Rome, Blood & Politics

Reform, Murder and Popular Politics in the Late Republic, 133–70 BC

Gareth C. Sampson

• Publisher: Pen and Sword History
• Year: 2020
• Print ISBN: 9781473887329
• eBook ISBN: 9781473887350
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: Military & Maritime History
• Index: History

This in-depth chronicle examines the series of political upheavals that led to division, violence, and civil war in the ancient Roman Republic.
The last century of the Roman Republic saw the consensus of the ruling elite shattered by a series of high-profile politicians who proposed political or social reform programs, many of which culminated in acts of bloodshed on the streets of Rome itself. This began in 133 BC with the military recruitment reforms of Tiberius Gracchus, which saw him and his supporters lynched by a mob of angry Senators.
Gracchus's grim example was followed by a series of radical politicians, each with their own agenda that challenged the status quo of the Senatorial elite. Each met a violent response from elements of the ruling order, leading to murder and even battles on the streets of Rome. These bloody political clashes paralyzed the Roman state, eventually leading to its collapse.
Covering the period 133–70 BC, this volume analyzes each of the key reformers, what they were trying to achieve and how they met their end, narrating the long decline of the Roman Republic into anarchy and civil war.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Book Title
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• Acknowledgements
• Maps
• Introduction
• Timeline of the Key Events of the Period 146–70 BC
• Notes on Roman Names
• The Myth of the Golden Age (c.508–146 BC
• Reform and Murder in Roman Politics (146–120 BC
• From Bloodshed to Civil War (119–91 BC
• Plate section
• Political Reform and the First Civil War (91–70 BC
• Conclusion
• Appendix One
• Appendix Two
• Appendix Three
• End Notes
• Bibliography
• Index
• Back Cover