The First Triumvirate

MEDITERRANEAN PEOPLES HIST 1301 | History The First Triumvirate Sulla was unable to totally squash the populares because the Senate leadership continued to face opposition from certain disgruntled factions. With the backing of these organisations, new military and political figures aspired to power once he retired. Eventually, a group of three males in particular came to be quite dominant. Thousands of landless Romans joined Pompey Magnus's client army on the promise of land, and the popular commander went on to become well-liked. Under Pompey's leadership, Roman soldiers crushed pirates in the eastern Mediterranean in 67 BCE, eliminating a danger to Rome's imports of food. Next, Pompey decisively vanquished Mithridates of Pontus, who had once more launched an assault on Rome. Pompey conquered Asia Minor, seized Syria, overthrew the Seleucid monarchy, and took control of Jerusalem by 63 BCE. Crassus was another statesman and military leader of this age. He had worked for Sulla, fought Spartacus to acquire respect in Rome, and amassed a vast fortune by enlisting the aid of disgruntled rich Romans like publicans. The fact that Marius was Julius Caesar's uncle initially contributed to his fame, making him the third significant person. Caesar lost a lot of his power when Sulla came to power, but by 69 BCE he was returning to politics and gaining the favour of the populace in Rome. All of these persons were mistrusted by the optimates in the Senate, who worked together to prevent their influence in Roman politics. In reaction, the three made the decision to band together in 60 BCE in order to further their goals through a political coalition that became known as the First Triumvirate, or "rule by three men," in history. Collectively, its members possessed the money and power necessary to govern the Roman Republic, but they were all extremely self-centered and mistrusted one another. In 60 BCE, Julius Caesar became leadership of the Roman army in Gaul (present-day France), after his tenure as consul. His soldiers crossed the English Channel to assault German tribes on the island of Britain and overran all of Gaul throughout the course of the following 10 years. Caesar's military prowess amazed the Roman populace, and Pompey and Crassus became envious of his adoration. Crassus attacked the Parthian Kingdom in central Asia in 54 BCE, intending to achieve comparable political and military victories. But the expedition was a failure, and the Parthians seized and killed Crassus. Because to the conquests of Pompey and Caesar, the Roman Empire had now expanded greatly. Pompey made the decision to turn against Caesar and back his erstwhile foes, the optimates, following the death of Crassus. The Senate was dominated by the optimates and Pompey in 49 BCE, and they demanded that Caesar dissolve his army in Gaul and come to Rome to face accusations. Caesar persuaded his army of clients to invade Rome instead. He is renowned for leading his army across the Rubicon River, which historically marked the border between Italy and Gaul, in January of that year. Caesar understood that this would lead to conflict because it was forbidden to enter Rome proper with a private army, hence the expression "crossing the Rubicon" still refers to "passing the point of no return." At the northern Greek Battle of Pharsalus in 48 BCE, Caesar overcame Pompey. Pompey soon after escaped to Egypt, where the Egyptian monarch Ptolemy XIII killed him in an attempt to gain Caesar's favour. In 48 BCE, Caesar made himself dictator in order to carry out the war against Pompey personally. Caesar's reign was unending, in contrast to the custom that said dictatorships should only last a short while. He was named dictator in 46 BCE and held the position for 10 years. In 44 BCE, his tyranny was extended to an indefinite period of time. A deep-seated mistrust of despotic rulers that dated back to the Etruscan era was aroused in many Romans by these nominations and other attempts to amass power. By giving them Senate seats once more and assigning them to important posts within his administration, Caesar had sought to curry favour with his erstwhile foes. But these former optimates saw him as a despot, and two of them, Cassius and Brutus, organised a plot that killed him in 44 BCE.