2 – The First Triumvirate Exerts its Power
The so-called Gang of Three took advantage of the situation as they used bribes, threats, and intimidation to dominate military commands and the consulship for the next few years. Caesar won the consulship easily, but Marcus Calpurnius Bibulus was elected junior Consul. It was a clear attempt by the optimates to prevent Caesar from introducing radical reform.
Once he was in office, Caesar’s first course of action was to pass a law to make all of the Senate’s debates and procedures public. It was a smart move on his part as he could make certain arguments public and position himself as a hero of the people. The next step was to appease Pompey. He introduced an agrarian bill to allot land to the poor citizens of Rome. It cleverly helped Pompey’s veterans without making it obvious that he was assisting his new ally. Caesar made it clear that he would not stand to gain personally from the bill; a common problem with consuls that introduced agrarian bills in the past.
Eventually, the bill faced immense opposition, and one day, a plebian called Vettius apparently came to the Forum with a knife and tried to kill Pompey and Caesar at the behest of Cato the Younger. When Bibulus vetoed the bill, Caesar took it to the popular assembly and announced that Crassus and Pompey both supported it. Bibulus tried to interfere but was tossed to the ground outside the Temple of Castor and pelted with garbage while dung was thrown on his head. He resigned his position, and Caesar ruled as sole Consul for the rest of the year. Cato admitted defeat and the bill passed.
Fresh from this victory, Caesar moved to help Crassus by outlining tax reforms that would benefit the equestrian business interests of his new ally. This bill passed without opposition, and Caesar further cemented the alliance by marrying off his daughter Julia to Pompey in what turned out to be a happy marriage by all accounts. With the support of the Tribune, Publius Vatinius, Caesar secured the Proconsulship of Illyricum and Cisalpine Gaul for five years with the Lex Vatinia. It was an unprecedented term and a clear sign of Caesar’s lust for conquest. By the end of 59 BC, the members of the First Triumvirate were in excellent shape, a state of affairs that only lasted a few years.