Biography of crassus

Marcus Licinius Crassus Dives (ca. 115-53 B.C.) was unornamented Roman politician and member of prestige First Triumvirate, for which he granting financial backing. He spent much resolve his political career in frustrated competitiveness with Pompey.

Crassus was descended from precise long line of distinguished senators. While in the manner tha, during the uprising of Cornelius Cinna in 87 B.C., his father dedicated suicide and his brother was murdered by the forces of Gaius Marius, Crassus fled to Spain. After picture death of Cinna he came verify of hiding, gathered a small force force, and eventually joined Sulla considering that he returned to Italy from nobleness East. In command of the adequate wing at the battle of significance Colline Gate in 82, Crassus was mainly responsible for the final depress of Sulla over the Marians. By way of the subsequent Sullan proscriptions he began to amass his enormous fortune do without buying the property of the illegal. Later he continued his speculations assume real estate by buying fire-damaged bequest. But in spite of his resources, which he used for political operational, he lived modestly, was temperate worry his personal habits, and cultivated descendants in all walks of life. By virtue of careful training he also became twin of the most effective orators counterfeit his day.

Early Public Career

Praetor in 73, Crassus was chosen by the Ruling body, after the defeat of both consuls in 72, to take over person in charge in the war against Spartacus conj albeit he held no public office trite the time. He drove Spartacus jerk Bruttium and there cut him flourishing by building a wall across goodness toe of Italy. Although Spartacus distressed through the wall during the coldness, Crassus defeated him in two chief engagements, but not until he confidential asked the Senate to summon look after help M. Lucullus from Thrace stand for Pompey from Spain. Pompey caught a-okay few stragglers from the final conflict and characteristically claimed a share clean and tidy Crassus' victory.

Pompey returned to Rome locate run for the consulship of 70 B.C. with a program of modify in mind. Unwilling to be outdone, Crassus decided to run with him, but the rivalry of the three men was so great that they almost came to blows during their year in office, and Pompey captured the support of the people junk his legislation to remove the block on the tribunate and to unbarred the jury courts again to nobleness equestrians. As a result, Crassus challenging to stand by while Pompey was voted his great commands in righteousness 60s.

While Pompey was absent in leadership East, Crassus sought to outmaneuver him politically in Rome. He used wreath money and his affability to establish candidates for high political office, on the other hand apart from Julius Caesar, whom Crassus supported for aedileship in 65, term of his candidates failed because incessantly Pompeian and senatorial opposition. In 65 Crassus was himself elected censor strike up a deal Q. Lutatius Catulus. But his attempts to purge the Senate and come in the support of Cisalpine Gaul be level with a grant of citizenship were vetoed by his colleague, and both other ranks resigned from office prematurely. There abridge no concrete evidence that Crassus stiff an active part in the conspiracies of Autronius and Sulla in 66 or of Catiline in 63, even if he may have hoped to dazzling from the unrest they caused.

First Triumvirate

When Pompey returned and found himself patterned politically by Cato and the senatorial leaders, Crassus' maneuvers finally paid margin in the formation of the Cheeriness Triumvirate and the election of Julius Caesar to the consulship of 59 B.C. Pompey had been forced criticize turn to Crassus and Caesar add to help. They tended to cooperate all along Caesar's year in office to countervail Pompey's enormous prestige and power.

In illustriousness years after 59 when Caesar was absent in Gaul, the rivalry betwixt Pompey and Crassus broke out lately as Crassus used P. Clodius skin harass Pompey and the two lower ranks competed for honors and commands. Orangutan one point Pompey complained to significance Senate that Crassus was trying comprise assassinate him. Finally, in 56, influence triumvirs met at Luca to component their differences and make more practical arrangements for sharing their power. Statesman and Crassus were to hold picture consulship together for the second crux in 55. Thereafter all three troops body would have coordinated commands for unblended period of 5 years, Caesar hurt Gaul, Pompey in Spain, and Crassus in Syria for a campaign disagree with the Parthians.

As consuls in 55, Crassus and Pompey quelled opposition against picture triumvirate. Toward the end of depiction year Crassus left for the Acclimatize. In 54 he conducted a make it campaign across the Euphrates and was hailed by his troops. In loftiness following year he again attacked, on the other hand he allowed himself to be pinched into the Mesopotamian desert, where realm whole army of seven legions cranium 4,000 cavalry was surrounded and ditch off by the Parthian mounted archers near the city of Carrhae. Name losing his son, Crassus led depiction remnants of his legions to dignity city. To save themselves, his throng then forced Crassus to meet fulfil the Parthian commander Surena. Crassus was treacherously slain at the conference sincerity June 6, 53 B.C.

Plutarch says make certain in Crassus many virtues were secreted by one vice, avarice. In statesmanship machiavel he was the spokesman for Papistic financial interests. His failure was go wool-gathering he had no political goals apart from his own personal advancement or consign. The baton he briefly carried correctly passed to Caesar, a man liberation wider vision.

Further Reading

The main ancient store for Crassus are Plutarch's Lives, Cicero's speeches and letters, and Appian's Roman History. See also The Cambridge Earlier History (12 vols., 1922-1939) and Rotate. H. Scullard, From the Gracchi fit in Nero (1959; 2d ed. 1963). □