Quiz 3 (New Material) Flashcards
oppian laws of 215
Laws against having extraneous wealth (can’t flex your wealth), extra money should be used for war effort
protest against oppian laws
- Women gather in the forum in 195 CE to protest the Oppian law that denies them ‘any pleasure in their husbands successes’
- the law was eventually repealed as ppl got richer
what were the consequences of prolonged wars of Roman expansion
- land ownership messed up
- slave trade and supply, exacerbates the land
what happened due to prolonged wars causing for soldiers to stay abroad for yrs. at a time?
soldiers left the responsibilities of farming to extended family and young sons
-some farms were not managed well and families fell into debt and poverty
what were the problems associated w/ land distribution
Some wealthy landowners bought the failing farms of families whose men were away fighting.
-this left families working their own land for someone else or moving to a different city
what caused alienation among the citizenry
wealthy landowners buying the failing farms of families who had a soldier at war
latifundia
Elite Romans were able to lease many plots of land – even consolidate the land into huge farming estates
what was the problem w/ latifundia
they used slave labor instead of the labor of townsfolk
Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus
sons of a powerful political family (father Tiberius Gracchus, mother Cornelia)
cornelia
mother of Tiberius and Gaius
who was Cornelia the daughter of?
Scipio Africanus, who defeated Hannibal at Zama in 202
what did Tiberius reform and what did he say about it?
land redistribution:
No one should use more than 500 acres of public land – the rest would be divided among the poor by elected commissioners.
what were the benefits to Tiberius’ land redistribution plan (2)
- redistributes land so more land ownership and more soldiers
- Reduces number of slaves so that revolts are less frequent
what was the problem w/ Tiberius’ land redistribution plan
Wealthy landowners objected to losing what they considered their own property after one or two generations of possession
what was the senatorial response to Tiberius’ land reforms?
They viewed Tiberius as a radical who usurps the customary political process to promote his own agenda
Gaius Gracchus
younger brother of Tiberius
-elected tribune in 123 and 122
what did Gaius Gracchus attempt to reform? (3)
- proposed that land in Carthage be redistributed among the poor
- tried to fix the price of grain so poor could always afford it
- sought to extend the rights of Italian allies
what did the deaths of the Gracchi open the door to/lead to?
to further politically motivated violence in Rome
Tiberius’ death
When he ran in late 133 to be tribune of the plebs again, angry senators and their supporters beat Tiberius Gracchus and 300 of his followers to death.
Gaius’ death
Gaius Gracchus dies after he sees his land ownership plan be reversed, senatorial supporters kill 3000 Gracchan supporters and Gaius kills himself
whats the major theme of the gracious legacy
we see elite hostility against those who stir up popular antagonism
the rising power of the tribune of the plebs
tribunate of the plebs became a powerful office: one that can surpass the power of the senate.
