3 – The Gracchus Brothers – Tiberius (168 – 133 BC) & Gaius (154? – 121 BC)
Also known as the Gracchi, Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus were tribunes who tried to introduce populist legislation such as land reform into ancient Rome; they have been described as ‘the founding fathers of socialism and populism’ by historians.
Tiberius was the elder brother and served as an officer in the Third Punic War. When a Roman army was surrounded in Numantia, Tiberius’ negotiating skills helped saved the lives of up to 20,000 men even though the Roman Senate were not pleased with what it called a ‘dishonorable treaty.’ He was elected tribune in 133 BC and became famous for his proposal to ensure no Roman citizen could possess more than 500 iugera of land. The extra land would be taken by the state and given to needy families in 30 iugera sections.
Since most members of the Senate owned more than 500 iugera of land, they were bitterly opposed to this reform. King Attalus III of Pergamum died when Tiberius was Tribune and left his fortune to Rome. Tiberius wanted to use the wealth to fund his reform. This was seen as a direct attack on Senatorial power and only increased the opposition against Tiberius. He attempted to seek re-election as tribune for the following year in a move that was considered dictatorial by his enemies. During the election, violence broke out, and Tiberius was beaten to death with wooden chairs. Approximately 300 of his supporters also died that day.
Gaius was around 21-22 years old at the time of his brother’s death, but instead of being frightened off politics, he threw himself into the arena and began by joining in the outcry against Scipio Nasica, the man accused of instigating the violence that resulted in Tiberius’s death. After lengthy military service, Gaius became quaestor in 126 BC, and three years later, he was elected as a tribune for the plebeians, the same office as his brother held.
The Senate saw him as a bigger danger than his brother as he was more practical and his reforms were more complex. As well as renewing his brother’s land law, Gaius founded new colonies in Carthage and Italy. He introduced a law that forbade the conscription of Romans under the age of 17 and also ensured the state would pay for essential military equipment. Other reforms included state subsidized grain and the death penalty for judges found guilty of accepting a bribe to convict another Roman.
Unfortunately for Gaius, he lost popular support by 121 BC as his enemies in the Senate conspired against him. When one of his opponents was murdered on Capitoline Hill, the ‘ultimate decree of the Senate’ was passed. It stated that the Senate could declare any person as an ‘enemy of the state’ and have him executed without trial. Gaius was possibly the first victim of this new rule when a mob formed with the goal of assassinating him. Rather than wait for the inevitable, Gaius committed suicide on Aventine Hill in 121 BC. The Gracchi were important figures in Roman history even if their reforms failed. The role of Tribune was to become a poisoned chalice, and numerous men died violently while in office in the decades to come.