Julius Caesar

Describe Julius Caesar’s role in the First Triumvirate

Julius Caesar early political career followed the typical career of a Roman politician in the first century BC. He initially became a lawyer and then held positions needed to climb the political ladder to the consulship: quaestor, aedile and then praetor. He became consul in 59 BC and in order to make sure he obtained the consulship he formed a secret agreement between himself and the other two most important men at that time, Pompey and Crassus. Pompey was a leading military figure and Crassus was the richest man in Rome as well as a leading patrician senator. This alliance became known as the First Triumvirate which was formed in 60BC and it secured the alliance with Pompey with the marriage of Pompeia (Caesar’s sister). According to Pamela Bradley, ‘Caesar’s role in the First Triumvirate played a critical role in the transformation of the Roman Republic’ and hence he effectively represented himself as a mediator, instigator and manipulator.

Julius Cesar entered into politics as a popularis. As aedile, he won popular support, staging festivals and public entertainments. Crassus, a rich and successful general, wanted a counter-weight to Pompey in Rome. He chose Julius Caesar to be his support at the political counter-weight to Pompey. In 62 BC, Pompey eased the situation by demobilising his army and went to Spain as governor, returning in 60BC with a fortune for Rome and his own great personal wealth. The Senate continued to be hostile towards Pompey, Crassus and Julius Caesar and it disallowed land for Pompey’s veterans and the equites, whom Crassus represented, were not permitted a reduction of their taxation contract prices for Asia, despite a poor harvest. Julius Caesar was denied a triumph and a consulship at the same time. And thus Julius Caesar, Pompey and Crassus joined to satisfy their mutual needs and thus forming the First Triumvirate. Julius Caesar had much to gain from the ‘First Triumvirate’ of the three leaders and affectively acted as a mediator between Pompey and Crassus who had baggage from their joint consulship from activities such as the Spartacus Revolt where Pompey received a triumph and Crassus received a lesser ovatio. Plutarch reinforces that ‘Caesar brought these three together, making them friends instead of enemies and used their united power for the strengthening of himself”.

With the support of Crassus and Pompey, he gained consulship in 59 BC and effectively passed laws to provide lands for Pompey’s veterans and to redistribute Campanian lands among the poor and secured the tax rebate for Crassus’ equites. He was allowed to appoint his own legates (usually members of provincial governors’ staff but used by Caesar as commanders of his legions) and was provided with an allowance appropriate to a force of this size. Caesar’s consulship and pro consulship elevated him above Pompey and Crassus and while in Gaul he represented himself as a manipulator by controlling Roman politics through, Pompey, Crassus and Clodius. Furthermore, the conference of Luca highlights Caesar’s willingness to keep the triumvirate together. The renewal of the triumvirate was successfully achieved as they discussed the future of the triumvirate, where it was agreed that Pompey and Crassus would stand for their second joint consulship in the following year.

However Caesar succuss with the renewal of the triumvirate was damaged with the death of Caesar’s daughter Julia in 54 BC and Crassus death in 53 BC, and the phenomenal success of Caesar in Gaul which eventually destroyed Caesar’s relationship with Pompey. After a year of violence, the Senate elected Pompey as sole consul in 42 BC and ordered him to recruit troops and in 50 BC Pompey joined opponents of Caesar’s bid for a second consulate. The Senate rejected Caesar’s offers of compromise an in 49 BC; Caesar precipitated a civil war by leading his army across the Rubicon River into Italy property.
Thus it is evident that Julius Caesar played a critical role in the First Triumvirate, often representing himself as a mediator, manipulator and instigator.