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THE COLLAPSE OF THE ROMAN REPUBLIC 72-27 BC PREVIOUSLY ON ROMAN HISTORY… Optimates & Populares Gracchi Brothers Marius & Sulla Land for Veterans Loyalty to Generals Roman-on-Roman Violence Foreign Threats Mithridates MAJOR NEW CHARACTERS Julius Caesar -lawyer, judge, politician, general, and historian -Populares Cicero -orator, politician, philosopher, senator -pushes for a return to ideal Republic & constitution Pompey -general, senator, wealthy -Optimates Crassus -extremely wealthy general A SERIES OF PROBLEMS – 72-63 BC Leftovers from the war between Marius & Sulla Marius’s supporters flee and resist Sulla’s A separate Republic forms in Spain Pirates, Mithridates, slave revolt, conspiracy Provide our new characters with some accomplishments & street cred Lots going on at once, in several places GNAEUS POMPEIUS MAGNUS Supporter of Sulla in war, politics, and marriage; supporter of Senate too, then Extremely successful general at a young age “haters gonna hate” – Pompey POMPEY THE GREAT Defeats Marians in Sicily, Africa, and Spain Clears pirates from the Mediterranean in 40 days (grain supply threatened) Goes east and defeats Mithridates Adds 4 provinces to Rome (Bithynia & Pontus, Syria, Cilicia, and Crete) Never really followed the rules; used his armies as threats against the Senate MARCUS TULLIUS CICERO “Novus Homo” – “New Man” Catilinarian Conspiracy – 63 BC Catiline’s salty that he wasn’t elected consul Plan: raise an army in Etruria, murder all the senators in Rome, bring the army in with help from some Gauls, take over Cicero is warned; delivers speech to Senate outing Catiline, but has no proof; Catiline flees Rome Letter to the Gauls becomes proof Conspirators strangled to death Sets a bad precedent (like we haven’t done that already) according to Caesar MARCUS LICINIUS CRASSUS Supporter of Sulla as well, but rival to Pompey Richest Roman ever; top 10 for richest dude ever Equestrian order Real estate – buying your burning house Crassus’s Moment of Glory Pompey too good; forced Sulla to give him a triumphal procession, so he eclipses Crassus in street cred Slave revolt by Spartacus; Crassus pays for a new army Troops abandon; “Decimation” Captures 6,000 slaves; Spartacus dies; crucifixions 5,000 slaves run away towards Rome Moment of Glory stolen… 60 BC – Awkward consulship with Pompey… He be mean muggin GAIUS JULIUS CAESAR Nephew of Marius, target for Sulla Kidnapped by pirates while returning to Rome Not a high enough ransom, bros Revenge – “lenient” revenge Famous lawyer and judge in the 60’s BC Caesar’s debt problem Serves in east; stripped of money Crassus supports him in exchange for political favors As long as he holds a political office, he’s a “public citizen” and can’t be prosecuted for not paying his debts Solution: Keep holding offices! During 60 BC (consulship of Crassus/Pompey), Caesar is elected consul for 59 BC THE FIRST TRIUMVIRATE “Three Men” – Caesar, Pompey, and Crassus – illegal rule Caesar incredibly popular Crassus incredibly rich Pompey has veterans and armies behind him Caesar gets Pompey and Crassus to play nice Caesar wins Pompey over by giving Pompey his daughter Julia Pompey’s troops and Crassus’s money make sure that Caesar’s laws go into effect; Bibulus, the other consul, chased off to his house for the year Opposed by Cicero along the way, but with no real effect Cicero’s like “much illegal, such unconstitutional, very scare, wow” 50’S BC Caesar becomes governor of Gaul - money to make or steal Hugely successful military campaign, The Gallic Wars Takes over the rest of Gaul; excursions into Germany & Britain Writes his own history of the campaign Pompey stays in Rome to keep things under control; still runs Spain though Crassus becomes governor of Syria and looks to expand the eastern frontier and add to his military legacy THINGS FALL APART Julia dies in childbirth & Pompey marries a new wife Crassus dies fighting Parthians in the east Caesar will if Pompey does Caesar recalled to Rome Open wide! Senate chooses Pompey as sole consul; tells Caesar to disband New wife is daughter of an opponent of Caesar Pompey getting jealous of Caesar’s success in Gaul Knowing he’s not safe, he does the sensible thing and brings his army Jan. 10, 49 BC: Crosses the Rubicon River Act of war; “alea iacta est” – “The die is cast” CIVIL WAR Caesar welcomed to Rome as the people’s hero Pompey runs away to Greece with the Senate Cicero says that doing so pretty much allowed Caesar to become dictator Caesar goes to Spain and defeats Pompey’s guys in 27 days Caesar goes to Greece and defeats Pompey in battle Pompey flees to Egypt, is murdered by order of Ptolemy XIII Caesar, angry, dethrones Ptolemy and installs Cleopatra Caesar in Turkey: “veni, vidi, vici” Caesar mops up the remnants in Africa and Spain DICTATOR FOR LIFE Unprecedented and bordering on being a king Coins issued in his image, statue next to the kings’ statues Calendar reform Debt relief, police force, land distribution THE SHANKING – MARCH 15, 44 BC Brutus and Collatinus’s vow in 510 BC? “Liberators” – group of senators “freeing” Rome Theatre of Pompey Mark Antony καὶ σύ, τέκνον; Brutus and Cassius Kai su, teknon? You too, child? Stabbed 23 times; 60 people participated NEW CHARACTERS – SUPPORTERS OF CAESAR Lepidus Mark Antony THE SECOND TRIUMVIRATE Octavian CICERO & ANTONY Leading figures in Rome after Caesar’s assassination Made a deal with Liberators: wouldn’t be put on trial if they declared Caesar WASN’T a tyrant Antony & Caesar’s Will Gave Caesar’s supporters more leverage than they would’ve had, and saved Caesar’s reforms Cicero sides with Octavian “enemy of the state” Octavian arrives & Antony goes rogue SECOND TRIUMVIRATE Rocky start; Antony’s ambition Unite to take power and avenge Caesar Actually a LEGAL triumvirate Proscriptions! Yay mass murder! Battle(s) of Philippi – 42 BC Cicero Brutus and Cassius commit suicide Lepidus gets himself kicked out Antony lives with Cleopatra Octavian’s propaganda machine Antony’s will WAR VS….CLEOPATRA? “NOT” a civil war… Battle of Actium - 31 BC Double suicide THE FIRST EMPEROR, AUGUSTUS Octavian acquires all the Republic’s traditional offices at once, and so he holds all the power 27 BC: Senate grants him the title Augustus Still a republic, right guys? “Revered” one, “Elevated” one Pax Romana – Roman Peace Golden Age of Rome – rules 46 years Buildings, poetry, art, etc. flourish The Aeneid
