Tiberius Gracchus, land and manpower

Type:

Book Chapter

Author:

J. W. Rich

Published:

2007

In the years immediately preceding the tribunate of Tiberius Gracchus in 133 B.C., tribunes of the plebs had shown more frequent militancy than at any time since the fourth century, most notably in disputes over levies for the dangerous and unrewarding wars in Spain, which twice led to the imprisonment of the consuls, and in the carrying of laws instituting the secret ballot for elections and trials. This chapter addresses the question: In political terms then, the tribunate of Tiberius Gracchus was undeniably a critical event. But what of the circumstances which gave rise to his contentious land law? Was he himself responding to a crisis when he proposed it? This crisis of manpower led Gracchus to bring in his agrarian law, with the intention of replenishing the peasantry and so enhancing the numbers of men qualified and available for military service. Keywords: agrarian law; land law; manpower; military service; Tiberius Gracchus; Tribunate

Türkçe sayfa →