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Reeds Decennia Lang Proberen Historici En Wetenschappers Aan Te Tonen of De Romeinse Republiek Al Dan Niet Een Democratische Politiek Kende

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Reeds Decennia Lang Proberen Historici En Wetenschappers Aan Te Tonen of De Romeinse Republiek Al Dan Niet Een Democratische Politiek Kende Titus Annius Milo en het democratische gedachtegoed van Rome in de Late Republiek: een onderzoek. 1 Universiteit Gent Faculteit Letteren en Wijsbegeerte Blandijnberg 9000 Gent Titus Annius Milo en het democratische gedachtegoed van Rome in de Late Republiek: een onderzoek Promotor: Prof. Dr. Verboven K. Scriptie voorgedragen door: Tom HEBBRECHT 2007 – 2008 Tot het behalen van het diploma van Master in de Geschiedenis Titus Annius Milo en het democratische gedachtegoed van Rome in de Late Republiek: een onderzoek. 2 Inhoudsopgave 1. Woord vooraf p. 3 2. Inleiding: perspectief en omkadering p. 4 3. Een kijk op het politieke landschap van de Late Republiek p. 18 3.1 De politieke situatie in Rome voor 57 v. Chr. p. 18 3.2 Een kijk op het dagelijkse leven in Rome in de Late Republiek p. 23 3.2.1 Milo als homo novus? p. 24 3.2.2 De macht van de Senaat: fictie of realiteit? p. 25 3.2.3 Het clientessysteem: een korte beschouwing p. 29 3.2.4 De magistraturen en de comitia p. 32 3.2.5 Optimates versus Populares p. 35 3.2.6 Milo als homo novus: besluit p. 39 4. Milo als vertegenwoordiger van het volk p. 42 4.1 De verbanning van Cicero p. 42 4.1.1 De volksvergaderingen en de macht van het volk p. 42 4.1.2 Milo, Pompeijaan? De rol van politieke allianties p. 67 4.2 De machtstrijd tussen Clodius Pulcher en Annius Milo p. 76 5. Milo en verkiezingen: de strijd om de hogere ambten p. 80 5.1 De contiones in het debat rond het democratische gedachtegoed in de Late Republiek p. 80 5.2 Milo en verkiezingen in de Late Republiek p. 94 5.3 Het einde van de amicitia van Milo en Pompeius p. 106 6. De moord te Bovillae: Milo en de rechtspraak in de Late Republiek p. 109 6.1 De moord op de Via Appia: het einde van de vete tussen Milo en Clodius p. 109 6.2 Een korte kijk op het juridische systeem in de Romeinse Republiek p. 111 6.3 De Pro Milone onder de loep: een zoektocht naar de vox populi in de rechtspraak p. 118 6.4 Een veranderende politieke situatie na de dood van Clodius p. 125 6.5 De verbanning naar Massilia en de dood van Milo p. 128 7. Conclusie p. 131 8. Selectieve biografie p. 134 Titus Annius Milo en het democratische gedachtegoed van Rome in de Late Republiek: een onderzoek. 3 1. Woord vooraf Deze scriptie is tot stand gekomen in het kader van het behalen van een diploma Master in de Geschiedenis aan de Universiteit Gent in het academiejaar 2007 – 2008. Ik ben erg veel dankbaarheid verschuldigd aan al diegenen die me hielpen tijdens de verschillende delen van mijn onderzoek. Eerst en vooral moet ik mijn promotor Prof. Dr. Verboven bedanken voor zijn advies, zijn aanmoedigingen en zijn aanwijzingen gedurende het jaar. Daarnaast wil ik ook graag zijn collega‟s Prof. Dr. D. Pickhaus en Dr. A. van Zuiderhoek bedanken voor hun tips en hun luisterend oor. Verder wil ik de medewerkers van het departement Antieke geschiedenis bedanken voor hun bereidwilligheid en vriendelijkheid. Ten slotte wil ik graag vrienden en familie bedanken voor hun steun en schouderklopjes en in het bijzonder mijn ouders die steeds klaar voor me stonden en me kritisch steunden in mijn bevindingen. Tom Hebbrecht Gent, juli 2008. Titus Annius Milo en het democratische gedachtegoed van Rome in de Late Republiek: een onderzoek. 4 2. Inleiding: perspectief en omkadering Reeds decennia lang proberen historici en wetenschappers aan te tonen of de Romeinse Republiek al dan niet een democratische politiek kende. Deze vraag kent zijn wortels in het ideologische gedachtegoed van enkele hedendaagse historici die de democratie als summum en ultiem eindpunt van de ontwikkelende staat beschouwen.1 Het is dan ook niet verwonderlijk dat menig historici wil graven naar soortgelijke tendensen doorheen de geschiedenis en de vele politieke systemen uit het verleden wil onderzoeken naar aanwijzingen en sporen van (vroeg) democratische principes. Terwijl in de Griekse poleis de democratische principes wortelen in de wetteksten van Solon en Perikles, werd lange tijd gezocht naar soortgelijke idealen in de Romeinse samenleving. In de laatste jaren opperden vele wetenschappers dat ze bewijzen hebben gevonden die duiden op een democratisch gedachtegoed in het Romeinse Republiek. Zodoende zouden de vele politieke instellingen en magistraten worden geduid als instrumenten van een democratie die de letterlijke betekenis van de Res Publica onderlijnt.2 Hun bevindingen werden met veel bravoure door medestanders onthaald, maar evenzeer sceptisch benaderd door tegenstanders.3 In dit werkstuk wil ik door middel van een casestudy de verschillende argumenten die voor en tegen de democratisering van de Romeinse Republiek pleiten tegen elkaar afwegen en met