Additionally, grain shortages for the last three harvest seasons were exceptionally poor.Īs a result, the Roman mob was becoming volatile, and Clodius wasted no time in using this to his advantage. The Egyptian King, Ptolemy the XII fled Egypt and came to Rome seeking Pompey's intervention, but Crassus opposed helping Pompey settle the matter. By 57 BC, the efforts of Clodius, and a continuing rivalry brought Pompey and Crassus back to a shaky mutual dislike.Ĭlodius was instrumental in being a disturbance in the settlement of Pompey's eastern conquests, and his appointment of Cato to Cyprus caused unrest in Egypt. Clodius was drunk with power and had little agenda to support other than advancing his own power. A rivalry with Pompey was also developing, and he intimidated the great man into inactivity through veiled assassination threats.Ĭlodius' support of Caesar's position wouldn't last long, however. He also managed to remove Cato from the front and center of Caesarian opposition by sending him off to annex Cyprus. Clodius used Cicero's role in the 'murder' without trial of Senators during the Cataline Conspiracy for his own political gain. In his greatest coup, he forced the exile of his enemy Cicero, who had prosecuted Clodius earlier for his scandalous behavior. In complete support of Caesar, he enacted new laws granting himself and the populares more power. ![]() In 58 BC, Publius Clodius Pulcher, the wild patrician who scandalized Caesar's home just a few years before, now served his term as Tribune of the Plebs. While Caesar was just getting underway in his Gallic campaigns, the situation in Rome was initially in his favor.
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