The land question poisoned the Roman political life during several centuries. The Gracques, resulting from the Plèbe will make private bills which will shake the Roman Société.

The agrarian law

In -133, Powerful orator of plebs Tibérius Sempronius Gracchus tries land reform with Rome ( lex Sempronia ) which stipulates that no citizen can occupy personally more than 500 Jugères of the Ager publicus (public grounds), with a maximum of 1000 (250 ha) if it had two wire and prohibited to make feed on the public pastures more than one hundred heads from cattle or five hundreds of small. The grounds, taken again by the State with the great landowners (compensated), were to be distributed in inalienable batches of 30 jugères to the poor citizens. Tibérius hoped to encourage the inactive plebs with the return to the ground and to fight against depopulation.

Tibérius thinks of making pass its law while being based on the tradition (the limitation with 500 jugères is a return to the agrarian law of Caius Licinius Stolon) and on the liberal fraction of the Senate. The proposal is initially supported by the consul P. Mucius Scaevola, the former consul Appius Claudius Pulcher, the large pontiff P. Licinius Crassus, Q. Metellus and some others. The powerful orator Mr. Octavius, who opposes the reform, is deposited of his load unanimously by the Comices convened by Tibérius in violation of the constitution. The agrarian law passes in a worsened form (Tibérius makes disappear the principle from allowance).

Application of the agrarian law

An agrarian triumvirate is elected to make apply the law, made up of Ti. Sempronius Gracchus, C. Sempronius Gracchus and a. Claudius Pulcher. The liberal friends of Tibérius to the Senate, before very constitutional, give up it, as well as most of the opinion. Perhaps Tibérius, in front of the opposition of the Senate, prepared other measurements concerning the recruitment of the legions and the judicature, and a private bill to be authorized to exert a second tribunat. It is made massacre the day of the vote during a riot caused by the Senators, under the control of Publius Cornelius Scipio Nasica.

The charged commission to apply the law continues to function. P. Licinius Crassus, father-in-law of Caïus replaces Tibérius after its assassination. But governmental oligarchy multiplies the difficulties of application. With died of P. Licinius Crassus and Appius Claudius in -130, they are replaced with the agrarian triumvirate by Marcus Fulvius Flaccus and C. Papirius Carbo, powerful orator of the plebs. The assignments begin again.

In -129, Scipion Emilien, which perhaps thinks of covering a constituent dictatorship, makes remove, by a law, with the agrarian triumvirs their judicial powers, and the fact of transferring to the consuls who refuse to use about it under pretext of leave to shift. The application of the agrarian law is some paralyzed. Scipion dies abruptly, the Latin Féries day before, day when it was to propose the abrogation of the agrarian law. One speaks about assassination.

Starts again agrarian law

In -124, the powerful orator of the plebs Caius Sempronius Gracchus, brother of Tiberius, restores at the commission triumvirale charged to apply the agrarian law its prerogatives (law of delimitations) slowed down by the law of -129. It reinforces the agrarian law by redistributing the Ager publicus (public domain) with the Romans as with the Italians, in Italy as in Africa; it institutes distributions of corn at reduced price (to fight against electoral corruption), decides the foundation of news colonies with Tarente, Capoue, Carthage and Corinthe, makes build roads, attics in Italy, intended measures to relieve misery of the small people. Caius Gracchus, which runs up against oligarchy and the Senators, rests on the Plèbe, the Italiques and the equestrian Ordre whose economic power and policy increase.

Final failure

In -121, the Senate tries to make repeal the Loi Rubria, on the colony of Carthage, calling upon religious pretexts. Fulvius Flaccus and Caius Sempronius Gracchus want to resist, and gather their partisans. At the time of a brawl to the Capitole between their partisans and those of the Opimius consul, representative of oligarchy, a lictor of Opimius is killed. The aristocracy hastens to exploit this murder. The Senate votes the “ Sénatus-consulte ultimum ”, the martial law which gives to the consuls the right to condemn without call of the citizens.

Caius Sempronius Gracchus and Fulvius are killed with 3000 their partisans during a battle on Aventin against the troops of the Opimius consul. Its laws, like those of his/her brother, are repealed. Triumphing oligarchy guard capacity until in -108. It repeals the colonial law: the colony of Carthage is removed, and that of Capoue is not founded. That of Tarente remains, but loses of its importance.

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