Tiberius Gracchus - Ancient Roman politician

Tiberius Gracchus is one of the most famous personalities in the history of ancient Rome. He became famous as a legislator, reformer, political and public figure. An important role in the distribution of the biography of this figure was played by those circumstances in which Tiberius Gracchus died. The biography of this historical personality will be the subject of our study.

Origin

Tiberius Gracchus belonged to the family Semproniev. This clan, although it was plebeian, belonged to the estate of nobles - the ruling elite of the Roman Republic.

The history of the plebeian family Semproniev begins its counting from the III century. BC. E. The first outstanding representative of the Gracchus branch was the great-grandfather of the hero of our narrative, who was also his namesake. He was honored in 238 BC. E. To become a consul of the republic. His eldest son Tiberius was consul already twice - in 215 and in 213 years. BC. E., but he died during the Second Punic War. His second child, Publius, was the grandfather of the reformer.

The son of Publius, who bore the traditional name Tiberius in the family, was also awarded the title of Consul in 177 and 163 years. BC. E. Before that, in 187 BC. He was a people's tribune.

Publius married Cornelia - the representative of the noble patrician family and the daughter of the famous winner of Hannibal - Publius Cornelius Scipio of the African Elder. In this marriage, 12 children were born. True, until the mature age, only three survived: Tiberius Gracchus, which will be discussed below, his younger brother Guy and sister Sempronia.

Birth and youth

There are several versions as to when Tiberius Gracchus was born in Rome. The most probable are 166, 163 or 162 years. BC. E.

Tiberius lost his father early-he died in 154 BC. E. Mother refused to remarry. Although, according to legend, even a representative of the Ptolemaic family, the royal family of Egypt, even wooed to her. She decided to devote herself completely to raising children.

At the age of about ten years old, Tiberius joined the priestly college of the augurs, which was considered very honorable.

Tiberius Gracchus became famous at a young age. He participated in the capture of Carthage during the Second Punic War, commanded by his relative on the maternal line Scipio Emilian of Africa. And it was Tiberius in 146 BC. E. Managed to be the first of the Romans to climb the walls of this city.

Continuation of military service

Then Tiberius continued his military service in Spain. He was a quaestor with Gaius Hostilia Mantsin. But the detachment of his commander was surrounded by Iberians. Thanks to the negotiations, which Tiberius also took part in, it was possible not only to withdraw troops from the encirclement, but also to conclude an advantageous peace treaty with the Iberians.

However, upon the return of Tiberius to Rome, the Senate refused to ratify this document, since it was drawn up without his permission.

Political situation in Rome

In the first half of the third century the plebeians, to which the Gracchus name belonged, were able to obtain recognition of their political rights. The richest of them, together with the patricians, formed the new ruling class of the ancient Roman state - the nobility.

To defend the rights of the plebeians, the post of the people's tribune was established . The powers of the tribunes included not only the possibility to convene a people's congress and put forward legislative initiatives, but also the right to veto decisions of the senate. Only representatives of plebeian clans could be elected to this position.

Entering the political arena

Meanwhile, Tiberius left military service and decided to devote himself to public and political activities. Already having a certain level of popularity among the people, he ventured in 134 BC. E. Nominate his candidacy for the election of people's tribunes, which he successfully won.

One of the main provisions of the pre-election program of Tiberius Gracchus, through which he found support from the people, was the implementation of land reform.

Reasons for land reform

Before Tiberius Gracchus entered the political arena, the situation in the Roman Republic was quite tense. It was connected with the fact that most of the community land fund was actually concentrated in the hands of a limited circle of rich people who, as it were, nominally rented it from the state. The bulk of the Romans in the process became landless, that is, it lost its source of independent income. This led to the impoverishment of citizens, which, in turn, did not allow them to serve in the army, since at that time a property qualification was established for soldiers. Thus, the process of land deprivation indirectly affected the defensive capacity of the Roman Republic. This, incidentally, was one of the main points why the plundering of farmers worried Tiberius Gracchus.

In large latifundia, slave labor became increasingly important. And the former landless peasants were forced to go to the cities, replenishing there an interlayer of declassed, but not losing their political rights lumpen. It was they who most expected the land reform.

The essence of land reform

The land law of Tiberius Gracchus provided for the reduction of the maximum concentration of leased premises in the hands of one owner - no more than 500 yugurs, which corresponded to 125 hectares. Large landowners, who had more significant land plots, were obliged to return the surplus to public use. Then these lands were to be distributed among landless citizens of the Roman Republic - 30 yugars each.

