Download Those worst of men have murdered the best of men

The Gracchus Tragedy
CHW 3M
Rome Has Problems!
The biggest Rome’s
problems was the masses
of poor people created
by:
• Poor recruitment
practices (many
peasants lost their land)
• The rich taking over and
hoarding all this land
(used peasants as
slaves)
Who would stand up for the
common people????
Ironically, the very people
who stood up for the people
helped bring about the fall
of the Roman Republic
The Gracchus Bros.
Two brothers – Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus – dared to challenge the
Roman system and stood up for the common people.
Tiberius Gracchus
• Grandson of Scipio Africanus
• While serving as quaestor, noticed the plight
of the poor
• Gangs of poor slaves working on the
huge farms of the rich
• Realized this was due to poor
recruitment practices and the abuses of
land policies by the wealthy
• Decided to fight back!
• 133 BC – Elected tribune
• See speech on p. 226
• Brought back old land policies
• Put limits on landholding – all extra
land to be divided among people
Tiberius Gracchus
• Challenged the Senate
• Did not seek Senate approval for bill –
skipped them
• Huge insult – Senate influences one
tribune to veto bill
• Tiberius persuades Assembly to eject this
tribune – unprecedented
• Senate keeps stalling – is uncooperative
• Tiberius responds by running for reelection – unprecedented
• Senate outraged – starts riot and
murders Tiberius and 300 supporters
Gaius Gracchus – Champion of the People
Tiberius’ younger brother Gaius was also loved by the people, very
charismatic
• Furious at his brother’s murder, continued in his footsteps
(“Those worst of men have murdered the best of men, my
brother!”)
• Also a quaestor, when running for tribune election, so many came to
vote that there was not
enough room in the city!
• Re-Elected without running
Had broader vision than
Tiberius:
• Continued new land law
• Created new colonies to
supply cheap grain for the
poor
Gaius Gracchus – Champion of the People
More reforms:
• Improved roads to make transportation of grain
even cheaper
• Provided equipment and clothes for its
soldiers free of charge
These were excellent reforms and made him very
popular. Then he got controversial:
• Charged the Equestrians with forming the juries
to try extortion cases – instead of the Senate
• Equestrians were quick to prosecute the
upper class!
• Tried to grant full citizenship to Latin allies – but
this made everybody fear losing power
“Reformers in too much of a hurry”
Gracchus lost next election
• Soon murdered, with 3000 followers, by
another Senate-created riot
Irony: The very people who stood up for the
common people contributed to the destruction of
the Roman Republic
• Senate supposed to be a system of checks and
balances
• But Gracchus bros. alienated the Senate,
divided it from the people
• Split Rome apart, created class divisions, led to
civil violence
• Set the stage for the fall of the Republic