Gracques

See also: Gracques (homonymy), Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus

Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus and his/her brother Caius Sempronius Gracchus called the Gracques are two Roman statesmen .

Resulting from the plebeian nobilitas , wire of the Consul Tiberius Sempronius, grandson of Scipion the African, they are famous for their unfruitful attempt to reform the Roman social system.

Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus

Tiberius , born in 162 av. J. - C., married Claudia Pulcheria, girl of the consul Appius Claudius Pulcher, Princeps senatus, it is the brother-in-law of Scipion Émilien.

He learned rhetoric at Diophane de Mytilène and Blossius de Cumes, stoical, was its Master of philosophy. It was thus initiated very early with the philosophical debates around the concepts of equality and citizenship.

It was initially Questeur in 137 av. J. - C. and was sent in Spain with the consul Caius Hostilius Mancinus. It saved the Roman army of the incompetence of the consul whereas it was encircled and at the thank you of the enemy. It negotiated a peace with the Numantins (Spain) because his father had founded positive ratios between its family and Numantins and had constituted solid customers. But this peace, rejected by the Senate, put a term at its military career, and disturbed the reports/ratios that Tibérius entrenait with the Senate.

According to Tite-Live, its decision to act was born whereas it crossed Étrurie in direction of Numance. It was struck by these immense fields exploited by hordes of slaves and also by these immense empty grounds men.

In -133, he is powerful orator of the plebs and submits his known agrarian private bill under the name of Rogatio Sempronia (-133) whose contents were the following:

  • limitation with the individual right of possessio of the Ager publicus : 500 jugère additional S, 250 jugères per child and maximum of 1000 jugères per family;
  • institution of a Triumvirate charged to apply this law. It made there elect with his/her Caïus brother and his father-in-law Appius Claudius Pulcher for the year -133;
  • redistribution of the grounds recovered with the poor citizens at a rate of 30 jugères per anybody.

At the time of the presentation of its project, it spoke in praise of the citizen evoking his utility for Rome in the military field and the consideration which one must bring to him consequently. It also made the criticism of the swearing slave of its military uselessness and its perpetual inaccuracy, evoking the servile wars which still shook Rome a year before. The senators opposed this law. Indeed, this one thwarted the play of the clientelism which ensured them of many supports and the easy electoral victories. Indeed, the distribution of the grounds from now on was ensured by the only Sempronia family and her allied, which automatically turned into to recipients the customers of Gracques.

Moreover, this law represented a loss of being able of the Senate and senators. Indeed, the Senate does not have any more exclusive control of the Ager publicus and the regrouping of the grounds involves a reduction of the power of the great landowners among whom much is senators, because the ground brings the richness and the dignitas .

They bought a powerful orator of the plebs, Octavius, so that this one makes use of sound intercessio (right to veto to the measures which seem to him contrary with the interests of the population that it represents). Tibérius, after having required twice of Octavius to withdraw its veto called some with the people so that it relieves Octavius. It is the first time that the people assume the right to relieve a powerful orator of the plebs. This measurement goes against the institutions of Rome, against the laws because only the Senate had the right to return a magistrate. The law was then voted.

At this point in time Tiberius was represented with a second tribunat, at the time of the summer 133 av. J. - C., for year 132. The historians wonder about the motivations of Tibérius: why present itself to a second tribunat? To preserve an immunity, which is not very probable since it is already Triumvir. Compared to the law, which is debatable because the law was voted and which he is member of the triumvirs. Finally, it is perhaps to have an absolute control on the triumvirs but also on the Senate because to be powerful orator of the plebs at the same time as to triumvir would have enabled him to have an ascent on the other members of the college and thus to have a control on the senators. One thus passes from a simple reform of the land question to the will to establish a personal capacity.

The tribunat was refused to him. It decided to make pressure on the assembly with some partisans to force them to reach its request. At the time of the summer 133 av J-C, a riot, led by the Large Pontiff Scipion Nasica burst, and there was killed (its murder remains still fuzzy, there are two assumptions: either it was cut the throat of, or it was killed by a blow of bench) in front of the door of Capitole, beside the statue of the kings. 300 of its partisans were massacred at the time of the riot and the corpse of Tibérius was thrown in the the Tiber.

