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Summary Full notes on Caesar - politics of the late republic
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Caesar as Popularis and DictatorJulius Caesar
69BC – Quaestor
65BC – Aedile
63BC – Pontifex Maximus
62BC – Praetor
61BC – Governed spain
59BC – Consul
Crassus
Marcus Lucinius Crassus
Date : 115-53
Roman general and politician
Crassus fought for Sulla in the early 1st century and gained much of his fabulous wealth
through property acquisition in the years that followed, benefitting hugely from the
proscriptions. He is probably best known for his role in putting down a slave revolt in 73-71
led by Spartacus.
Crassus shared the consulship with Pompey in both 70 and 55. A member of the First
Triumvirate, he died in the battle of Carrhae against the Parthians in 53.
The ‘First Triumvirate’
Alliance between Julius Caesar, Marcus Lucinius Crassus and Pompey the Great.
Caesar was the key driving force behind the alliance – Pompey and Crassus had not always
been on friendly terms.
The triumvirate had no official recognition but functioned as a powerful, political amicitia.
The alliance was formed to counteract the hostility of the optimates.
Caesar was a popularis but also held important offices of state.
Caesar was indebted to Crassus for funding his election campaigns, as well as financing
splendid spectacles at Rome for the people’s entertainment.
Caesar had publicly supported Pompey in many of his interests, for example in the Lex
Manilia and Gabinia; in 59 he married his daughter Julia to Pompey.
Pompey’s requests to the senate in 60 – for land allocation for his veterans and for the
ratification of his treaties with the East – had been rejected by the optimates
Crassus, championing the business interest of the equites, had requested the senate’s approval
of a rebate for the tax farmers in Asia – a request which was again dismissed by the
optimates. Frustration and bruised dignitas inevitably contributed to the formation of the
triumvirate.
The first triumvirate was not formed as a political coup, but as a pact or agreement to enable
each of the triumvirs to fulfil their immediate political desires. United they combined the
wealth of Crassus and his support from the equites, the military prestige and support of
Pompey and his veterans, and the political and military prowess of Caesar and his huge
popularity with the urban masses.
Caesar’s First Consulship
Caesar was consul in 59BC, he shared the role with Bibulus (Cato’s son in law)
Land allocation for Pompey’s veterans
, Caesar’s most pressing concern was to placate Pompey’s veteran soldiers. He took the case
for land allocation to the senate for debate. Led by Cato the optimates rejected it. Caesar then
took it to the assembly of the people for ratification, where it was passed. In the presence of
the people, Caesar asked Pompey if he approved of the bill – he confirmed, he also asked
whether his veterans would defend any who sought to oppose the bill with violence – he
confirmed. Bibulus wouldn’t yield and hindered the enactment of the bill by creating delays,
he then proclaimed a sacred period in which people could not legally meet. Caesar ignored
this, on the night of the assembly to pass the law Bibulus entered the forum and attempted to
speak in opposition but he was thrust down the steps and thus the law was passed. Bibulus
fled and spent the next 8 months of his consulship in his house.
Campanian Law
Caesar later introduced the Campanian Law, which stated remaining public land of Italy (in
Campania) should be divided into 20,000 pieces of land and distributed to veterans and
fathers of large urban families. This meant uprooting significant numbers of rural peasantry
who had been cultivating this land. It was to stand as a symbolic gesture of the importance
and power of the military and the urban populace.
Equites
As a member of the triumvirate, Caesar used his position to benefit Crassus and to
consolidate the favour of the equites. Through a loyal tribune – Publius Vatinius – Caesar
ensured that the senate agreed to adjust an agreement that had been made for contracting out
the tax gathering in the province of Asia, which had proved financially unattractive for those
equites responsible; the equites were requesting a rebate to recover their losses. A rebate of
one-third was agreed.
Improving lives of provincials
Caesar legislated further to improve the lives of the provincials. He passed legislation that
restricted the exploitation of the provinces by Roman governors and their staff: strict
accounting was to be practised and gifts restricted. The financial benefits had long been
viewed by the ruling elite at Rome as a welcome repayment for their terms in the highest
offices of state in Rome. This was a further removal of favours from the nobiles, which must
have been received with bitterness by optimates.
Military command
As a consul in 59, with the backing of his allies Pompey and Crassus, Julius Caesar had
succeeded in establishing for himself military command of Gaul and Illyricum for five years
with three legions, the rebate demanded by Crassus for the tax-farmers and both the
ratification of Eastern arrangements and the passing of the agrarian bill to address the needs
of Pompey’s veteran soldiers. He had looked to the concerns of some of the urban poor with
his land reforms, the equites with the tax-farming issues and the provincials with his
legislation against mismanagement.
Populism
While the results of Caesar’s actions clearly had a detrimental effect on the optimates and
their political vision, we should take care in framing Caesar as either a populist by ideal or as
an ‘anti-optimate’. The rise of populism in politics had been firmly established by the time of
the Gracchi brothers in the preceding century. The bonds between the First Triumvirate were
an extension of the essential and established network of amicitia in Roman society and
politics. Caesar’s desire to ‘help’ Pompey and Crassus could also be seen as an attempt to
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