Civil War on Pompey Essay -- History War Caesar Essays

Civil War on PompeyIn 49 B.C., Gaius Julius Caesar traverse the Rubicon with his army, declaring courtly 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 capital of Italys political struggles at the dawn of the first century B.C., it becomes manifest 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 class struggles amongst 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 unrest when, in 107 B.C., he abolished the property requirements for military service (Meier, 29). Not altogether did these impoverished soldiers depend on their commander rather than the State for their fiscal support, but they were also promised land in newly conquered provinces u pon the completion of the service. turn enlarging the pool from which the Roman Army drew its volunteer soldiers, this change in policy brought about a dangerous shift in political power. It was for this reason that the Senate opposed nearly every land law dictated before it. If a gifted commander was able to enrich his soldiers through and 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 circumstance is an essential ingredient for civil war, more so, possible, than any other.In 88 B.C., King Mithridates of Pontus invaded the Roman state of matter 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 age before Caesars revolt. Romes political systems were in such(prenominal) a degraded state that had Caesar been unsuccessful someone else would have concisely followed. It was the actions of Marius and Sulla, not the ambitious dreams of a young man, which were ultimately responsible.Works CitedDickinson, John. final stage 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 substantive 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.