The Three Powerful Men In The Triumvirate In Ancient Rome

The first triumvirate was and alliance between three prominent politicians, Crassus, Pompey and Julius Caesar. The Roman historian Livy described the First Triumvirate as 'a conspiracy against the state by its three leading citizens'. The agreement was unofficial and private. It was formed in the summer of 60-59 B.C. The first triumvirate however is a bit misleading in name. Not only was it never called that by the contemporary Romans, but it was a far more inclusive factio (faction) than the term triumvirate implies.

However, he felt his duty was to carry on Caesar's reign and clear his name. Therefore he joined the Second Triumvirate and became a great leader.

Once in power, Crassus and Pompey extended Caesar's time as governor of Gaul, and then chose for themselves long-term governorships, (Crassus in Syria and Pompey in Spain). However, at the end of 55BC, Pompey did not leave for Spain, instead remaining as the only Triumvir in Rome, while Caesar and Crassus took the heads of powerful armies.

His election into the consul was however not without controversy. There were claims of bribing between the parties involved that tried to get Caesar elected into the senior post in Rome. After being elected into consul, he joined forces with two other wealthy and influential individuals in the empire to form the First Triumvirate. This is further seen in his personal choices of the family he married into. He married off his daughter to Pompey, a member of the First Triumvirate. The members of the First Triumvirate had taken control of much of the state. He was rather forceful in his statements to give out areas of land to the needy; he went further and intimidated the opponents with military use.

Julius Caesar's triumph in a civil war in the 40s BC made him the absolute ruler of Rome he rose to power through his social status, financial support, military leadership, and political reputation. Caesar became the proprietor in Spain, where he gained some military experience and wealth. Upon returning to Rome in 60 BC he joined Crassus and Pompey to form the First Triumvirate, a trio of political leaders.

Caesar was one of the Roman Empires greatest rulers. He led the Empire so it was strong and prosperous. Caesar was a part of the Triumvirate which was an alliance formed by three generals: Julius Caesar, Marcus Crassus, and Gnaeus Pompey. They each had a portion of the empire they ruled. Caesar was the most favored of

In the arising chaos of Caesar’s death, Mark Antony, Octavion, and others fought a series of five civil wars, which would end in the formation of the Roman Empire. The Roman middle and lower classes, with whom Caesar was popular, became angry that a small group of aristocrats had killed Caesar, especially after Antony gave a dramatic applause that appealed to the common people, a reflection of public opinion following Caesar's murder. About 43 B.C, the second triumvirate was formed between Octavion, Mark Antony, and Lepidus. Sometime after 43 B.C, Afterward, Mark Antony married Caesar's lover, Cleopatra, intending to use the fabulously wealthy Egypt as a base to dominate Rome. A third civil war broke out between Octavion and Antony. This final civil war resulted in the final ascendancy of Octavian, who became the first Roman emperor, under the name Caesar Augustus, a name that raised him to status of an idol.

Prior to the formation of the second Triumvirate, Julia Caesar had been brutally assassinated, which plunged Rome into another Civil War. The second triumvirate was formed when the Lex titia was passed in 43BC, making the position of Anthony, Lepidus and Octavian the highest constitutional office in the Roman state. As Scullard stated, “In place of the dictator Caesar, there were now three dictators.” The second Triumvirate was created to strengthen political control and used their power to legally hunt down those who had conspired to kill Caesar. This resulted in Civil War between the Second Triumvirate and Brutus and Cassius at the Battle of Phlipii 42, which undermined the authority of the Senate as most leaders died in battle. Eventually,

The Second Triumvirate was a “formal magistracy legally appointed which could dominate the Senate and the State” (Scullard) and would prove to be the final straw in an already failed Republican system. The Roman Republic was ruled by a Constitution, which relied on a balance of three elements; The Senate; the Magistrates; the Assemblies. When the balance was upset either by ambitious magistrates, armies or tribunes then civil war was the result. The Senate proved ineffectual in preventing the Second Triumvirate from unbalancing this concept thus the played a significant role in the Republic’s fall. The Second Triumvirate, like those before them, had been able to take advantage of a vulnerable Senate to achieve their own personal aims in defiance of the Senate. The lack of faith in the Senate, which was present for this period of time, was what granted the Second Triumvirate to be the final push in the fall of the Republic. The Sullan legacy continued to be displayed in unlawful acts conducted by this three-man rule. Marc Antony, Octavian, and Lepidus all knew the significance of having an army at their hands and wealth that would ensure two things for them, power and civil war at the hands of conflict. It is therefor known that the Second Triumvirate played a significant role in the fall of an already fallen Republic.

However, in the year 43BC after a period of unstableness in Rome, Octavian and Antony came to the realisation that they needed to make a political alliance. Thus creating the Second Triumvirate, after the first which included Julius Caesar,

The fall of the Roman Republic began in 59 BC when three powerful Roman politicians: Julius Caesar, Pompey the Great, and Marcus Licinius Crassus created an alliance between themselves. This alliance was known as the First Triumvirate and essentially gave the three men power over Rome. However, this all changed when Crassus died during a battle in 53 BC and Pompey sided with the Roman senators and

Some policies and institutions of the Roman Republic were useful to help them succeed in conquering first Italy and then the Mediterranean world. Before of the institution of the republic, the romans were a monarchy since their beginning and they were basically a pastoral people. Rome suffer several changes and improvements under the control of the Etruscan kings. The Etruscan were civilization settled north of Rome in Etruria, and they once had control over almost all the Italic peninsula. The Etruscans influences in Rome were profound, they transformed Rome from a pastoral community to a city (91). The Etruscan built the street and roads that help the development of temples, markets, shops, streets, and houses. They basically brought urbanization to Rome. It is fairly to say that the Rome republic was a fusion between the elements of the Etruscan civilization and the Rome elements. The combination of the different political institutions and policies made the Romans succeed in their conquest territories.

The following quote is revealing of how power was shared among groups in Rome: "Sextus Pompeius and Sextus Apuleius, the consuls, were the first to swear allegiance to Tiberius Caesar, and

The ethos of the Roman nobility at the time of the second century BCE was driven by ambitious military and political careers. These where brought about by a rigorous set of ideals which were built upon Rome’s cultural foundations. “The four terms that ascribe such a rigorous set of ideals are gloria, nobilitas, virtus and auctoritas ”.

The Roman Republic was a “democratic” republic, which allowed first citizens to vote, and to choose their governors in the senate (Hence, their consuls). However, it was a nation ruled by its aristocracy, and, consequently, the entire Republic`s power was concentrated in a few individuals. Furthermore, the Senate was controlled by Patricians, which directed the government by using wealth to buy control and power over the decisions of the senate and the consuls. This situation aroused the inconformity of the people; as result, a civil war took place in the Republic (destroying it), and then the Roman Empire was born.