First triumvirate mini test Flashcards
who were the members
pompey
caesar
crassus
when was it formed
60BC
when did it end
53 BC
what bonded all of the members of the first triumvirate together?
Power: the alliance mutually benefited all of them
they all needed eachother
What Crassus offers to the first triumvirate
Money
Can be used for bribery, corruption, campaigning, raising armies
What Ceasar offers to the first Triumvirate
1) Status
2) Julian name - patrician
3) Hugely popular with the people
4) Political power
What Pompey offers to the first triumvirate
Military
Great commander
Loyal, experienced troops
popular
which members of the triumvirate had a natural alliance
caesar and crassus
why did Pompey join the first triumvirate
- wanted land allocations for his veterans and ratification of his treaties with the east
why did caesar join the first triumvirate
- wanted reform for better conditions for plebs
why did crassus join the first triumvirate
- wanted a rebate for the tax farmers in asia
which members of the alliance long hated each other
crassus and pompey
Pompeys relationship to Cicero
- Cicero began as pompey’s client (amicitia)
- Cicero tried to defend Pompey whenever possible
- However relationship came under strain
Crassus relationship to Ciero
Cicero had a political fight with Caesar and Crassus as he disagreed with their political principles
Cicero’s relationship with Caesar
- Cicero joined Pompey rather than Ceasar in civil war
Not very good, Caesar went against mos maiorum
What was Pompey and Cesars relationship like?
Good, but Pompey was getting gel of Caesar’s success in Gual
Ciero’s actions towards first triumvirate - how he attempted to get back into politics after exile
- gained Pompey cura Annonae
- However he delivered the pro sestio speech against Caesar’s legislation as consul. He thought it wouldn’t matter as the triumvirs were in such bad relations, there was a real shock when they patched things up
Conferences at Ravenna and Luca
- over 200 senators there, Cicero not invited as they thought he would object to it
- Caesar’s imperium is extended, 5 more years in Gaul
- Crassus- Consul 55BC - SYria
- Pompey- Consul 55BC - Spain (in absetentia)
what does Cicero do about the triumvirate?
- Realises he can’t do anything to stop them, so says he’ll ‘sing my palinode’ aka join them and apolgoise
How does Cicero regain the triumvirs trust?
- Gives numerous speeches to defend what they want:
+ Delivers a ‘Pro Balbo’ speech to defend Bablus- Man liked by them
+ Defends Vatinius
+ Defends Gabinius, Pompey’s friend. (Unable to defend him and he is exiled)
What is bad about the way Cicero goes about regaining their trust?
Hugely against his values
They are guilty yet defends them anyway
He already is in bed relations with Gabinius,
Why does Cicero do the speeches?
He really doesn’t want to, yet has to ‘swallow the bitter pill’ to get in their good books
Pompey
+ Populares
+ From a rich provincial family
+ Rose to power through military successes, consul 3 times
Caesar
+ Populares
+ From Julian clan, Family closely connected with Marian faction, Patrician
+ Quaestor in 69, Aedile in 65, Prateor in 67
Crassus
+ Optimate
+ Son of senator PUblius
+ Began as a military commander under Sulla in Civil war, gathered wealth
How did Cicero feel about the first triumvirate
- He disliked it
- Went strongly against his values
- Felt they were too powerful, taking away peoples freedom, no one could rise up against them
aim of the first triumvirate
to oppose the optimises in the senate who were blocking Populares motions, to push through the bills which the senate were frustrating
agreement of the first triumvirate
- crassus funded Caesar’s election campaigns
- Caesar would support Pompey’s bills for land alocation to veterans and confirm his treaties in the east
- Pompey would marry Caesar’s daughter Julia
- Caesar would support Crassus’ tax rebate for farmers in Asia
how did the first triumvirate come to form
by uncompromising refusal to meet the demands of pompey, caesar and crassus the senate naturally drop them into each others arms
why was cicero exiled
- following a law from vengeful Tribune Clodius in 58 which reasserted the illegality of putting Roman citizens to death even under an SCU
support from the triumvirate when cicero was exiled
- pompey failed to support cicero as he had been rumoured to be one of the intended assassins in a plot to kill Pompey
- caesar had supported clodius, particularly by enabling him to be adopted into the plebeian order to stand as tribune. He did not support cicero
terms of cicero’s exile
- he was ordered to leavee rome forever and stay at least 400 miles from the city
- he went to Thessalonika in Macedonia and then Dyrrachium on the Adriatic coast
How did Cicero get recalled from exile - pompey’s issues
- the year 57 saw the end of Clodius’ tribuneship, and 8 of the 10 new tribunes were supporters of pompey, as was one of the new consuls
- pompey campaigned to have cicero recalled from rome but was beset by terrible mob violence orchestrated by clodius. voting proved impossible
How did Cicero get recalled from exile - pompey’s solution
- pompey responsed by using two of his powerful tribunes, Sestius and Milo to guard a senate meeting to allow a vote on whether to recall cicero or not
- the vote was passed and taken to the centuriate assembly with Pompey’s guard’s in place
How was cicero welcomed back after Exile
- he had a glorious homecoming, with throngs of people filling the streets and open spaces of the city to welcome him back
How had politics changed whilst cicero was in exile
- cicero perceived an increasing strain in the amicitia of the triumvirate
- caesar was in Gaul, successfully campaigning, Whilst pompey was stuck in Rome with no glory
- pompey had got the support of Tribune Milo to try to check the urban mob in Rome, but Crassus had supported Clodius and his gangalang
What did Cicero do when seeing the triumvirate weakening
- led lawsuits against Clodius in defence of Sestius, criticising allies of Caesar’s in the proccess
- in 56 he arranged to be bought up for senatorial debate the subject of Caesar’s Campanian land law, in an attempt to disempower caesar
What happened before the camanian land law could be debated
- cicero discovered that Caesar, Crassus and pompey had met up in Luca, reconciled and planned newly to divide up Roman territory between them as they wished
- from them on cicero worked for the triumvirate, defending them
breakdown of triumvirate
54- Pompey’s wife and caesar’s daughter Julia died
53- Crassus died on his Parthian campaign
