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Year 3 Human Science

History – Ancient Rome 4 – The end of the Roman Republic

After the destruction of Carthage, Rome became stronger and stronger and soon came to
control most of the lands bordering the Mediterranean Sea. But serious problems began to
develop slowly for the Roman Republic.

During The Punic Wars, many poor farmers had to leave their land to fight for Rome. Many
were killed or injured. Those who were not, often found on their return that their farms had
become neglected and had fallen into ruin. All this forced many poorer Roman families to sell
their land to rich people and to abandon their homes and go to live in the poor parts of the city.
The numbers of poor people grew, as did the gap between rich and poor. The Senate gradually
came to be the most powerful governing body in Rome. Many people felt that the Senate
favoured the rich and pointed out that most senators were themselves of rich families. This
made the Senate very unpopular with some Romans.

Some of the problems described above made the Government (and especially the Senate)
unpopular with many of the people. Some of these problems caused Rome to rely more and
more on its armies to protect its territory. As a result of this, army generals became more and
more powerful and popular. Many people began to think that such generals could rule Rome
well and could save it from further difficulties.
By 50 BC, two Roman army generals had become greater than all others and powerful rivals
for power. One of these was Pompey. The other was Julius Caesar. In 52 BC, the Senate asked
Pompey to become Consul on his own; a position which would make him extremely powerful.
The Senate then demanded that Caesar give up his army, which he refused to do. Pompey then
had no alternative but to make war on Caesar; a war which most senators seemed to think that
Pompey would win.

In 49 BC, however, Caesar marched on Rome and seized power. He then defeated the armies
of Pompey and the Senate. Gaius Julius Caesar was the undisputed ruler of Rome. When
Caesar marched into Rome the people gave him a great welcome. His soldiers were so proud of
him that they gave him the honorary title of Imperator which originally meant" leader" and was
normally given after a great victory. Caesar's many reforms made him very popular and he was
soon declared to be leader for life.

But not every one was content during Caesar's five-year rule. Many senators disliked him
intensely. Others were afraid that he was becoming a tyrant who wanted to destroy the
Republican system of government. Early in 44 BC, a group of senators under the leadership of
Brutus and Cassius plotted to rid Rome of its unelected ruler. Brutus, Cassius and the other
conspirators hoped that by killing Caesar they would save the Roman Republic from
dictatorship.

On 15 March, 44 BC Caesar was due to speak to the Senate. Despite feeling so ill that morning that
he almost could not attend, Caesar entered the Senate house at the time appointed. As was usual,
all the senators rose to their feet as a mark of respect for their leader. While this was happening,
Brutus and some other senators took up positions behind Caesar's chair, while others approached
as if to greet him. Suddenly, a senator named Cimbar grabbed Caesar's robe, while Casca stabbed
him in the neck. Most senators looked on in shock while the rest of the assassins suddenly
produced knives from under their cloaks. The assassins surrounded Caesar. They pushed him this
way and that and began to stab him furiously. Brutus, whom Caesar had loved as a son, stabbed
him in the groin. The dying Caesar was then pushed against the statue of his old rival, Pompey,
which was soon covered in blood. Caesar had received a total of twenty-three stab wounds.

Source: Roman writer Plutarch

But soon their plans began to go terribly wrong. A huge, angry crowd turned out for Caesar's
funeral. After the funeral, the people rioted. They burned the houses of those who had plotted
against Caesar, murdered some of the plotters and forced the rest to flee. Caesar's friend Mark
Anthony, together with Caesar's eighteen year old adopted son Octavian, gathered a strong
army against Brutus and his forces. Brutus committed suicide when his army was completely
defeated in 42 AD. Octavian soon became the sole ruler of Rome. He ruled successfully for
forty years and became known as Augustus (meaning "the revered one"). Augustus was too
clever ever to refer to himself directly as "king" or "emperor" but that, in fact, was what he had
become. The Republican system of government - which Brutus and others had killed Caesar to
preserve - was gone forever. The Roman Republic became the Roman Empire.

Activities

1. Using an outline map of the Mediterranean region, mark in the areas controlled by
Rome in 100 BC and summarise the problems faced by the Roman Republic.
2. Explain how Julius Caesar became ‘leader for life’ and why one group of senators
plotted to kill him. What were the consequences of the assassination?
3. Watch the extract from the film of William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. How reliable
is Shakespeare’s assassination scene?