Revision
Correctly spell the Extraordinary power a Consul can be given in times of political turmoil in the Roman Republic. (WITHOUT LOOKING IN YOUR BOOKS)
Name the individual who could be argued to have played the most significant role in the breakdown of the First Triumvirate.
Clodius
The Optimates and Populares were the names of the political parties. True or False?
False. They more referred to the manner in which the leading political figures tried to gain power and hold onto it.
Name the key event which officially started the Civil War. (extra 50 if you can tell me why)
The Crossing of the Rubicon River
p2. Because the Rubicon was the border of the Italian province - therefore crossing the river with a military force would assume that that was an attack on the city of Rome itself and therefore the Roman Republic.
What does Scullard argue in relation to the responsible party of the start of the Civil War?
Scullard agues that while neither Caesar nor Pompey were solely to blame for the Civil War itself, the idea of power had corrupted all members of the Senate and through this each politician had some form of blame to hold, as they had either unknowingly voted for action towards a Civil war or had sat idly by as these changes occurred.
Name the King of Pontus that Pompey was sent to deal with.
Mithridates
Outline why the Bona Dea Scandal was so influential in the breakdown of the First Triumvirate.
Think about what would have happened if it never happened.
The Bona Dea scandal placed Pompey and Clodius at opposing ends, and with Caesar's intended use of Clodius as a tribune, the choice by Caesar to support Clodius' initial laws, further alienated Pompey from the Populare support base and into the hands of the Optimates.
Outline the aims of the Optimates and Populares
O - To keep the political situation as it had been for centuries.
P - Sought to break the traditional power of the Optimates. Motivated sometimes by genuine desire to bring social changes.
Why was Pompey not keen to initially "take on" Caesar in 48 BCE?
He did not have total control of the army and had to deal with several Optimate leaders who were with him and pressured him into fighting.
According to Plutarch, why did Pompey want the war to drag out in regards to time?
It would put the chance of victory to be favourable of the Optimates, as he had greater command of resources and men than Caesar. Furthermore, Caesar would face diseases and possible mutiny as the war continued.
Name the event that initially made Caesar and Cato enemies.
The decision over the outcome of the Cataline conspirators.
Caesar wanted lighter sentences. Cato wanted execution.
Outline what happened to Milo once Pompey had been given the sole consulship.
Milo was tried of inciting violence, was defended by Cicero, but was forced into exile, possibly due to Pompey seeing him as a rival.
Name the two people/groups the Optimates opposed and give a reason for each.
The military generals - scared of their growing power and influence which could overthrow the Senate, similar to what Sulla had done.
The Senate did not unanimously support Pompey. Name one prominent senator or noble who sided with Caesar, and analyze their motivations for doing so.
Antony, Cassius or Curio. They supported Caesar due to personal loyalty, political ambition, and opposition to the conservative Optimates faction that dominated Pompey’s camp.
Outline the movement of Caesar during the early stages of the Civil War and provide a reason for this movement
Caesar's main aim was to capture and gain control of Italy and Spain in a bid to control the heart of the Roman Republic. Though his takeover of Umbria, Picenum, Etruria and Corfinium, Caesar was able to ensure that he would only be fighting a single front war, and maintain a secure baggage train for his army.
He gave a funeral oration to his aunt Julia (wife to Marius) which gained significant public sympathy, allowing him to use this to his political advantage, as a man with a strong sense of dignitas and virtue.
Outline the role of Pompey's Lex Pompeia de Provincilis. AND Explain it's importance on the shift between the relationship between Pompey and Caesar
The aim of this la was to encforce a gap of 5 years between the holding of a consulship and a proconsulship.
It was further hoped that it would stop election bribery.
However, the law only further split P and C apart as it meant that he would be unable to avoid possible prosecution during that period, it would also mean that men, like Cicero, would be able to gain command and destroy Caesar's work, it finally saw the vastly different political positions of P and C
Without looking at you Webb booklets, order the following into a Populare or and Optimate grouping:
Marcelllus, Sulla, Antony, Marius, Caesar, Bibulus, Cato, Clodius, Lentulus, Curio, Cicero
Populare: Antony, Marius, Caesar, Clodius, Curio
Optimate: Marcellus, Sulla, Bibulus, Cato, Lentulus
What was Caesar's main goal in the early stages of the Civil war and how did he achieve this?
About securing his position in Italy, and did this by ordering the Praetor Lepidus to summon those senators who were left in the city to join his forces.
He further emptied the treasury to ensure he had enough funds to pay his soldiers and maintain/gain resources.
Caesar wrote this account of the Civil War to justify his actions. Name the work and describe how Caesar portrayed his own motives versus those of Pompey.
Commentarii de Bello Civili (The Commentaries on the Civil War)
Provide the full names of Caesar, Pompey and Crassus
Caesar - Gaius Julius Caesar
Pompey – Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus
Crassus – Marcus Licinius Crassus
What differing political ambitions ultimately caused Caesar and Pompey to become rivals instead of allies after the Triumvirate collapsed?
Caesar sought a second consulship and triumph, while Pompey wanted sole recognition and control over Rome. Their goals became incompatible without Crassus as a counterbalance.
How did the actions of the Optimates during the lead-up to the war undermine the traditional republican institutions they claimed to protect?
By bypassing the tribunes, militarising politics, and handing emergency powers to Pompey
Explain the importance of the battles at Pharsalus, the Nile Delta and at Thapsus.
Pharsalus - Caesar Victory - Saw the importance of a well trained and combat experienced force against a larger untrained force. - Led to the capture of 24,000 of Pompey's soldiers.
Nile Delta - Ptolomy was killed, allowing Caesar to restore an ally (Cleopatra) to the throne, and him to rule through her.
Thapsus - His troops became ill-discipined (likely as a result of the utter hatred they had achieved from fighting for so long) and killed every emey they found. - Cato committed suicide, leaving the Optimates without a legitimate ruler and their ranks began to flail.
How many sources should you use in each paragraph to effectively explain your point?
At least 2