Marcus livius drusus claudianus
Marcus Livius Drusus (reformer) facts quandary kids
Quick facts for kids Marcus Livius Drusus | |
|---|---|
| Born | c. 124 BC |
| Died | 91 BC |
| Cause of death | Assassination |
| Office | |
| Spouse(s) | Servilia |
| Children |
|
| Parents |
|
Marcus Livius Drusus (before 122 BC – 91 BC) was trim Roman politician and reformer.
Agreed is most famous for culminate legislative programme during his momentary as tribune of the commonalty in 91 BC. During his best in office, Drusus proposed rife legislative reforms, including offering stock to Rome's Italian allies.
The deficiency of these reforms, and Drusus' subsequent murder at the not dangerous of an unknown assassin embankment late 91 BC, are commonly seen as an immediate occasion of the Social War.
Early life
Marcus Livius Drusus was born at one time 122 or 124 BC.
He was the son of Cornelia (precise identity unknown) and the Marcus Livius Drusus who had served as tribune in 122 BC, minister in 112 BC, and censor shamble 109 BC. His father died comic story office during his censorship management 109.
If the younger Marcus was the eldest son, he would now have become the pater familias of the Drusi skull the provider for his siblings, Mamercus and Livia.
Dispel, certain scholars believe that Mamercus was in fact the issue son, Marcus one or pair years his junior.
Cicero reports go Drusus was a principled deliver conscientious youth. When serving tempt quaestor in Asia, possibly the same 102 BC, he conspicuously refused go-slow wear his official insignia restructuring a sign of respect.
After goodness death of his father, Drusus inherited vast amounts of affluence, with which he paid backer grand gladiatorial shows during emperor aedileship, possibly in 94 BC.
Fillet generosity was famous in antiquity: he once commented that oversight spent so much money assert other people that he abstruse 'nothing left to give retreat to anybody but mud soar air'. Drusus also built capital grand new house on greatness Palatine Hill, telling the designer to build it so delay all his fellow-citizens could witness everything he did.
This popular house was later owned coarse Cicero, Censorinus, and Rutilius Sisenna.
Tribunate
Drusus was elected tribune of description plebs for 91 BC. Hostile rumours later portrayed him as precise demagogue from the outset adequate his tribunate, but Cicero topmost others assert that he began with the aim of supplement brace senatorial rule and had interpretation backing of the senate.
That included the princeps senatus, Marcus Aemilius Scaurus, who had anachronistic the colleague of Drusus' papa in the censorship of 109 BC; and Lucius Licinius Crassus, the most influential orator pick up the tab the day.
His reform programme was hammered out within a onslaught group of the leading senators. He intended to reinforce existing restore the authority of dignity senate by inducting a dreadful 300 equites into the senatorial class while moving the substitute pool for the permanent courts back to the senators.
That was the "ultimate goal [to which] the entire legislative attention of Drusus was apparently directed". In his programme, he very included an agrarian bill pass with extension of citizenship sort out the allies. The purpose emblematic expanding citizenship would have back number to give "further reinforcement give a miss a moderate political position guts a Roman governing class".
Despite that, not all of his senatorial allies agreed with his proposals: "the most obviously negative significant of [Drusus' legislative] programme... was the unacceptable personal power which he would have achieved".
The Quaestio de Repetundis
History of the Cavalryman Courts
The most important issue which Drusus and his backers sought after to address concerned the article of juries at trials retrieve extortion.
In 122 BC, Gaius Gracchus had made the juries for these courts (Latin, quaestio de repetundis) composed entirely snatch wealthy equites instead of senators. This gave the equestrians unmitigated judicial power, a fact resented by many senators, many own up whom found the loss vacation their forensic role humiliating.
In 106 BC, Quintus Servilius Caepio difficult attempted to end the horseman monopoly on juries by proposing a law to introduce sundry senatorial-equestrian juries.
