Civil War on Pompey Essay -- History War Caesar Essays

Civil War on PompeyIn 49 B.C., Gaius Julius Caesar crossed the Rubicon with his army, declaring civil war on Pompey and his supporters in the Senate. In this paper, I will explore the political and legal issues that pushed Caesar to the brink.Looking at Romes political struggles at the dawn of the offshoot century B.C., it becomes apparent that the groundwork for Caesars Republic shattering revolt was lain down by Marius and Sulla. To be more specific, the stage was set by the track struggles between the Aristocracy, who demanded control of the Republic by virtue of tradition, and the masses, which demanded a voice.Marius made a major step in pushing the Republic towards constitutional excitation when, in 107 B.C., he abolished the property requirements for military service (Meier, 29). Not only did these impoverished soldiers depend on their commander rather than the State for their fiscal support, however they were also promised land in newly conquered provinces upon the com pletion of the service. While enlarging the pool from which the Roman Army drew its volunteer soldiers, this change in policy brought intimately a dangerous shift in political power. It was for this reason that the Senate opposed nearly every land law placed before it. If a gifted commander was able to enrich his soldiers through plunder, and give them land to settle after the campaign, the soldiers might feel a greater obligation to their commander than to the Senate (Meier, 29). This concomitant is an essential ingredient for civil war, more so, possible, than any other.In 88 B.C., King Mithridates of Pontus invaded the Roman Province of Asia. Cornelius Sulla, one of the consuls, was chosen to lead the Roman legions against him by the Senate.... ...ials and tribulations during the 51 years before Caesars revolt. Romes political systems were in such a degraded state that had Caesar been unsuccessful someone else would slang shortly followed. It was the actions of Marius and Sulla, not the ambitious dreams of a young man, which were ultimately responsible.Works CitedDickinson, John. Death of a Republic. New York, Macmillan, 1963.Meier, Christian. Caesar. New York BasicBooks/HarperCollins, 1995.Sabben-Clare, J. P. Caesar and Roman Politics 60-50 B.C. source real in translation. Bristol Bristol Classics, 1981.Plutarch. Fall of the Roman Republic. Trans. Rex Warner. New York Penguin USA, 1972.Caesar, C. Julius. Civil Wars. Trans. A. G. Peskett. Cambridge Harvard University Press.Caesar, C. Julius. The Gallic Wars. Trans. H. J. Edwards, C.B. Cambridge Harvard University Press.