the first triumverate
...that the other two men lacked. In 59BC Caesar was elected dual consul with Bibulous, the son in law of Cato, the leader of the opposition to Caesar. Bibulous turned out to be a wall flower to the extent that the joke amongst the people was that it was the consulship of Julius and Caesar. The Senators feared that Caesar would follow in his Uncle Marius’ footsteps and become a threat to the senate so they devised a plan to make him governor of the forests and country paths of Italy to keep him away from conquest and the city. This plan of the Senate’s failed as the power of the new found alliance enabled Caesar by popular vote in the assembly to receive the provinces of Illyricum, Cisalpine Gaul and Transalpine Gaul (modern day south France) showing the Senate that they were most likely right in fearing Caesar’s power and influence. As soon as Caesar was elected he began to do work on behalf of Crassus and Pompey. His first actions were to get the two’s previously denied bills accepted. The senate again denied Pompey’s land bill and so Caesar, showing that the senate were in no way going to be an obstacle in his road to power, took the proposal to the people. The people passed the bill with the help of persuasion in the form of Pompey’s veterans being present in the assembly. The approval of Crassus’ bill followed soon after, accomplished in a similar fashion. Caesar was fulfilling the aim of the triumvirate by working together with Pompey and Crassus for mutual gain. In 57Bc Cicero, an expelled member of the optimates, was recalled with the help of Pompey. To thank Pompey Cicero proposed that he should be given the charge of the corn supply. A tribune C Messius proposed much wider powers for Pompey but the initial bill was passed with no objection from Pompey. The fact that Pompey didn’t fight for the second bill showed that he wasn’t willing to challenge Caesar by pressing for dicorial powers. He did not want to push the boundaries of the triumvirate relationship by making himself far more powerful than the other members.After their initial success the members of the triumvirate began to drift and their alliance was in danger of falling apart. Pompey was angry at Crassus as he was being repeatedly attacked by Clodius’ gang who he believed Crassus to be the instigator of. Clodius was a tribune who removed Cato, an ally of Pompey from Rome and began to publicly humiliate Pompey after he became suspicious of Clodius’ motives. He even went as far as to make Pompey believe that there was a threat against his life. Caesar realised the positive prospects the alliance held for him and so quickly remedied this in 56BC before leaving for his year’s military campaign, by asking Pompey and Crassus to join him for a meeting at Luca (with hesitation from Pompey) and sorted out their differences. This resolution of the three came with immediate benefit to Caesar as Crassus and Pompey, being newly elected dual consul for 55BC passed a bill that gave Caesar an additional five years for his conquest in Gaul. Crassus and Pompey also gave themselves five year governorships, with Crassus receiving Syria and Pompey the two Spains. This gift to themselves did not end there as they both received army commands and Pompey two legions of his own. The relationship between the three must have been thriving, as Pompey then lent two of his legions to Caesar to help him in his conquests. The members of the triumvirate had reached a state of power and influence that most senators owned them money and it was through them that people had to go to receive a senior position in the army or government. This situation of corruption held a Mafia style of obligation in that people owed the triumvirate who then had complete power over them. The triumvirate controlled the people who were in control. Caesar’s membership to the triumvirate had given him the launching pad he needed to start a successful career and gain ultimate power. He continued to make advances with the support of Crassus and Pompey being stepping stones that helped him along his way. In 54 BC Caesar and Pompey received an emotional blow as Julia, Caesars daughter and Pompeys wife, died in childbirth. This cut a major tie between the two men. At this time Rome is in political chaos. No consul is elected for 54BC and so Pompey is selected for an emergency position of dictator. It was now evident that by creating the first triumvirate Caesar had inevitably created his own future rival for power. Only a year later a second blow hit Pompey and Caesar and threatened the power of the Triumvirate; the death of Crassus. Having three members in the triumvirate meant that there was no struggle for power but by now having only two each man thought that he deserved to be the principle partner. This issue was left unresolved. Over the next three years Caesar campaigned in Gaul, twice marching into Germany and leading two expeditions to Britain. He made sure the story of his success was shared with all through an effective peace of propaganda in the form of his “Commentaries”, self written stories of his achievements, with him the conquering hero. These stories, surely inflated, were spread far and wide rallying up even more support for Caesar, meaning even more power and control. In 51BC Caesar tries to have his command extended until the end of 49BC, presumably so he could easily move into the consulship in 48BC. He needed to do this as he knew that at this time a good number of influential men in Rome loathed him and would not forgive him for his actions against the senate in 59BC and that when his time as a serving magistrate was up he would become a civilian and therefore able to be subject for prosecution. This motion is opposed in the senate, with Pompey failing to support it. This is the first time that Pompey has worked against Caesar. Did Pompey not merely favour the proposal? Or was he thinking of his own political future in which Caesar may be a threat? Pompey was acting very indecisively at the time and it is hard to say whether he was on Caesar’s side or not and whether he knew the answer himself. The previous year Pompey had passed a law stating that there must be a five year interval between magistracy and a provincial command, but he specially exempted Caesar in a clause that was apparently written in his own handwriting. Here he seems to be working with Caesar but with an other contradiction he marries the daughter of a known opponent of Caesar. Is he now working with Caesar or against him? By 50BC the mood in Rome is tense and the senate’s negative view of Caesar has reached its peak and they want him to be recalled from Gaul, as they saw his aims there achieved, and wish him to return to stand trial for his blatant disregard fro the senate and their rulings. Oddly this time it is Pompey who speaks up for Caesar suggesting he should carry out his original governorship. At this time in Roman history a small group lead by Cato thought that Caesar should not be allowed a second consulship as his newfound wealth and prestige would make it hard for him to be opposed. Pompey’s attitudes on the matter would be decisive but his intentions remained unclear. If Caesar was removed it would leave Pompey with massive power, influence and wealth but that power had been gained through the partnership with Caesar. The pressure on Caesar mounted as members of the optimates lobbied to have him replaced in his province. Pompey remained a fence sitter on the issue but could hold strong influence as he now held an army that matched that of Caesar’s. The issue of Caesar’s power brought to the attention of the senate the ever increasing power that Pompey also held. The Senate then argued that Pompey’s Spanish command should end at the same time as Caesar’s governorship. Many senators responded positively to this as they saw it as a war of avoiding war between the two men and the decree was successfully carried. Removing Pompey from his army was not part of the pan o...