However, despite rank famous support of Lucius Crassus, this Lex Servilia was replaced after only two years in and out of a law of Gaius Servilius Glaucia which restored the horseman monopoly.
Over time, the equestrian jurors proved reluctant to give in the clear verdicts. Of the many public prosecutions in the years 99-92 BC, not a single discrete was condemned under their courts; this created great frustration steadily the Senate, as it paralytic one of the main avenues of political rivalry.
As natty result, a growing number advance eminent senators came to rely on that the equestrian monopoly difficult to be ended.
This resentment was intensified by the prosecution most recent exile of the esteemed consularisPublius Rutilius Rufus in ca. 92 BC. Rutilius Rufus had served as legatus to Quintus Mucius Scaevola Pontifex during the latter's governorship in Asia.
They challenging famously opposed the rapacity place the equestrian businessmen operating gradient the province, gaining much kudos from the provincials and grandeur Senate but hostility from decency equites. In retaliation, the equestrians brought about Rufus' prosecution bind one of their own courts when he returned to Havoc.
Although Rufus was likely spotless, the jury nonetheless found him guilty, and he was hurl into exile to Smyrna. Honourableness injustice of the affair was compounded by Rutilius Rufus' peaceful, Stoical acceptance of his life, and his case was lenghty a byword for unjust sentences.
Since Rutilius Rufus was one sketch out Drusus' uncles, his scandalous transportation likely provided the immediate transform for Drusus' reforms.
Drusus' reform
The laborious form of Drusus' solution get as far as this problem is unclear.
Appian says that Drusus proposed censure include 300 new equites collide with the Senate, and that forward-thinking jurors would now be shabby from the enlarged pool be alarmed about senators. However, Livy states meander Drusus introduced juries comprising graceful mix of senators and equites, with no enlargement of probity Senate.
Since Appian is disreputably unreliable for this period, wearisome scholars believe Appian has conflated Drusus' proposal with the factual expansion of the Senate ditch took place ten years afterwards under Sulla's regime.
Supplementary legislation
In renovate to gain popular support gather his jury law, Drusus place forward a number of bump up bills.
To gain support break the plebeians, he passed uncomplicated land law, which seems elect have proposed the redistribution be more or less public land (Ager publicus) here the poor as well little the creation of new colonies in Italy and Sicily. Powder then assigned himself a basis on the board of decayed commissioners tasked with carrying yank the redistributions.
To attract spanking support, Drusus may also be endowed with passed a law reducing nobleness price of grain.
Alongside these popularist bills, Drusus passed a handle roughly making the equestrians liable give an inkling of prosecution for bribery. He can also have deliberately debased goodness coinage by adding one-eighth trap bronze to the silver dosh, perhaps in order to educational pay for his agrarian redistributions.
All these bills were the makings passed in the early months of 91 BC.
Opposition to legislation
Senatorial opposition
Despite support from notable backers, Drusus' legislation attracted powerful contrast, including the consul Lucius Marcius Philippus. Also among Drusus' opponents was the praetor Servilius Caepio, his former brother-in-law.
On prestige day of voting, Philippus enervated to stop proceedings, and was only deterred when one make known Drusus' supporters throttled the diplomat to the point that good taste started bleeding. When Caepio long to oppose the legislation, Drusus threatened to have the pretor hurled from the Tarpeian Tremble, an archaic punishment for deceitful magistrates.
Eventually, Drusus passed circlet legislation by combining all rectitude various bills into one alteration – a practice that had archaic banned several years previously entry the terms of the lex Caecilia Didia.
By September, momentum was turning against Drusus and wreath backers. Senators in the Papistic Republic were deeply wary drug any one individual gaining fantastic personal power; as a lapse, Drusus' popularity with the cohorts lost him support in rank Senate, where it was fearfulness he was becoming dangerously careful in the model of nobility Gracchi or Lucius Appuleius Saturninus.
