Civil War and Caesar

Question 1

illegal, prosecution, accepting power

Pre Civil War situation (1) x3

Answer 1

The Gallic Wars (58–50 BC) – military success, but contravening law

o Cato and Ahenobarbus wanted to prosecute him (Suet 30) for attacking German tribes far outside his imperium

o Cicero Ad Atticum 7.6.2 - terribly worried about the republic ‘virtually no one’ who thinks we shouldn’t cede to Caesar

Question 2

Disarm

Pre Civil War situation (2) x3 main +2

Answer 2

Refusal to Disarm (as unequal terms with Pompey)

Plutarch Caesar 30 - willing to disarm if both do it
Plutarch Caesar 31 - Cicero ‘working to broker reconciliation’

anti Caesar consuls and faction not senate pushing to war- Bellum civile 1.1 + Plutarch Caesar 31 (Lentulus preventing Pompey from taking peace)

*All proposals rejected due to personal reasons of Cato ‘long-standing feud’ and Letntulus ‘deeply in debt’,
- Bellum civile 1.4 *
Pompey ‘driven on by Caesar’s enemies’
contradiction ‘army to support his despotism…thus eager for civil war’

Question 3

Beginning of War x4

Answer 3

treatment of tribunes (Bellum civile 5) (Appian 33) – ‘lest they should suffer some harm, tribunes though they were’

o ‘Caesar’s pretext for civil war’ - Suet 30 - lacked resources so ‘he chose to throw everything into confusion’ - fearing impeachment
(Then tribunes gave him ‘prextext for action’ (P 31)

o Paints it as saving the republic
‘All the laws of gods and men were confounded’ - money from shrines and free towns - Bellum civile 6

Caesar ‘endeavour to reconcile Pompey’, releasing prefects – Letter from Caesar (forwarded to Cicero letters to Atticus (9.7)

Question 4

Civil War Events - Battles x3
+ 1

Answer 4

Caesar’s victories
Pharsalus 48BC – Pompey)
Thapsus (Africa) 46BC – Cato and Scipio suicide,
Munda (45BC – pompey’s sons)

Clementia Policy
Cicero Ad Atticum 8.16
People ‘delighted with his artful clemency’

Question 5

Caesar Dictatorship propaganda x2

Answer 5

Dictator for Life - Jan 44 (Plutarch 57)

Coins painting him as having divine lineage (Denarius of Caesar x2)

Question 6

Dictatorship and plebs x1

Answer 6

Games and largesse recorded by Suetonius 38 and plutarch 57 such as naval games, grain and rent remission

Question 7

Dictatorship as model for empire x3

Answer 7

‘monarchy as a respite from the evils of civil wars’ - Plutarch 57

Model for empirical rule - people’s good will was…the best protection he could have’ Plutarch 57

Large public works only could happen under a dictatorship, providing jobs for plebs