Download Essay One - Crassus Marcus Licinius Crassus, one of the thr

Essay One - Crassus
Marcus Licinius Crassus, one of the three informal "triumvirs" who helped brin
g an end to the Republic, unlike Pompey and Caesar, is a man about whom not much is known. Unlike h
is counterparts, little has been written about him, either at the time of his life or in more contem
porary accounts of the period. However, that is not to say that his political and military career w
ere not exceptionally important in the last decades of the Roman republic. Many of Crassus' militar
y and political decisions attributed to both the rise to power of both Caesar and Pompey and ultimat
ely the fall of the republic.
Crassus, though he achieved the position of Consul twice in his life
and remained for most of his time the richest man in Rome, has had little written about him. Plutar
ch inexplicably leaves large gaps in his crucial biography. This may be due to the fact that, in th
is era of titans, Crassus was the moneyman and behind-the-scenes intriguer, not the adorned general.
Others believe it could be because he died four years before the civil war between Caesar and Pomp
ey. Or perhaps Crassus is less visible because of the sheer prominence of his two great contemporar
ies and rivals whose own achievements surpassed his in every possible manner. Crassus' military care
er began much like that of his greatest rival, Pompey. After fleeing Rome, fearing the wrath of Mar
ius and Cinna, who had killed both his brother and father, Crassus raised an army in support of Sull
a. . When Sulla entered into Italy, he sent Crassus to raise an army among the Marsi. Crassus then
asked him for an escort through enemy territory. Sulla allegedly was angry, saying "I give you an
escort - your father, your brother, your friends, and your relations who have been put to death with
out law or justice, and whose murderers I am going to punish.' Crassus took great offence to this
and took off to raise an army and from then on participated in Sulla's campaign "with great zeal and
courage." Plutarch believes that it was here that the great rivalry between Crassus and Pompey be
gan, stating, "for though Pompey was the younger man, and had the disadvantage to be descended of a
father that was disesteemed by the citizens, and hated as much as ever man was, yet in these actions
he shone out and was proved so great that Sulla always used, when he came in, to stand up and uncov
er his head, an honour which he seldom showed to older men and his own equals, and always saluted hi
m Imperator." In 82 Sulla sent Crassus to defeat enemies in Umbria and Cispadane Gaul. Crassus afte
r besieging the Marian forces in the town of Tuder and defeating them, joined with Pompey to defeat
a force under a lieutenant of the consul Carbo. Crassus then travelled with Sulla to the Colline Ga
te where the forces of Marius had laid siege to the city of Rome. When they attacked the Marian, th
e forces of Sulla in the centre and on the left flank were driven back. However, Allen Mason Ward st
ates, "Crassus not only held the right but actually broke up the enemy's left wing and drove it in a
rout as far as Antemnae... With his flank turned, the enemy was in an impossible position, and the
victory went to Sulla." This act was of extreme significance; if Crassus and his soldiers had not
performed as they did, the battle could have eventuated in the abolition of Sulla's domination. War
d believes that "Crassus showed himself to be a competent and valuable lieutenant" in the Civil War
and also states that he "acquitted himself well as a general against Spartacus." This war with Sp
artacus was Crassus' next major military role. After the revolting slaves defeated the forces of th
e two consuls, Gellius and Lentulus, the senate awarded Crassus "imperium" , to fight against the sl
aves. He was given six new legions, plus the remnants of the four consular legions. Crassus defeat
ed the forces of Spartacus in a battle at the port of Brundisium and then, as a visible deterrent to
future slave revolts, Crassus lined the Appian Way with 6000 crucified prisoners. Despite the "mag
nitude and importance" of Crassus' victory it was decided that Crassus was only eligible for an Ova
tion rather then a Triumph - although Pompey demanded and received one for his achievements against
the respectable Spanish "barbarians" , further intensifying the rivalry between the two. This victo
ry was of great significance to Rome for it ensured the safety of the city by preventing it being ov
errun by the uprising of the slaves. Crassus' final military command was his pro-consular command in
Syria after his second joint consulship with Pompey. Some historians have called this war the "Dis
aster in Parthia" . It was his haste to gain military glory, similar to that of Caesar's and Pompey
's, which caused his eventual downfall. His war in Parthia was a series of betrayals and defeats th
at has not been documented as widely as Roman victories. The end came in 53BC when Crassus was tric
ked by the enemy into meeting to discuss a truce, and murdered. Crassus' first major political posit
ion was that of Praetor, having not needed to attain the position of Quaestor, since after the civil
war he was immediately awarded a position in the Senate as a favour from Sulla. In 73 he gained th
e rank of Praetor, 2-3 years after he first became eligible. Crassus first attained the position of
Consul in 70BC, being named Junior Consul with Pompey as Senior Consul. They set about "dismantling
some of the most significant (and reactionary) reforms instituted by their one-time patron, Sulla."