Caius Sempronius Gracchus

Caius , born in 154 av. J. - C. is initially Questeur in Sardinia in 126 av. J. - C. before becoming Tribun of the plebs in 124 av. J. - C.
Caius has apparently a true political program: to decrease the capacities of the Roman Senate and to increase those of the Comices in order to raise the Republic. In order to make accept its agrarian bill, it starts by allocating the favors of the principal opponents to the Senate: the Plebs and the equestrian Order (knights) by various measurements:
  • the Lex Sempronia frumentaria : it envisages to distribute a bushel of corn per month at reduced price with all the poor citizens. Even if it seems necessary because the poverty of the citizens is a real problem in Rome, this law is a demagogic measurement in the sense that it makes it possible to attract itself the popular favors.
  • the Lex Calpurnia : introduced the parity enters the knights and the senators in front of the courts. The Quaestiones perpetuae or perpetual Questions are opened to the knights. Caius increases the number of sworn by 300 to 600 members and introduced 300 knights. So the advantage that the senators at the legal level held on the knights does not exist any more.
  • the Lex theatralis separates the knights from the senators in the theaters.
  • Another law confers to them the collection of the tax of the rich person province of Asia.
  • the Lex sempronia of comitii modifies the methods of election of the Comices centuriates. The order of succession of the centuries in the course of the vote is henceforth established by drawing lot.

All these measurements tend to reduce the capacity of the senators to the profit of the knights compared to the meetings.

It tries in the second time to make pass its land reform which rested on that of his/her brother.

  • the jurisdiction of the triumviirs removed into 129 is restored.
  • the ground assignments pass from 30 to 200 jugère S to make it possible to the poor citizens to improve their social conditions.
  • the creation of colonies in order to support its project: two in Italy and with Carthage.
To make accept its proposal by the senate, it makes it possible the shepherds to acquire grounds which they coveted in Latium and around Tarente and of Capoue.

That gets a great popularity to him and allows him to be made re-elect powerful orator of the plebs into -123. Indeed, since the vote of a law of Gaius Papirius Carbo in 125, the powerful orators of the plebs could be taken back in their function without awaiting the traditional time.

To fight against him, the Senate decides to reduce its influence. It draws up against him the powerful orator Marcus Livius Drusus. Drusus then proposes the creation of 12 colonies of 3000 men chosen among the capite censi , the poor citizens. This higher bid diverts the attention of the people of Caius to the profit of Drusus. Thanks to that, it can make vote a law removing the vectigales , (royalties of the Ager publicus ), exonerating the great landowners and thus much of senators.

Caius retorts by proposing the creation of a colony of 6000 men on the site of Carthage and the granting of the Roman Citoyenneté complete with Latin and partial ( sine suffragio ) with the Italians in order to attract their favors. But the proposals of Caius are advanced too much for Rome of the time and, while wanting to burn the stages, Caius burns the wings. The creation of a colony on the cursed site of Carthage is a sacrilege. The agreement of the citizenship to Latin and the Italians bites on a privilege of the Roman people. Thus, Caius loses the support of part of the people which had supported it hitherto and also that of the consul.

When Caius leaves to supervise the construction of the colony with Carthage, its adversaries benefit from it to discredit it. At the time of the election of the powerful orators for year 122, it is not réélu.
At once a law orders the dismantling of the colony of Carthage: Caius makes call of the decision but fails. It then tries to make secession with its partisans as the plebs formerly had made secession against the patricians with the Mount Crowned. The Senate retorts by promulgating a senatus consultum ultimum which authorizes the elimination of Caius by any means. Caius was killed by its slave with his request, during a confrontation on the Aventin with 3000 partisans against the Consul L. Opimius in 121 av. J. - C..

It is the first time and not the last, which a senatus-consultum ultimum is pronounced and which such a wave of violence invades Rome because of political divergences.

Modern pseudonym

See too

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