You gracco brothers well-known Roman reformers tried to carry out agrarian reform and other types of reforms for the benefit of the poor. both called Tiberius and Caio, were elected tribunes of the plebs and ended up being victims of senators dissatisfied with the measures defended by them.
Tension over land and the rights of the dispossessed was a major issue in the Rpublic Romana and that it raised spirits. There is a debate among historians about the Gracchu brothers' intentions to defend these reforms. The tension aroused by the two was one of many turmoils that hit Rome in the last years of the republic.
Accessalso: Pax Romana: one of the periods of greatest prosperity in the Roman Empire
Agrarian Question in Rome
The Graco brothers were inserted in the II century; a., at that time Rome lived a republic and was the great power of the Mediterranean, called by the Romans of tidenostrum (our sea). Roman power at that time was at its height, as the Romans had just defeated the Carthaginians during the Punic Wars.
Military victory, in addition to prestige, also brought wealth and new lands to be occupied by the winners. This, however, did not mean that the poor would have access to these new lands, as social inequality existing in Rome meant that, even with territorial expansion, the access of the poor to them was increasingly smaller.
See too:Major Wars and Conflicts of Antiquity
In that context, the destruction caused by the referred wars (Cartaginian troops came to invade Roman territory) and the systematic sending of peasants into combat had contributed to impoverishment of peasants. In the second case, this happened because peasant families bore the costs of the struggle.
War and military conquests were important to the empire, but they did not necessarily translate into benefits for the poor. That's because the peasants were forced to bear all their expenses during the conflict. (military equipment and daily survival), which was particularly difficult because equipment costs were high. Furthermore, these families had to deal with the loss of a workforce.
This impoverishment contributed to increase land concentration in Rome, since the poor peasants ended up going to the bankruptcy and they were forced to sell their land to the rich peasants. the impoverished moved to cities and swelled the ranks of the said proletarians, the dispossessed, in Rome.
Some things had improved in the republic, but there was still much to go forward. The existing dichotomy between rich and poor created a great restlessness in Rome, and the question of access to land remained her focus for a long time. This tension was more noticeable at certain times, and some of these occurred through the action of the Graco brothers.
the Graco brothers
Tiberius Gracus and Caio Graco it was the brothers who sought to carry out social reforms in Rome, in order to promote a better distribution of resources. The tension caused by the performance of both was gigantic, as we will see below.
Tiberius Gracus
In 133 BC a., Tiberio Graco was chosen tribuno of the plebeian, an important political position that had arisen in Rome, in 494 a. Ç. O tribune of the plebs was one of the conquests of the Roman commoners during the Roman Republic, and this office acted to legislate in defense of commoners and prevent senators and magistrates from taking measures that would harm the people.
When he was elected, Tibério Graco started to act to promote a land reform. His idea was to take land from those who owned it in excess and distribute it to those who didn't. Historian Mary Beard claims that Tiberius may have been convinced of the need to carry out this reform during a trip that took him through the north of the city. Peninsula italics|1|.
This is because, in Tiberius' view, the peasants fought in wars for their own displacement, because, impoverished, when they returned they were no longer able to remain on their land. However, there are some controversies over whether Tiberius' intentions were indeed these.
There are some theories that suggest that Tiberius may have promoted the reform by revenge or just as a way of publicly promote. The first case is related to a possible peace proposal, brought by him, which was rejected by the Senate. This proposal was related to a conflict that was taking place in Hispania. Humiliated at having his treaty rejected, Tiberius may have sought revenge by defending a measure that would directly harm the senators.
Regardless of his motivations, a proposal for agrarian reform was presented by him in 133 BC. C., soon after being elected. it consisted of limit rural properties to the maximum size of 500 yugera (corresponding to 120 hectares), those exceeding 500 yugera would be expropriated by Rome and distributed to poor peasant families in plots of no more than 30 yugera (somewhere around 7 hectares).
This idea immediately caught the attention of the Senate, since all senators They were from wealthy families and owners of many lands. Tiberio acted energetically to get his proposal approved, which further aggravated his relationship with the senators. In the end, Tiberius was appointed to the commission responsible for agrarian reform.
Tiberius' relationship with the Senate worsened when he decided to use Resources of the King of Pergamum, deceased that year. This king had left all his wealth to the people of Rome, and Tiberius requested it to lead the reform, as the senators were refusing to release funds for his commission.
In 132 BC C., Tiberius decided to dispute the re-election to the position of tribune of the plebs. This was not allowed at the time, as the Romans feared it could lead to the accumulation of power. So his enemies organized a gang that attacked the representative of the people and his supporters in the street, which resulted in the murder of Tiberius with sticks.
Accessalso: fall of the roman empire
Caio Graco
![Tribune of the plebs, Caio Graco tried to carry out deep social reforms and ended up paying for this attempt with his own life.[1]](/f/a0499682c1e64910e1dc6a210f6b8d02.jpg)
Exactly 10 years after the murder of Tiberius, his brother Caio Graco threw himself into the dispute and was elected tribune of the plebs. THE Caio's performance, however, was much more comprehensive than his brother's. Caio acted to promote agrarian reform but also to distribute food to the poor, among other popular measures.
One of these was to propose the Lex Militaris, law that determined that children under 17 could not be sent to war and that it was Rome's job to provide at least one military kit for the drafted soldiers. One of Caio's most controversial measures was theLex Frumentaria, which determined the distribution of wheat at an affordable price, to benefit the poorest.
Caio also proposed changes to the Lex Sempronia Agraria, the agrarian reform law proposed by his brother. Gaius wanted the formation of colonies for peasants in overseas possessions from Rome. These colonies would be formed on lands of the Sicilia it's from Cartago, but the proposal did not advance in the Senate.
Also access:The agrarian question in Rome
So many laws in favor of the poor show Caio's concern with these, even if this action could be merely propagandistic. Regardless, Caio's proposals, like those of his brothers, also bothered him. The Senate did not look favorably on politicians acting for the benefit of the people because this was seen as "electoral measures" which aimed only at the political strengthening of a personality.
Caio started to be directly persecuted by members of the Senate, and his reelection (at that time the practice was already allowed, but still not well regarded) only aggravated this persecution. What resulted, in 121 a. C., in the death of an enemy of Caio, after publicly offending him. Fearing that the second brother would gain too much power, the Senate passed a law that allowedsummarily execute people posing a risk to the State.
A mess followed these events, and Caius eventually died. There is no conclusion if he was murdered or if committedsuicide. Historians argue that the suicide may have happened because Caio feared he would be arrested, beaten and executed. Thus, he convinced one of his slaves to kill him, in 121 BC. Ç. His followers were persecuted, and an estimated three thousand of them were killed.
Grades
|1| BEARD, Mary. SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome. São Paulo: Planet, 2017.
Image credit
[1]commons
By Daniel Neves Silva
Graduated in History
Source: Brazil School - https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/historiag/a-questao-agraria-roma.htm