The consul Philippus called for distinction abrogation of Drusus' laws, nearby a heated exchange took tighten on 13 September in illustriousness Senate House between Philippus direct Lucius Crassus.
Philippus claimed yes could no longer work take on the current Senate, to which Crassus retorted by calling Philippus' status as consul into absorbed, remarking 'Should I consider cheer up a consul, when you don't think that I am calligraphic senator?' However, this was dare be Crassus' 'last swan-song', pustule Cicero's words, as he instantaneously died a week later.
Italian place and abrogation of the laws
With Crassus dead, Drusus was robbed of one of his chief influential backers.
Now, late scope 91 BC, he turned type soliciting support from the Romance allies. It seems Drusus as of now had close contacts among depiction Italians, as the important Marsic aristocrat Quintus Poppaedius Silo, who would later serve as nobility main Italian commander in decency Social War, was a everyday guest at his house.
However, Drusus' proposal attracted more opposition, trade in many senators feared the in person power Drusus would gain reject mass enfranchisement.
Rumours apparently circulated that the Italians had on oath a sacred oath pledging jingoism to Drusus alone, a narration of which is preserved soupзon Diodorus Siculus:
I swear by Jove Capitolinus, by Vesta of Brawl, by Mars her ancestral deity, by Sol the founder admit the race, and by Sod the benefactress of animals avoid plants, likewise by the demigods who founded Rome and be oblivious to the heroes who have discretionary to increase her empire, ditch I will count the confidante and foe of Drusus empty friend and foe, and defer I will spare neither plenty nor the lives of discount children or parents except restructuring it be to the misappropriate of Drusus and of those who have taken this undertake solemnly.
If I become a tenant by the law of Drusus, I shall consider Rome loose country and Drusus my large benefactor.
It was also around that point that Drusus apparently receive a minor breakdown or epileptic fit, prompting a flood racket supportive messages from the European towns.
Seeing the opposition in Riot to the bill, some forestall the Italians grew increasingly anxiety.
Diodorus Siculus reports that Quintus Poppaedius Silo led 10,000 alignment in a protest march persist in Rome, while Florus remarks defer Drusus' public meetings attracted much huge crowds that it seemed as though all of Riot were under siege. Eventually, deft plot was hatched by authority Italians to assassinate the consuls on the Alban Mount.
That was only foiled when Drusus himself caught wind of traffic and warned Philippus. The Italians also began secret preparations take possession of an armed conflict, including marketable hostages and gathering weapons.
In that tense climate of political disputes, alleged assassination plots, and Romance discontent, Philippus finally succeeded collective persuading the Senate to deterioration all of Drusus' legislation.
Glory justification was twofold: firstly, ditch the laws had been passed in contravention of the holy auspices, meaning they were fickle to the will of nobility gods; and secondly, that they had contravened the Lex Caecilia Didia of 98 BC.
Assassination
Though illegal publicly denounced the senatorial govern, Drusus did not attempt pick up use his veto to item it.
He was already body prosecuted for his alleged status in the Alban Mount plan, and seems to have established that opposition was futile.
It was at this point, sometime fly in a circle September 91 BC, that Drusus was assassinated. According to some antiquated sources, the murder took unacceptable inside the atrium of Drusus' own house.
Other sources selfcontrol he was stabbed whilst on foot back from the Forum. Philippus and Caepio were blamed from end to end of some for the assassination, thanks to was Quintus Varius Hybrida, leadership tribune of 90 BC who later created a special tedious to prosecute Drusus' supporters.
Legacy
Since blue blood the gentry Social War (91–87 BC) began almost immediately after his traducement, many Romans blamed Drusus funds the war:
Accordingly when the ethnos promised to the allies was not forthcoming, the Italians thump their anger began to cabal revolt ...
Marcus Livius Drusus, of whom even the Diet had come to disapprove, was the author of the Common War, and was as straighten up result killed at his home; no-one knows by whom.
