Senatus Populesque Romanum The Senate and People of Rome

1. Senatus Populesque RomanumThe Senate and People of Rome

2. Consuls SenateAssembly • “ Whenever one of these three elements swells in importance….it becomes apparent none of them is completely independent, but that the designs of anyone can be blocked or impeded by the rest” Polybius

3. Expansion of the Empire

4. Problems facing Rome in 80BC Latifundia:Large farms owned by senators How did such a innocuous institution cause so much trouble? • As Rome expanded the newly acquired land was divided among the citizen population. The ownership of land qualified the citizen body to fight in the armies. • Consequently the Roman army consisted of a citizen body of small holders who fought to defend their landed interests and in doing could gain more land or wealth through the spoils of war. • One of the main spoils of war came out of the selling of the conquered population into slavery. In the 2nd century BC over 250,000 slaves flooded into the slave markets of Rome. This had a dramatic effect on Roman society!

5. The distribution of wealth among the classes wasn’t equal. • 99% of the wealth of the Roman Empire was in the hands of 1% of the citizen population. • Consequently as the empire expanded rapidly in the 2nd century BC so to did the wealth of the governing classes. • As their was a massive influx of slaves the logical step was to invest their new wealth in land. • This was made all the more possible as they could run their farms with newly purchased slaves. • Yet much of Italy had already been in the hands of citizens for a long time and there was not as much land available in the provinces as one might think, nor was it that attractive. • Most of it was already in the hands of the provincials. • Estates were matters of prestige and consequently senators wanted their estate relatively close to Rome.

6. Consequently the senators wanted to buy up land in Italy but it was already owned by the citizen population. • How did they overcome this problem? • As has already been pointed out the ownership of land qualified the citizens to fight in the army. This wasn’t a problem when most wars were fought in Italy. • The empire had expanded now and many soldiers were away from their farmsteads for long periods. When they returned they often returned to run down and unprofitable farms. • Consequently when wealthy senators came along and offered them money for their land they often jumped at the chance to acquire some money and travel to Rome to set up business in the capital of the growing empire.

7. Unfortunately everyone had the same idea and this soon led to some very important repercussions: Increased bribery • Rome was filled with citizens from the countryside and simply couldn’t provide work for them all and consequently there came into being a large group of unemployed citizens who became increasingly dependent on their patrons. This increased the ability of the senatorial class to bribe their way into power and push through increasingly corrupt measures that lined their own pockets. The rise of importance of military commanders • Unfortunately the army suffered as those farmers who once fought in the armies no longer qualified. This problem had been addressed, however, by a man called Marius.

8. Marius introduced a law at the end of the 2nd century which enabled citizens without land to fight in the armies and that they would earn their keep from the spoils of war. • This meant that a victorious army would be a rich one. soldiers who became rich had their commander to thank for it something that the commander would be quick to remind them of come election time. • It was consequently very easy for an individual who could not convince the other senators of his abilities to gain political power through military victories in the provinces which attacked the idea of peace with honour that the senate was based upon.

10. Optimates & populares • A damaging consequence of an increased availability of wealth and power was increased competition. • As competition grew so did the number of senators that found themselves on the sidelines. In the race for positions of power many young senators borrowed vast sums of money on the basis that they would recoup it all when in office. • When they failed to get into office they found themselves financially ruined. • To avoid this situation some senators began to look for other ways to get themselves positions of power.

11. If there path to power through the senate was blocked then there was only one other alternative. • The tribunate, while not as prestigious as the consulship still afforded the opportunity to pass laws and propose appointments, especially to military commands. • Those who took this route became known as populares. • If there path to power through the senate was blocked then there was only one other alternative.

12. It is important that the term populares is not confused with our modern term popular especially when we remember that the tribunate was the office that represented the people. • The populares were just as self absorbed as the rest of the senate, they got their name purely because of their method of gaining power and influence, not because the nature of their policies was in anyway democratic. • Those senators who remained loyal to the traditions of the senate called themselves optimates (“the best”) and rigidly opposed the populares politicians in their endeavours. • Again it was not so much that they opposed the policies but feared for their own positions of power if they allowed individuals to gain power through the tribunate and thus avoiding the need of support within the senate.

13. Qualifying Ages for Magistracies Praetor 39 years Aedile 36 years

14. Historians on the Problems of Empire-Sallust • Some set their hearts on houses, some on lands. His victorious troops knew no restraint, no moderation, but inflicted on the citizens disgraceful and inhumane outrages. The whole period was one of debauched tastes and lawlessness. When wealth was once counted an honor, and glory, authority, and power attended it, virtue lost her influence, poverty was thought a disgrace, and a life of innocence was regarded as a life of mere ill nature. From the influence of riches, accordingly, luxury, avarice, pride came to prevail among the youth. They grew at once rapacious and prodigal. They undervalued what was their own; they set at nought modesty and continence; they lost all distinction between sacred and profane, and threw off all consideration and self-restraint.