3/4/12 Goals for this week: Daggers in the Forum: • Chronology of Roman civil strife in 133-78 BC. The Gracchi • What destabilized Rome’s Republic? Rome’s over-expansion, influx of wealth and luxury, land shortages for peasant farmers, increased reliance on slave labor, military reform, trouble with allies, and internal social unrest • Collapse of 400-yr old system of government. Tiberius Gracchus: 163-133 BC 133 BC Plebeian family, but very Noble •Tiberius Gracchus as Tribune of the Plebs • Proposes Agrarian Law: -only 500 iugera of ager publicus allowed per owner -an addiWonal 250 iugera to each of owner’s sons -compensaon for lost land -rest of plot distributed to poor (inalienable) -commiee to supervise • fellow Tribune M. Octavius vetoes law • Octavius then voted out of office by assembly and the law passes. CONSTITUTIONAL??? 1 3/4/12 RevoluWon: 3 Steps Death of Tiberius Gracchus 1. Use Popular Assembly to bypass Senate and • ElecWons for next Tribunate: 133 BC depose a tribune because he vetoes your bill… • Gracchus’ bid for re-elecWon opposed 2. When Senate refuses to fund you, force Senate - elecons delayed to give over windfall of money from Pergamum • FighWng breaks out to the people (bequest of AZalus III of - Gracchus & allies flee to Capitoline Hill Pergamum) • Scipio Nasica (ponfex maximus) leads chase 3. Now that you’ve interfered in Senate’s • Gracchus killed in front of jupiter’s temple and management of internal AND foreign affairs, next to statues of the kings. you must stay in office so as not to be prosecuted. RUN FOR RE-ELECTION • 300 supporters of Gracchus clubbed to death = uproar and cries of “demagogue-tyrant” MoWves for Tiberius Gracchus? SWll More Problems! • Distressed by situaon in Italian countryside? • Land commission conWnues and Scipio Nasica leaves Rome • Frightened by reliance on slave-labor? • Many (esp. Italian allies) upset by agrarian law. • Upset with Senate for high-handed treatment when he returned home from NumanWa? • Italian allies get Scipio Aemilianus to speak out against agrarian law in 129 BC –but he dies… • Greek ideals and educaon? • In 125 BC, the consul Fulvius Flaccus proposes • Further his career with the People’s favor and get to appease Italian allies by offering them Roman around checks and balances? cizenship. -- a good guy trying to save mos maiorum? The senate rejects the idea. --or a bad guy trying to subvert them? 2 3/4/12 Gaius Gracchus: 154-121 BC BUT Senate decides to beat Gracchus at own game: • Two tribunates: 123 and 122 BC 122 BC: Livius Drusus, another tribune, vetoes • Program of Reform: Gracchus’ proposals. - Passes law making it illegal to kill a Roman without assembly - ConWnues agrarian reform Drusus then trumps Gaius Gracchus by: - Proposes founding of new colonies and builds roads 1) abolishing rent for public lands. - Grain Law: lex frumentaria 2) proposing to found 12 colonies (more than - Transfers the courts from Senators to Equites G. had promised) - Imposes new tax on province of Asia 3) offers Lan allies exempWon from scourging - Tries (along with Fulvius Flaccus) to secure cizenship & or execuWon by Roman generals. right to vote for Lan Allies Popular favor turns away from Gaius Gracchus. Death of Gaius Gracchus: 121 BC What just happened?? 1) Gaius Gracchus & Fulvius Flaccus allowed to set up Were the Gracchi demagogues? colony at Carthage, but rumors of bad omens… Results? - Wolves disturb boundary stones?? RedefiniWon of Roman poliWcs: new self-consciousness 2) 121 BC: Gracchus NOT re-elected tribune! - Italian allies enraged - Senate summons assembly to repeal authorizaon for - Equites get poliWcal force the colony at Carthage & violence breaks out! - People realize their power - Tribunes become the way to get things done 3) Senatus consultum ul/mum: ulmate decree - Senate’s weakness revealed 4) Gracchans flee -Realizaon that interests of individual and interests of state -Run to AvenWne Hill & try negoWaon w/ consul Opimius not necessarily the same any more 5) Gracchus killed and Temple to Concord erected -End of consensus at Rome and beginning of civil violence 3 .