Roman Civil wars

See also: Civil war

In the context of the Roman law, the civil war can indicate only one war opposing of the Roman citizens. One could not thus count like civil war the servile Guerres directed against the revolts of slaves, excluded by definition from the political community, nor the social Guerre which opposed the Roman citizens to their allies.

The civil wars developed in the last century of the republic starting from the opposition between Populares and Optimates , the assassination in -133 of the first of the Gracques brothers founding the clear irruption of violence in the political game. After the first civil war opposing marianists and syllaniens the conflicts of ambitions of the large generals ( imperatores ) came to be grafted on the opposition between populares and optimates . The conflicts culminated then around the person of Jules César then of his heritage, until Auguste manages to bring back peace and the unit in the empire.

Consequently the statute of civil war in Rome changed: the civil war was not any more the place of expression of a political party against another by the means of violence, but the dispute of the capacity of the emperor in place by a usurper, or the fight between two usurpers.

List Roman civil wars (end of the republic in Tétrachie)

N.B. : if the military term of Anarchie tends to being abandoned, because of its lack of relevance, the period indicated a long time under this term knows a high number of usurpations and civil wars between applicants with the empire.

See too

Internal bonds

History of the Roman company

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