The law of Tiberius Gracchus did provide some indulgences for the rich. Thus, for each son born, they could keep at their disposal an additional 250 land yughers. But all the same, the total area of the family's holdings should not exceed 1,000 yugars.

Tiberius Gracchus proposed to form an agrarian commission of three people, which will directly deal with the distribution of land.

At the same time, Gracchus intended to use this law not only to strengthen small farmers and strengthen the army, but also in personal confrontation with large owners.

Adoption of the bill

The procedure for adopting this bill was a rather complicated process.

Although the custom required before enlisting any bill to enlist the support of the Senate, this was not a firmly established law. Moreover, precedents for circumventing the decisions of the Senate have existed before. Therefore, Tiberius immediately passed the discussion of the bill to the people's assembly.

But the bill immediately vetoed another tribune - Octavius, who was vitally interested in preserving the old order. For personal reasons, he was not happy with the law Tiberius Gracchus proposed. The conversion of the reformer to the senate did not change the stalemate.

Then Tiberius initiated the removal of Octavius from his post as a man who is doing harm to the people. The Tribune, elected instead of Octavia, supported the reforms.

After the adoption of the bill on agrarian reform by the people's assembly, it received the force of law.

Functioning of the law

At once a commission was chosen, which was supposed to implement the mechanism of land reform. In it, except for Tiberius, included his brother Guy and father-in-law Appius Claudius Pulcher.

Rich senators tried in every possible way to oppose the work of this commission. But despite this, she continued to fulfill her basic tasks. One of the main successes in the work of the commission was the division of the wealth of the Pergamon King Attalus, who bequeathed his entire state and kingdom to the Roman Republic.

The murder of Tiberius Gracchus

Meanwhile, the opponents of the reforms of Tiberius Gracchus tried to organize the election of another candidate for the post of tribune, when the term of office of the reformer was coming to an end. They chose the time when most of the farmers on which the tribunes relied were engaged in agricultural work and could not get to Rome.

During the people's congress in the summer of 133 BC. E. A massive fight broke out, during which many supporters of the reformer were killed. The tribune himself died. But the death of Tiberius Gracchus could no longer stop the process that he launched.

The fate of reforms

After the death of Tiberius Gracchus, although reprisals fell on his supporters, the agrarian law was not abolished and continued to function.

Instead of the murdered member of the commission, another relative of the Gracchus, father-in-law Gaius Crassus, became.

But the opposition of opponents was still quite large, and in 129 BC. E. The commission had to suspend its activities, although by that time it had already done a lot. But the law itself, in fact, continued to act, only the introduction of it was now included in the authority of the consul.

In 123 BC. E. Gaius Gracchus tried to continue his brother's democratic beginnings. He prepared a number of laws that were adopted in the interests of simple plebs. These include the grain law, road, judicial, military. The latter became the forerunner of the famous military reforms of Gaius Maria. In addition, Guy Gracchus succeeded in obtaining an order to remove a colony of farmers called Junonia in northern Africa at the site of the destroyed Carthage. This event was to contribute to the allocation of representatives of landless plebs land.

But in 121 BC. E. Guy was killed, like his brother, by opponents. Like the death of Tiberius, this fact could no longer stop the democratic changes that were approaching in Roman society. In the future, they resulted in the Civil War. The apotheosis of the Civil War was the confrontation of Guy Maria and Sulla, Julius Caesar and Pompey, Mark Antony and Octavian Augustus.

Importance of personality

Tiberius Gracchus will forever remain one of the most iconic personalities in the history of ancient Rome. He was one of the first to introduce laws, which, first of all, were adopted in the interests of the most unprotected strata of citizens. Although all the motives for his behavior are still unclear, as some historians consider personal reasons for his turbulent political activity to be a personal confrontation with large landowners, nevertheless, their positive influence on the democratization of Roman society is not questioned.

Some researchers believe that it was Tiberius Gracchus who founded the political direction, which in the future was transformed into a democratic party of populists.

It is precisely the beginning of the confrontation of the Gracchus with large landowners that is sometimes interpreted as the opening of the period of civil wars in the Roman Republic.

It is impossible to overestimate the benefits that the simple Roman people of the Gracchi brought. Tiberius and Guy entered the world history forever, thanks to their deeds.