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There were various factors, which may have prompted Tiberius to introduce the bill. These included a moral obligation that he felt to the people of Rome, an almost nationalistic feeling on his behalf by which he did not want Rome to deteriorate any further, power that he thought he could obtain, to seek revenge on the senate or, he may have wished to relive the economic burden on the lower social classes. A moral obligation that Tiberius felt he had to the people of Rome is suggested vaguely by a number of sources, but never really backed by them. Some feel that his education by Diophanes and Blossius, who taught him Greek philosophy and ideals, may have sparked this obligation but even the most avid supporters of Tiberius cannot support this. Even it Tiberius did fell this way, this factor alone would not have been enough to cause the passionate display shown by Tiberius to achieve his political goals. As
outlined by Plutauch when Tiberius returned from his military career He
observed how much Italy had deteriorate agriculture with poor being
driven off the land and the increase in slaves, who out numbered
freemen. These homeless poor could no longer have families as they had
nowhere to settle. Tiberius may have feared the threat of a slave
uprising and with the declining roman army this was getting more
plausible. Not only this but Rome was in decline if it no longer had a
serviceable army, Tiberius being an accomplished general could
accurately foresee the consequence if this was allowed to continue. Rome
would no longer have a powerful army, thus be at a threat from their
slaves as well as their enemies. As Silverman points out this could only
continue as long as Rome was victorious in battle and the strain on
their military power was beginning to show. Tiberius may have for seen
that the only to rectify the situation was to pass the bill which would
as Knox puts it “thus with
one reform he would address the quality of the army and the neglect of
army veterans.”
A view clearly promoted by the senators at the time was that
Tiberius wished to gain power through his actions. The senators even
went so far as to say that he wished to seize the crown. Though
obviously there is much exaggeration to this point, the question is; was
power a factor in Tiberius’ aims? The answer is, probably not, or to
such a negligible degree that it is hardly a factor. Tiberius came from
a wealthy and highly respected family, he could have easily achieved a
great deal of power by going through the traditional channels. As to him
wishing to achieve ultimate power, it is equally if not less viable. The
senators, threatened by Tiberius and not wishing to loose their land,
mealy exploited a possible reason for Tiberius’ reforms that be
believable and make him unpopular with the people.
Most sources agree that revenge was clearly not a motive for
Tiberius. As Silverman points out the mention of it in ancient sources
can probably be accounted for the fact that “ancient writers of
history love to ascribe public actions to personal grudges.” This
theory can be discredited by the fact that Tiberius had many other
options other than the one he chose to seek revenge. However all this
aside this factor may have contributed partly to the vigor at which
Tiberius perused his aims. Finally the possibility that Tiberius wished to equally distribute the wealth of the empire and relieve the economic burden on the lower social classes as outlined by Roberts is a possibility but not really that plausible. If it were true then how can the fervor at which he perused the reforms be accounted, surely it was not in the character of a man hardened by war to give his life and be ostracized by many of his friends merely because he wanted to help the common man, she war veteran maybe, but surely not the common man. Tiberius clearly set out with the goal; to save Rome from the gradual decline it had found itself in. He recognized that he must do this in a radical way otherwise; it would be unlikely to occur. He knew that the only viable way to renew the population of freemen was to allow them land so that they might be able to have children and have a stable income to provide for their families when they returned from war. Tiberius was unable to get this bill passed in the senate because it conflicted with the interests of the senators. The lengths he went to for the bill were great because he feared the magnitude of consequences for Rome if his bill was not passed. In a way he did it for all the reasons mentioned. He felt a moral obligation toward Rome; he wanted to halt the deterioration of the empire; he wanted power, but only so he could achieve his goals, he was not driven by it; he may have wished partly to get revenge on the senate; and finally he wanted to relive the economic burden on the lower social classes but this was more about the war veterans and the ‘production’ of more freemen to protect and serve Rome. He was a soldier. It was his duty to defend Rome with his life and that’s what he did. |
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