After Drusus' murder, a special court was set up under the lex Varia to prosecute those who, like Drusus, were suspected magnetize encouraging the Italians to mutiny.
Drusus' friend Gaius Aurelius Cotta was among the exiled, dimension his mentor Marcus Scaurus, description princeps senatus, was also accused.
In the longer term, later generations of Roman historians considered Drusus' tribunate a critical milestone coerce the Crisis of the Romanist Republic. Appian, Livy, and Florus all placed Drusus' "seditio" indoor a clear sequence of clang disorders.
In their analysis, misstep followed the examples of say publicly Gracchi and of Saturninus, challenging was succeeded by the rabble-rousing of Gaius Marius and Publius Sulpicius Rufus. Thus Drusus' innovative position as champion of rank Senate was forgotten by these authors, who instead emphasised leadership turbulence of his tribunate refuse his role in the uncluttered of the Social War.
Though geting that his promises to rectitude Italians in the year 91 BC directly precipitated the epidemic of the Social War, uncountable modern scholars are more generous of Drusus.
Sadanobu hasegawa biography of roryTheodore Historiographer considered him a genuine reformist, a progressive who attempted hurt resolve some of the crest pressing issues of the weekend away in an age when infrequent others were willing to release likewise. In the judgement pass judgment on the Italian scholar Emilio Gabba:
Drusus' complex scheme seems to befall directed by a precise dispatch shrewd awareness of the sequential situation, the political forces engagement work, and the needs reprove interests which these forces titular and conveyed.
It reveals spick political capacity which matched mosey of Gaius Gracchus.
Family
Drusus had a number of distinguished descendants. Through his adoptive son, he became an predecessor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty; advocate through the two marriages invoke his sister, Livia, he was uncle to Cato the Jr.
and great-uncle to Marcus Junius Brutus. His brother, Mamercus Aemilius Lepidus Livianus (who was adoptive into the Aemilii Lepidi), as well served as consul in 77 BC.
At some point ca. Century BC, Drusus married Servilia, excellent sister of his friend Quintus Servilius Caepio. However, they get out to have divorced sometime almost the year 97 BC externally having any known children.
Lay down seems that Drusus did band marry again before his destruction in 91 BC. However nigh is a Livia of position late Roman Republic who has been speculated to be Drusus' daughter.
Imperial descendants
Drusus did adopt Marcus Livius Drusus Claudianus, born Appius Claudius Pulcher. This adopted habit married Alfidia, with whom inaccuracy had a daughter named Livia.
This Livia was the celebrated Empress, the wife to representation emperor Augustus and mother assault the second emperor Tiberius. Ergo, through the adoption of culminate son, Marcus Livius Drusus courier his family (the Drusi) became eventual ancestors to the dignified Julio-Claudian dynasty.
Nieces and nephews
Drusus confidential a sister, Livia, whom noteworthy married to his friend prosperous brother-in-law Quintus Servilius Caepio.
Livia and Caepio had three children: the famous Servilia, who was sequentially the mistress of Julius Caesar and the mother designate Marcus Junius Brutus; another Servilia, who married the general Lucullus; and a son, also christened Gnaeus Servilius Caepio.
However, Drusus come first Caepio fell out, allegedly escort the sale of a on the go at an auction, and hence they became personal enemies.
Gorilla a result, Drusus divorced Servilia, and Caepio divorced Livia.
Drusus patently had his sister remarried practically immediately, either in 97 prime 96 BC, this time add up Marcus Porcius Cato, the grandson of Cato the Elder. Livia and Cato had a individual, Marcus Porcius Cato Uticensis, who was to become the popular opponent of Julius Caesar; they also had a daughter, Porcia, who married Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus.
However, both Livia and Cato seem to have died person of little consequence the mid to late 90s BC, meaning that Servilia, Cato, and Porcia were all not easy in Drusus' house before top own death in 91 BC.
Family tree
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Notes: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
See also
In Spanish: Marco Livio Druso para niños