How Far Did Tiberius Gracachus Influence The Government

Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus, better known as the ‘Gracchi Brothers’ were a pair of tribunes descending from the plebs from the 2nd century BCE who sought to introduce land reforms and other legislations that aligned with their populist views/ideas. It can be said that the career of the two brothers was marked by murder, riots and outright manipulation of the power they were granted which completely altered the state of Roman politics- aiding in the breakdown of the Roman Republic. The legislation they sought to pass essentially redistributed major aristocratic land ownership among the commoners such as the urban poor and veterans. After achieving little success during the early stages of the reforms, both were assassinated by enemy parties.

Julius Caesar was a Powerful Roman politician and general, who served as a god to the Romans. He played a key role in the events that led to the downfall of the Roman Republic and the rise of the Roman empire. His reign from 49 B.C to 44 B.C illustrated his dominance in controlling a commanding army and ruling a nation. Many historians have different opinions on Caesar's command. Some saw him as a leader for the people, whereas others saw him as a man searching for power and power alone. This paper will show you how Julius Caesar became the man he was and the pros and cons of his leadership.

The composition and the governing structure of the Roman republic was not uniform throughout its existence, but some of the fundamental elements of its government came into being in the immediate aftermath of the monarchy’s collapse. Therefore, it is unsurprising that many of these institutions were created in reaction to the monarchy and its failures, and thus were shaped by this relationship. For example, the fundamental opposition to monarchy and the rule of kings that came with the experience of the Kingdom of Rome, remained quite strong in the Roman mindset throughout the existence of the Republic and into the beginnings of the Roman Empire, and its influence can be seen throughout Roman political discourse especially in the discussion

The Gracchi brothers, Tiberius and Gaius, had intentions of making Rome the best it could be, which contradicted the visions of the Senators. The two brothers grew up during a tough time in the Roman Empire, but they took it upon themselves to make a difference. “The Empire went through tremendous growth, through both acquisition of land, slaves, and various citizen classes.” This drastic growth ultimately led to a fall in the Roman political system. Tiberius, the older brother, founded the idea of the agrarian laws, which was later continued by his younger brother, Gaius, after his death. As a result of the agrarian laws, the two brothers were able to take control of the Empire, causing the Senate to fear their intentions and their potential. The Gracchi Brothers used their power and authority to take advantage of the vulnerable Roman government. They often let their selfish nature take control of the power they had, impacting Rome negatively. Gaius made it his goal to get back at the Senate for the death of his brother by replacing them with the Equites. The Gracchi brothers are the first tribunes to take advantage of their power.

The Tragedy of Julius Caesar was written about four hundred years ago. This story demonstrates the corruption of Roman government in 44 BC. Rhetoric and theatrics are the main tools that current politicians, and ancient politicians use to gain popularity, commandeer power, and make crucial relationships. Important Roman political figures such as Brutus, Cassius, Antony, and Caesar along with present-day politicians use these rhetorical methods to accomplish their goals. The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare demonstrates how rhetoric and theatrics largely affect politics and political relationships. These mechanisms were so powerful that it changed the Plebeians’ beliefs, and persuaded them to support both Brutus and Antony. Rhetoric and theatrics were also used to persuade Brutus to team up with Cassius.

With his distaste for dealing with the senate and extreme paranoia. It was here Tacitus references Tiberius mental state “Though three years had lapsed since the destruction of Sejanus, neither time, in treaties, nor sated gratification which have a soothing affect on others softened Tiberius or kept him from punishing doubtful or forgotten offenses as most flagrant and recent crimes”. Tacitus attributes Sejanus’ actions as part of the emperor’s mental state, but he seems to believe that Tiberius himself has caused this condition when he states “Although I have followed most historians in attributing the cause of his retirement to the arts of Sejanus, still, as he passed six consecutive years in the same solitude after that minister’s destruction, I am often in doubt whether it is not to be more truly ascribed to himself, and his wish to hide by the place of his retreat the cruelty and licentiousness which he betrayed by his actions. Some thought that in his old age he was ashamed of his personal appearance. He had indeed a tall, singularly slender and stooping figure, a bald head, a face full of eruptions, and covered here and there with

“Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” In The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, this is a prevalent quote to most of the characters. This was true in particular to the characters of Brutus, Julius Caesar, and Cassius. Although some of these characters in the start of the play may have seemed without the corruption of power, they all developed it at some point in the play. To Brutus it seemed to make him nobler without the gain of any success from power. To characters like Cassius and Julius, it made them both corrupt with power, it was the main reason that Caesar had gained the success he had, and the search for power was all that Cassius was after. All of these characters though went through the good and the bad with each

