Tiberius gracchus

TIBERIUS GRACCHUS In 133 BC, Rome faced the problem of depopulation and decreasing military service. This problem arose when most of the undistributed land fell into the hands of the rich who continued to use unlawful methods to take possession of lands near their own or lands that belonged to the poor so that they could have bigger farms. A large number of slaves were employed to work on the lands and for this, the rich continued to gain wealth and power (Appian. R. Hist. Ex. 7). Even though the Romans were worried about the large number of slaves and diminishing number of armies, reformation was not considered as it was not easy or fair to them (Appian R. Hist. Ex. 8). This was until a noble man named Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus became Tribune and introduced a bill to redistribute the land (Appian. R. Hist. Ex. 9). The motivations of Tiberius Gracchus are indistinct and this led to many debates on his intentions for this reformation of Rome. This essay will be discussing the motives of Tiberius Gracchus. His motives are divided into three key aspects which are economic motives, social motives and political motives. One of the popular beliefs is that Tiberius Gracchus was motivated by political reasons and his own ambitions for power. This is because the actions of Tiberius Gracchus did seem revolutionary to many. For example when he disregarded the authority of the Senate by bringing his land-bill that states that no one is allowed to hold 500 iugera of land and that the children could occupy half the amount straight to the Popular Assembly without going through the Senate (Appian R. Hist. Ex. 9). His actions were based on his knowledge that there will be no fair hearing as most of the senators owned large properties and will be the ones with the biggest loss if the land bill was passed (Scullard 1982 : 26). Other than that, when Tiberius Gracchus passed the law on redistribution of land, the wealthy who are blinded by greed strongly opposed the law and accused Tiberius Gracchus of attempting revolution (Plutarch Gracc. Ex. 9). The event where Tiberius Gracchus decided to run as tribune for the second year without election made it further seem that he was suggesting dictatorship (Appian R. Hist. Ex. 15). Evidence of his political motives can also be seen after the death of King Attalus III of Pergamum. On the will of King Attalus III, it is stated that the Roman people were to inherit the throne of the King. Once again, without regard of the senate’s authority over financial and foreign affairs, Tiberius Gracchus immediately suggested a bill that this inheritance should be used to fund the distribution of land (Scullard 1982 : 27). Scullard views on Tiberius’ actions were that “[H]e disregarded their customary prior right of discussing legislation, and he interfered in finance and foreign affairs …” (Scullard 1982 : 28). As Tiberius was very popular among the lower classed Romans, the senators saw him as a threat as they feared he would use his popularity to gain support in his conquest for power. They saw him as a “ potential autocrat” (Blois & Spek 1997 : 197). His arguments and actions indicated to many that he in fact was seeking for supreme power as the Roman politics has always been a never ending competition for influence and power. (Scullard 1979 : 31) It is not easy to distinguish the motive of Tiberius Gracchus because although it is not the main aim of Tiberius Gracchus, it seemed that he lusted for power through his actions (Stockton 1979 : 86). However, I strongly believe that Tiberius Gracchus was not motivated by personal ambitions for power and wealth. Instead, I believe his intentions were ultimately for the good of the people. Many misunderstood Tiberius Gracchus’ intentions to be re-elected as tribune because of his desire to be a dominant leader but the fact was his motive in wanting to be tribune for the second year was to ensure his agrarian bill will continue to be practiced (Scullard 1982 : 27). Apart from that, it can be argued that if his motives were really to have supreme power, he could have been a powerful leader with just his upbringing, connections and personal skills (Stockholm 1979 : 84). Tiberius disregarded the authority of senate by bringing his land-bill straight to the comitia tributa because he knew that in the past there have been cases of corruption and conflicts caused by personal greed for power and wealth among the Senates. The senates did not want to face the uprising problems regarding economic and social issues of Rome and his land-bill will definitely be overlooked (Jones & Sidwell 1997 : 28). Unsatisfied landowners who opposed the law tried to taint Tiberius Gracchus’ good intentions to solve the problems Rome was