The Social War Flashcards
Cause - Citizenship: Cary and Scullard
“war coalition to extort the franchise [citizenship] by force”
Cause - citizenship: Boatwright et al
“organising to claim by force the status which Rome would not offer through legislation”
Cause - citizenship: Gabba
“mostly as a result of the rapid deterioration in the general political situation”
Outcome - unification: Cornell
“the logical result was Roman domination of the entire Italian peninsula”
Appian Civil Wars
“in despair of any other remedy, went on with their mobilisation”
Issue with Appian?
He is writing in a time when the Italians had been citizens for some time, and also been extended to Gaul. Therefore his perception of what the Italians wanted could be distorted because, for him, the desire for citizenship is so obvious
After the Gracchi…
Gracchan reforms attacked Italian use of ager publicus… and they knew it!
Livius Drussus
Tribune in 91
Proposed legislation to make Italians all Roman citizens
Other laws: proposed new colonies, changes to law courts, alterations to the senate
Some laws were passed but then invalidated
He was assassinated while tribune
The ‘Italian’ situation
No share in political office No say in determining politics No access to ager publicus No legal protection against Roman generals No right to appeal at court
89 BCE
Lex Plautia-Papiria and the lex Pompeia
Lex Plautia-Papiria
grant of Roman citizenship to all free persons who resident in any allied community and who would register before a Roman praetor within 60 days
Lex Pompeia
extension of Roman citizenship to all free persons residing in Cisalpine Gaul south of the river Po and grant of latin citizenship rights to all those living north of the river
Aftermath
All towns in Italy became Municipii or coloniae
A result?
Allies got citizenship but there was political turbulence in Rome following.
Samnites kept fighting - did they want independence?