een kritische kijk benaderen. De uitgewezen kandidaat hiervoor is Titus Annius Milo, een jonge Romeinse burger die Lanuvium verliet4 om te Rome een politieke carrière aan te vangen en al vlug verstrikt raakte in het web van intriges en bondgenootschappen die de laatste jaren van de Republiek tot een gevaarlijk steekspel maakten. Milo wist zich al vlug van de steun van Pompeius te verzekeren die als één van de triumviri heel wat invloed kon uitoefenen op de politieke situatie die na het verraad van Catilina baadde in een zweem van ongekende angst voor samenzweringen en een destabilisatie van de Republiek. Gestaag zette hij zijn eerste stappen in de politiek toen hij in 57 als volkstribuun werd verkozen en meewerkte aan de rogatio om M.T. Cicero uit ballingschap terug te halen. Niet lang daarna wist hij voor Pompeius de controle over de graandistributie in de wacht te slepen. Dit alles zette kwaad bloed bij Milo‟s grootste tegenstander P. Clodius Pulcher, die door zijn ingenieuze wetsvoorstellen de steun van het plebs urbana voor zich wist te winnen en als demagoog de bevolking wist te mobiliseren om hun stem te laten doorwegen bij politieke beslissingen. 1 Fukuyama (F.) Het einde van de geschiedenis en de laatste mens. Amsterdam, 1999, pp. 14-15. 2 Met als meest prestigieuze studie en grootste adept: Miller (F.) The Crowd in Rome in the Late Republic. Michigan, 1998. 3 e.g. Mouritsen (H.) Plebs and Politics in the Late Republic. Cambridge, 2001., Jehne (M.) Demokratie in Rom? Die Rolle des Volkes in der Politik der römischen Republik. Historia Einzelschriften 96, Stuttgart, 1995, pp. 51-76. 4 Cic. Mil. 64. en Wiseman (T.P.) New Men in the Roman Senate. p. 195 Titus Annius Milo en het democratische gedachtegoed van Rome in de Late Republiek: een onderzoek. 5 De Senaat zag dit met lede ogen aan, maar stond machteloos tegen deze nieuwe tendens. Al vlug werd Milo ingezet om Clodius‟ succes op een gewelddadige manier te doorbreken. Beiden zouden sterk afhankelijk worden van bendes en stoottroepen die elkaar openlijk bekampten en het leven van zowel de modale burger als de heersende politieke klasse overhoop gooiden. Niet enkel werd geweld aangewend om aan politiek te doen, maar ook om de bevolking en medekandidaten te intimideren. De Late Republiek kende de bloei van de oratoren, de redenaars die vanaf de Rostra, het spreekgestoelte in de vorm van een voorsteven van een schip op het Forum Romanum, de bevolking toespraken en de toeschouwers van de contiones probeerden te overtuigen om zich achter een nieuw wetsvoorstel of een politieke kandidaat te scharen. Zodoende was er contact tussen de hogere klassen van de maatschappij en janmodaal. Het Forum was hiervoor de ideale plaats. De grote wegen die door de stad liepen, kruisten er elkaar en de senatoren en volkstribunen kwamen er debatteren en stemmen over de verschillende wetsvoorstellen.5 Het was tevens een belangrijke doorstroomroute voor goederen en mensen die zich naar de verschillende wijken, vici, montes en pagi begaven die door de enorme bevolkingsgroei van de eerste eeuw voor Christus overbevolkt waren6 en kreunden onder hooggebouwde insulae waarin verschillende families van plebejers samenhokten en in vaak erg onhygiënische toestanden hun dagelijkse leven leden. Op de Palatijn baadde de hogere stand, in vergelijking tot hun soortgenoten in houten huurkazernes, in luxe; hun stenen villa‟s vormden het decor voor een intense huiscultuur. De nobilitas keken vanuit hun hoger gelegen huizen letterlijk neer op het plebs urbana. Gevoed door een snobistische minachting die de adel met de paplepel had meegekregen, had de Romeinse aristocratie weinig goede woorden over voor hun medeburgers van iets lagere komaf. Het proletariaat werd door Cicero met weinig meer dan “gepeupel”, “wanordelijke bende” of “de troep” beschreven.7 Brood en spelen boden de enige motivatie voor het plebs om hun dagelijkse miserie te doen vergeten. Het is dan ook zeer de vraag of de aristocratie überhaupt gehoor wilde geven aan de vox populi. Het democratische gedachtegoed in de Late Republiek, mits deze bestond, berustte op een broze fundatie. Sallustius wees erop dat de plebejers een inferioriteit kenden ten opzichte van de elite omdat ze minder goed georganiseerd waren en niets konden beginnen zonder het leiderschap van de hogere klassen.8 De elite hield hen onder controle door een uitgekiend netwerk van banden en relaties en konden zo comitia en vergaderingen 5 DeWitt (N.W.) Litigation in the Forum in Cicero‟s Time. Classical Philology, Vol. 21, n°3, 1926, pp. 219-221. 6 Patterson (J.) “Politics in the late republic.” Roman Political Life 90BC-AD69. Wiseman (T.P.) (ed.) , 1985 p. 21-43. 7 Gruen (E.S.) The Last Generation of the Roman Republic. University of California Press. Berkeley, London, Los Angeles, 1974, p 358. 8 Brunt (P.A.) “The Roman Mob” Past and Present, n° 35, 1966, p. 22. Titus Annius Milo en het democratische gedachtegoed van Rome in de Late Republiek: een onderzoek.
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