facing at that time as a sign of revolution but this false accusation proved to be wrong as “ Tiberius was fighting for a measure that was honorable and just in itself. ” (Appian R. Hist. Ex. 9). Not only is Tiberius a generous man, he was also putting his political future at stake just to restore the land of the poor (Scullard 1982 : 26). Blossius from Cumae, one of Tiberius Gracchus’ supporters, who was questioned by the consuls further proved my argument by insisting that Tiberius would never have done anything like attacking the Capitol as his intentions were always “ for the good of the people. ” (Plutarch Gracc. Ex. 20) Evidence that Tiberius Gracchus was not motivated by personal ambition can also be seen in his other motives for reformation. For example his motivations in the social aspect. Tiberius was worried about the diminishing Roman military and the increasing trend of slavery. The increasing number of unfaithful slaves was a problem as they caused no military contribution (Appian R. Hist. Ex. 9). This issue regarding the slaves is evident during the outburst of a major slave war in Sicily where it burdened Rome financially (Stockton 1979 : 33). Tiberius’ motives for reformation was first initiated when he travelled to Spain and noticed the uprising number of slaves cultivating the land in Etruria. He also noticed that there were no “ free peasants” (Scullard 1982 : 24). The sight of the poor people of Rome’s pleas to restore their possession of public land through slogans in public places also became one of Tiberius Gracchus’ motivations (Plutarch Gracc. Ex. 8). As the poor started to lose more property to the rich, they fell into severe poverty and this caused problems to the population of Rome as they could not afford to bear children. Depopulation directly linked to the decline in military manpower (Appian R. Hist. Ex. 10). In a speech by Metellus Macedonicus who was a censor at that time, he emphasized the desperation to increase birth rate (Stockton 1979 : 33). These motives and Tiberius’ concerns for the disloyal slaves that disrupted the peace of Rome led him to propose a law renewal to reinstate the land of the poor. Tiberius Gracchus was also motivated by economic reasons. Due to the large number of slaves working on the farms of the rich, farmers who used to work at nearby lands started to lose their jobs and the little income they used to earn. The problems with property and debt became so severe that the farmers eventually sold their lands to search for other jobs. Even with that, they could not be employed as the slaves took up most of the available jobs (Perry et al. 2007 : 13). The poverty, tax and military service caused much suffering among the Italians (Appian R. Hist. Ex. 7). In addition to that, decreasing number of crops, problems regarding transportation and the rebellion of slaves in Sicily caused an increase in the prices of grain, adding more burden on the already poor farmers (Blois & Spek 1997 : 196). As cited in Stockton, “ Tiberius Gracchus sought to carry an agrarian law. It appealed to the common people. It looked likely to safeguard the fortunes of the poor. ” (Stockton 1979 : 31). This downfall of Rome’s economy at that time not only affected the lives of the people but also directly influenced the military manpower of Rome. Poor men who continue to lose their lands dropped to a social class where they are not qualified to enroll in the army due to their low asset qualifications that does not exceed the minimum standard to join legionary service. Most of the soldiers are also left with nothing after they retire except possessions seized from victories in wars. The desperation for army recruitment resulted in the remission of the minimum property qualification to enroll in the army, greatly affecting the quality of the Roman military force. This issue motivated Tiberius Gracchus to reinstate the land of the poor and secure prosperity of the poor farmers so that the strength and quality of the army can be maintained (Scullard 1982 : 22). With that, Tiberius urged the rich to be generous in sparing land for the poor as he emphasized the splendor and prosperity that comes along with great military strength and conquest (Appian R. Hist. Ex. 11). It can be seen that the economic crisis is one of the greatest motivations of Tiberius Gracchus. In conclusion, Tiberius Gracchus was a genuine reformer who aimed to improve the lives of the poor people of Rome by alleviating problems regarding impoverishment and strived to revive the glorious days of the Roman Empire. Although his rash actions were often misunderstood for being revolutionary, his motivations were solely for the benefits of the people and the Roman Empire and not for personal desires for power, influence and wealth.