Page 11 - Cause & Effect: Ancient Rome

The Triumvirs Versus the Senate

Th anks to the praises heaped on Pompey, whatever bitterness Crassus
had felt for him before now became deeper than ever. Moreover, Pom-
pey certainly had no love for Crassus. However, political circumstanc-
es soon forced the two rivals to work together in ways that would be
very damaging to the government.
Th is happened mostly because of the emergence of a third ma-
jor power broker intent on making a name for himself—Gaius Julius
Caesar. A wealthy, ambitious nobleman who had served for a while as
a soldier, in 63 BCE Caesar was elected as one of the Republic’s chief
judges. Afterward, he set his sights on becoming consul as soon as
possible. In fact, he viewed that high post as only a stepping stone to
whatever powerful positions he might be able to carve out for himself,
even at the state’s expense if it came to that.
An exceedingly shrewd politician, Caesar knew the necessity of
sometimes having to make deals with one’s adversaries in order to get
ahead. So in the summer of 60 BCE, while campaigning for consul,
he persuaded Pompey and Crassus to join him in a discreet, unoffi cial
partnership. It later came to be called the First Triumvirate. Singly,
each triumvir lacked the resources to challenge the Senate’s author-
ity. By combining their wealth and infl uence, however, they hoped to
manipulate the government in ways that served their personal ambi-
tions.
Th e scheme worked. Supported by Pompey, Crassus, and their
many followers, Caesar handily won the election and became consul
in 59 BCE. In that offi ce, he routinely broke or subverted laws, passed
new ones that helped him and the other triumvirs, and struck fear
into his political enemies. One potent tool of such bullying consisted
of sending soldiers at crucial moments to intimidate both voters and
senators. Pompey “fi lled the Forum [Rome’s main square] with armed
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men and helped the people to pass Caesar’s laws,” Plutarch said.

Caesar’s Triumph and Tragedy

Th ese events proved to be only the start of a series of bold and ambi-
tious moves in which Caesar sought to exploit the republican gov-
ernment. After his consulship ended early in 58 BCE, he became

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