This is the most significant part of Crassus' political career before his alliance in the infamou
s "triumvirate" Although Sulla's administrative reforms were largely retained, the two men returned
the powers formerly belonging to the Tribunes of the people, including the respected, and increasin
gly radical, power of the tribunician veto. Following the consulship, Crassus remained in Rome, "inc
reasing his influence and his fortune." Crassus was a solid supporter of the knights, the largely
plebeian merchants, who were becoming continually vexed by their second-class political position and
rights. Crassus also appeared to be sympathetic to the continual efforts of the northern Italians
to force the Senate to give them full Roman citizenship rights. Crassus also loaned money to up-and
-coming young men, one of whom was Caesar. With so many clients who were bound to support his inter
ests, Crassus sought in Rome the kind of day-to-day influence Pompey's military successes could not
buy. Although there were rumours that Crassus (like Caesar) was involved in the Catilinarian Conspir
acy of 63, Crassus was also instrumental in giving Cicero information to foil the conspiracy. It is
known that, when Caesar left Rome in 62 to return to Spain in debt, Crassus stood surety for part o
f the debt. Caesar was able to recoup his fortunes in Spain to some extent, but continued friendly
relations with Crassus for his help at a critical moment in his career. This was to be a major rela
tionship in the future of Crassus' life that would lead to his downfall and death. Crassus became in
volved in 62 with efforts by the Roman tax gatherers to decrease their Asian contracts as Pompey had
stripped much of the wealth from the east. Unfortunately, the knights had overestimated the availa
ble income in the war-torn eastern provinces. They were now trying to renegotiate their contracts w
ith Rome. Crassus supported the effort, which was quashed by Cato and others in the Senate. At the
same time, Pompey - having "returned in glory from his successful Eastern campaigns and reorganizat
ion of provinces" - found himself opposed in his efforts to obtain free public lands to reward his
soldiers. It was Caesar, in recognising the two men's needs, who reconciled them and the three band
ed together in what would be known in the future as the first triumvirate. Caesar used the wealth o
f Crassus and public support of Pompey to get himself elected consul for the year 59. As Consul, Cae
sar forced through legislation remitting one third of the sum owed by the Asian tax collectors, publ
icani, for their contracts (thus satisfying Crassus) as well as the first of two vast land-grant ref
orms (for Pompey's veterans). The Triumvirate was largely a secret from the Senate; it was not unti
l, in the face of Senate opposition, both Pompey and Crassus appeared with Caesar in the Forum to ar
gue for the land-reform bill. Cato later said that "their alliance was the greatest deathblow to th
e Republic." This in itself evaluates Crassus' role in the downfall of the republic. If he had no
t allied himself with the two great generals, maybe civil war would never have occurred or would not
have been on such great a scale. In the year 60 Pompey and Crassus, in spite of their mutual dislik
e, agreed to run for the Consulship again in 55, after which they would pass laws extending Caesar's
term in Gaul for another five years, and grant themselves profitable military provinces in their po
st-consular year. It was agreed that Pompey would receive the provinces of Spain for five years, wh
ile Crassus - who continued to long for military success on a par with his colleagues - would receiv
e his proconsular command in Syria. Crassus, though not a player in the eventual downfall of the rep
ublic, did contribute greatly to the decline. His alliance with Pompey and Caesar undermined the po
wer of the senate and instigated the deterioration of the republic. His death in Parthia all but en
sured civil war between Pompey and Caesar as he had been the only intermediary between the two rival
s. Crassus' military and political careers were extremely significant to the history of Rome. It is
only when we compare them to that of others of his time that they seem minor. At any other time he
may have been the number one man in Rome but with figures such as Caesar and Pompey living at the s
ame time his status decreased. His joining with his two rivals all but ensured the eventual downfal
l of the republic, as their alliance totally undermined the principle of the institution.
essay cra
ssus marcus licinius crassus three informal triumvirs helped bring republic unlike pompey caesar abo
ut whom much known unlike counterparts little been written about either time life more contemporary
accounts period however that that political military career were exceptionally important last decade
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