78-63 BCE: Crassus, Pompey and the Coming Storm

78-63 BCE: Crassus, Pompey and the coming storm


Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus	Marcus Licinius Crassus Dives

Reign of Sulla = Sullanum Regnum
dictator legibus scribundis et rei publicae constituendae = "Dictator for the Writing of Laws and the Organization of the Republic"
age qualifications: quaestor 30, praetor 39, consul 42; 10 years until reelection
10 Provinces (map of Republican provinces to 40 BCE):

Further Spain (Hispania Citerior)
Nearer Spain (Hispania Ulterior)
Gallia Narbonensis
Cisalpine Gaul
Sardinia and Corsica
Sicily
Africa
Macedonia
Asia
Cilicia
Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus (born 106 BCE)
Marcus Licinius Crassus Dives
Marcus Aemilius Lepidus and the populares in 78 BCE
senatus consultum ultimum empowering propraetor Pompey
Quintus Sertorius in Hispania Citerior in 77-73 BCE
Spartacus from Thrace, trained in Capua near Mt. Vesuvius: revolt 73-71 BCE; crucifixion on the Via Appia
Pompey and Crassus share the consulship in 70 BCE
Sulla's legislation
- curbed the tribunate by requiring the Senate's approval for tribunician plebiscita
- limited the veto (intercessio)
- prevented ex-tribunes from holding other offices
- restored the quaestiones to the enlarged Senate: murder and poisoning, forgery, electoral bribery, peculation (theft), assault, extortion and treason
- increased the number of praetors to eight and quaestors to 20, ensuring that for the most part the provinces were managed by praetors or consuls for only 1 year
- created a stricter cursus honorum, making the quaestorship precede the praetorship, the praetorship precede the consulship, and setting the age of eligibility for the consulship at 42
- made quaestors automatically members of the Senate, thus depriving the censors of their authority
- abolished the position if princeps senatus
Pompey and Crassus eliminate all of his legislation except for the number of courts. Impact of their revision of Sulla's legislation?
Gaius Verres - the Verrine orations by Marcus Tullius Cicero
New popularis on the scene in 70 BCE: Gaius Julius Caesar, nephew of Julia and Gaius Marius; connections to Iulus <-- Aeneas <-- Venus
Mithridates and three Mithridatic Wars (89-85, 83-81, 73-70); defeated, he was limited to the Black Sea and died (poisoned, stabbed) in 68 prior to an invasion of Italy
Crassus proposes the enfranchisement of Gallia Transpadana (recall the Social War of 90-88 BCE)
Lucius Sergius Catilina ("Catiline")