There are two letters that claim to be written by Cornelia Africana. These letters were found in what was left of a book, fr.59 by Cornelius Nepos and his copy of the letters is the only version of the letters in existence. The first letter is to her son Gaius after the death of her older son, Tiberius. In this letter it stated she is allowing Gaius to punish or kill the people who killed Tiberius. She stated that Gaius must not destroy the Roman Empire as he is getting his revenge for his brother’s death. Cornelius stated that since she does not want the Roman Empire to be destroy but will destroy the Roman Empire as he gets revenge on the people who killed his brother. Cornelia Africana wants Gaius to do nothing to his brother’s killers for

Meanwhile, Brutus served as military commander in Cilicia and Macedonia. Politically, he had sided with conservative politicians like Cicero and Cato, who wanted to defend the rights of the Senate against the generals. When the inevitable war between Caesar and Pompey broke out in January 49, Brutus and the conservatives sided with the latter, and were defeated in August 48 in the battle of Pharsalus in Greece. Caesar showed clemency to the son of his lover. Some 60 senators conspired to assassinate the dictator, and Brutus, who was close to Caesar, became one of the leaders of the plot. Decimus Brutus and his friend Cassius were also

No nobler cause, but none more dearer to a Roman noble who could not conceive life without a public career, or life wherein his digintas was degraded." Caesar had no difficulty exculpating himself. Only no one had believed in his concessions; they were suspect, tainted fruit. His enemies believed that his second consulship in 48 would give him the opportunity to order the state according to his will. He would make himself a tyrant. Cicero, Roman orator and politician who was writing during Caesar's time in office and close friend to Pompey recorded, that Caesar had often quoted Euripides' lines "is crime consonant with nobility? Then the noblest crime of tyranny - in all things else obey the laws of heavan" (in Massie, pg.28, 1983). From Cicero we can gather that Caesar's need to protect his career and dignitas was a large factor in causing The Civil War and can account for why Caesar crossed the River Rubicon. Historian, Taylor (2008, pg.231) articulates "with just a single legion Caesar reached the banks of the River Rubicon. There he paused and considered the gravity of the situation

Publius Clodius Pulcher and Titus Annius Milo were political agitators infamous for disrupting and causing violence in Roman politics in 50’s BCE. Both of these men were known for their hooligan acts and worked on behalf of their respective factions using violence to get what they want in Roman government. Milo worked on behalf of the the Senatorial Faction and was to be a strong supporter of Pompey. Clodius was a political goon who did the dirty work for Julius Caesar. These two men by themselves stirred up a lot of turmoil in Roman Government which led to its instability and lack of power. The reason why Milo and Clodius didn’t get along is because Clodius accused had accused Cicero of sentencing five of Catiline’s supporters to death. So Cataline went on self exile to escape capital punishment and then Clodius rescued Cicero from exile.

The Senate, did not kill Caesar. It was a group of resentful and angry Senators, such as Cassius and Brutus who disliked Caesar. Some Senators supported Caesar. There are two conflicting reasons on the assassination of Caesar.

Julius Caesar is a confident general who has won the favor of the people of Rome and is on the cusp of becoming the Supreme leader of Rome however he is cut down by his enemies and allies alike. Caesar is warned again, again and again that something bad is going to happen however Caesar’s inability to accept his vulnerability, his need to hide weakness and refusal to swallow his pride and open his eyes causes his death in the end.

Four centuries before St. Augustine, Cicero presented a clear theory on ethical wars. His ideologies were informed by his political experiences from the ranks of the Roman cursus honorum as a consul, senatorship and governorship. Cicero not only witnessed the transition of the Roman Republic to the Roman Empire, but he participated in various military actions as well, from civil wars to threats of invasion to international conquests (Haskell, 1946).

Julius Caesar was in the BC era of time where there were gladiators and Roman tribunes. Wonder what a Roman tribune is? Let us find out why in Julius Caesar’s time we would need tribunes. To define a Roman tribune you have to understand the meaning of the word first. Roman is a citizen of Rome. Tribune comes from the Latin word tribunus which means officer connected with a tribe. Roman tribune is one who is the chief in charge of the legion. Who was a Roman tribunes in Julius Caesar? Murellus was one of the tribunes in the play. In the first scene we see Murellus mad at the people. He calls them out for not giving Pompey gratitude he deserves. Pompey deserved gratitude and honor because he served in his father’s army. He wiped out the scattered bands of slaves that were under the defeated Spartacus. He deserves honor for taking over and being a respectable leader. Murellus had a valid reason to be mad at the people because they were cheering for Caesar returning from Spain having