Optimates Essays

Roman Republic: Oligarchy or Democracy While the system of government employed by the Roman Republic may appear to be democratic in theory, there is some debate as to whether one can consider the manner in which it functioned practically as being truly democratic. The main debate centres on the issue of whether the Roman Republic was a democracy or an oligarchy. Issues such as unequal distribution, a political structure that favours the elites, and the power of individuals, make an argument in favour

In Shakespeare’s famous play, Julius Caesar, there's an essential theme of characters and their portrayal/actions in public versus private life. Julius Caesar himself led two very different lives with his family and close friends in contrast to how he presented himself to the public eye. In both settings, Caesar makes himself out to be invincible; however in private he is more vulnerable and superstitious whereas in public, he is immortal and the great leader Rome makes him out to be. Publicly

throughout Rome were known as the Plebeians, and there was a constant struggle over rights between these two groups. In later years, the expansion of Rome led to a political divide. In this political divide, two factions emerged; the Optimates and the Populares. The Optimates were the most powerful families in Rome and wanted to preserve the current state of the Republic because it allowed the senators to control power. The Populares was full of farmers and was more focused on the causes of the regular

responsible for it. Although it is clear that Caesar was the main cause of the Civil War, we must not neglect to mention other factors which contributed to it. As such, we will consider whether Caesar’s refusal to give up his armies, the actions of the optimates against the populares or fear of prosecution, led to the war. This essay is, therefore, only concerned with the events leading up to the war and not the specifics of the war itself. Firstly, Caesar’s account of the war, the Commentarii De Bello

The previous instability within the Republic, including the opposition to Caesar in the senate and the volatility of the alliance between Pompey and Caesar, also contributed to the tensions building up. While Stevenson and Caesar himself blame the Optimates for the buildup to the war, Pompey ultimately made the decision to break the alliance and hence shares the blame for the split as well. Crassus death also served as a pivotal point in the breakup, as a sense of rivalry developed between Pompey and

Roer 5/18/15 Did Julius Caesar rule through power or authority during his political reign? During Caesar’s political reign, he ruled through authority because he was able to deliver the needs of the majority populares group while satisfying the optimates by building public works projects, creating reforms that benefitted foreigners and the populares, and conquering the land of other regions. Caesar convinced others that it was in their best interest to be ruled because he provided Romans and outsiders

aside their differences to form an alliance, a non legally binding agreement, in order to further their political careers. During the alliance of these political powers, many rules and legislations were created and the most powerful people, the optimates, became extremely disempowered.

responsibility for The Civil War cannot be limited to one person or event. Numerous factors come into play when discussing the responsibility. In fact the responsibility falls on three groups of people. The first being Caesar, the second - a small faction of optimates in the senate lead by Cato and Gaius Claudius Marcellus and finally Pompey are also responsible for the war. It was a war Caesar would have avoided, but a war he had started himself. He bears the first responsibility; the dice had fallen from his

type of leading made many politicians angry which was one of the key reasons why he was assassinated..Caesar’s dictatorship is regarded as a good time for Roman prosperity and in many ways Rome benefited however many senators especially those in the Optimate faction who were Caesar’s political enemies thought he would become a king and get rid of the senate. This was the motivation for assassinating him. Caesar was killed on March 15 44 B.C. at the foot of Pompey’s statue after being stabbed 23 times

Reasonable and noble concepts on the surface, however, were underlying with their own contempt for the Senate and optimate party. What could be seen on one side as an attempt to rectify a dangerous and debilitating social system was viewed on the other as nothing more than a power grab and a flagrant attack on the Republican institutional ideas of the time. The goal

This statement coincides with Caesar’s message, meaning that once the average Roman could apply Caesar’s ideas to their lives and agree with them, the more they pushed and supported it. “Caesar proposed legislation for reform of government, opposing Optimate sentiment, and a redistribution of land to the poor. His initiatives were supported by Crassus’ wealth and Pompey’s soldiers, thus solidly aligning The First Triumvirate.” Caesar’s reforms favored the majority of the Roman people both on a personal

Licinius Crassus. During the civil war he also supported the optimate Sulla and that was actually the beginning of his public career. Thus, following Sulla's assumption of the dictatorship, Crassus amassed an enormous fortune through real estate speculation. Becoming one of the wealthiest men in Rome, and probably

occurred in late 45 BCE, when Caesar made the courageous decision to give up his seat for the consulship. This was an especially honorable decision because it is rare that anyone would give up that much power willingly. Even though this action had the optimates very upset, which would be

ancient Rome, help to build detailed recollections of the political warfare that took place between 78-31BC. Many different internal and external pressures lead to the destruction of the Roman Republic. Cornelius Sulla, a Roman general, dictator and optimate, anticipated and was aware of the results of many powerful and

It gave the aristocrats more power than they should. Because the government is ruled by optimates, Marius’s rise to power causes political conflict with many with many powerful politicians. Anyone could run for offices, but is was so expensive that usually only the optimates could afford. This prevents almost all of the populars from running for offices. Plebeians were also disallowed from marrying into aristocratic rank. Although

How can we see, both in Cicero and SPQR, evidence of Mary Beard's conclusion that "the Empire created the Emperors”, not the other way around? Beard begins by narrating Cicero’s prosecution of Verres, setting the stage for the question of what Rome had become. It was still a Republic, but one that was very unwieldy to govern due to its size and Rome’s political structure. Beard argues that the difficulties Rome had in governing and policing such a large territory led to the rise of the Emperors

his political supporters (broadly known as Populares), and his legions, against the Optimates (or Boni), the politically conservative and socially traditionalist faction of the Roman Senate, who were supported by Pompey (106–48 BC) and his legions.[1] After a five-year-long (49–45 BC) politico-military struggle, fought in Italy, Illyria, Greece, Egypt, Africa, and Hispania, Caesar defeated the last of the Optimates in the Battle of Munda and became Dictator perpetuo

Furthermore, he rebuilt Corinth and Carthage and made them commercial centers, created additional libraries, and made colonies for the veterans that aided him in war. Despite the positive improvements Caesar made during his dictatorship, numerous optimates despised him including his close friend, Brutus. In fact, Brutus took Caesar’s life on March 15, 44 B.C.E. with the help of fellow

My character is Lucius Caesetius Flavus, a politician in the Roman Republic. Flavus came from the plebeian family of Caesetier. His father was a knight and had two other sons. Flavus was a Tribune of the Plebs for 44 B.C. The Tribune of the Plebs held an important role in the Roman government. In the modern day, there is no equivalent position in the government. Every year, 10 Tribunes were elected. The creation of the office was for the protection of the plebeians from the patricians. Tribunes also

influence of the senate. However, for the purposes of this committee, the Senate is the sovereign ruling body in Rome. Within the Senate there were two parties: the Populares and the Optimates. The Populares were progressives supported the lower classes and advocated a great deal for social reform in the Republic. The Optimates on the other hand were conservatives, who desired total control for the senate over all of Rome and the Republic. Various aspects of the manners of the Senate of Roman antiquity