranean pirates, Mithridates, and Crassus, his jealous rival. Caesar married Ponpeia after Cornelia’s death and was appointed aedile in 65 BC As aedile, Caesar returned to Marius’ trophies to their former place of honor in the Capitol, thus laying claim to leadership of the populares. When Caesar was a praetor, he supported a tribune who wanted Pompey recalled to restore order in Rome. As a result, Caesar was suspended from office for a period and antagonized Catulus. Before leaving Rome to govern Further Spain for a year, Caesar divorced his wife Pompeia because of the allegation that she had been implicated in the offense of Publius Clodius. The latter was then awaiting trial for breaking into Caesar’s house the previous December disguised as a woman at the festival of the Bona Dea, which no man is allowed to attend. After his return from a successful year administrating Spain Caesar was elected consul for 59 BC through political alliance with Pompey and Crassus . This alliance was called the first triumvirate. Caesar’s purpose was to gain a big military command. Pompey for his part sought the ratification of his Eastern settlement and land allotments for his discharged troops. Crassus sought a revision of the contract for collecting taxes in the province of

The Roman Republic was a system of procedures formed by tradition; there was no written constitution or legally binding legislation. Precedent and consensus set procedure creating the parameters for acceptable behaviour. However, it was near the end of the 2nd century BC, where the system began to deteriorate and fall, ultimately causing the civil war in 49 BC. The boundaries of acceptable behaviour were stretched by politicians such as Caesar and Pompey and as a result new perilous precedents were set. Violence along with the use of an army became a political tool in the domestic, political sphere. The civil war laid on the foundations that constitutional methods proved ineffective in the face of an inadequate aristocratic government and therefore Caesar and the senate lead by Pompey used violence and rebellion against each other in an attempt to stabilise the administrative system of government and essentially control Rome. Caesar himself ignited the civil war as a result of the unstable Roman Republic, major events such as rebellion and revolts, senate and the political sphere and the breakdown of the triumvirate, which fuelled the motive for civil war. The corrupted Roman system alongside with personal issues and disagreements became the catalyst for the civil war of 49 BC and consequently set the parameters for the new dictatorial Roman world.

The Second Triumvirate was a “formal magistracy legally appointed which could dominate the Senate and the State” (Scullard) and would prove to be the final straw in an already failed Republican system. The Roman Republic was ruled by a Constitution, which relied on a balance of three elements; The Senate; the Magistrates; the Assemblies. When the balance was upset either by ambitious magistrates, armies or tribunes then civil war was the result. The Senate proved ineffectual in preventing the Second Triumvirate from unbalancing this concept thus the played a significant role in the Republic’s fall. The Second Triumvirate, like those before them, had been able to take advantage of a vulnerable Senate to achieve their own personal aims in defiance of the Senate. The lack of faith in the Senate, which was present for this period of time, was what granted the Second Triumvirate to be the final push in the fall of the Republic. The Sullan legacy continued to be displayed in unlawful acts conducted by this three-man rule. Marc Antony, Octavian, and Lepidus all knew the significance of having an army at their hands and wealth that would ensure two things for them, power and civil war at the hands of conflict. It is therefor known that the Second Triumvirate played a significant role in the fall of an already fallen Republic.

Marcus Licinius Crassus, a popular Roman general and politician, was also a friend of Caesar, but Pompey and Crassus grew older just to become more and more of a rival to Julius than a friend or ally. Julius, with the brains, had convinced them that they would be in better hands as allies. This 3-man allied power became known as the First Triumvirate. With more power than before, Caesar conquered the area known as Gaul which today is known as France and Belgium. During this takeover, his hired political assistants controlled the government for him back home. (Julius Caesar: Historical Background, April 23, 2014)