Later, he had defeated the pirates, and after 66 he was given Lucullus' command against Mithridates of Pontus. He had started his career in Sulla's army, had later suppressed a rising of followers of Marius in Hispania and had co-operated with Crassus in finishing off Spartacus' revolt. Pompey (106-48 BCE) was Rome's leading general. Caesar had already paid back his debt to Crassus, but still had some moral obligation to the man who had secured his profitable Spanish command. Later, he had somehow been involved in the Catiline conspiracies. In 71, as praetor, Crassus had suppressed the slave revolt of Spartacus. PompeyĬrassus (115-53 BCE) had started as a colonel in Sulla's army, and had been able to make lots of money under his regime. The other two citizens implied in the conspiracy were the rich banker Marcus Licinius Crassus and the generalissimo Gnaeus Pompeius, better known as Pompey. Since Caesar's opponents were afraid of him, the senators took care that provinces of the smallest importance would be assigned to him they could not run the risk of letting Caesar secure a province involving the command of an army.Ĭaesar counteracted by forming the First Triumvirate, or, to use the more adequate term that was coined by the historian Titus Livy (59 BCE - 17 CE), a conspiracy against the state by its three leading citizens. Usually, the senate (i.e., the optimates) assigned a province to each consul, where they were supposed to fight wars. Other acts were equally illegal: when the conservative Cato protested to one of Caesar's proposals, Caesar had him dragged from the Senate's building and taken off to prison. However, it is certain that Caesar was more influential than his colleague people joked that this seemed to be the year of the consuls Julius and Caesar. The report about this incident may be exaggerated. Next day, Bibulus is said to have complained in the Senate, but Caesar's armed bodyguard made sure that no one dared to support the poor consul. However, the two consuls were not on speaking terms, and at a certain moment Caesar drove his partner from the Forum. Some of the measures Caesar and Bibulus took were the publication of the proceedings of the Senate, a reorganization of the taxes, and a law against extortion. His colleague was Bibulus, one of the optimates. However, Caesar's consulship was secure, and in december 60 he was elected to the highest office in the Roman republic. Legions A young Julius Caesar Consul (59)
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