The First Triumverate

It is 60 BCE, and Pompey makes his way back to Rome having led his armies against the great Eastern kings Mithridates of Pontus and Tigranes of Armenia. Everywhere he has been, he has brought to heel all who might question Rome’s dominance, humbling monarchs, sacking cities and pouring gold and slaves into Rome’s markets. Whispers abound as his armies return. Will he march his men through Rome’s gates? Will Pompey Magnus make himself king? 

But Pompey halts and bids his men to return to their families, asking only that they come back to him later to celebrate his Triumph. In a few days, they will march with him as heroes and conquerors beneath a shower of flowers cast by the grateful people of Rome. But for now, Pompey approaches the city alone, a private citizen, one among equals. 

Pompey must wait outside the city until Rome’s magistrates have granted his Triumph. When it is, Rome parties for two days straight. The general leads the procession in his chariot, dressed, it is said, in a cloak worn by Alexander the Great. His men follow behind him singing and cheering, and behind them trail the prisoners and treasures from Armenia, Pontus, Arabia, Cilicia, Syria, Phoenicia, Palestine, all the riches and luxury of the east, laid at the feet of the Roman people.

Julius Caesar watches the procession enviously. He has seen his career ascend rapidly and, approaching his 40th birthday, he is a victorious general, an accomplished advocate and has been a hair ’s-breadth from being awarded his own Triumph. Crassus, also in attendance, has only seen his wealth and influence grow. He sits atop a pile of riches, waiting to turn gold into power.

The three men meet to discuss a secret alliance. Pompey, the most powerful man in Rome, Crassus, the richest and Caesar, relatively young, but popular, talented and on the cusp of being made consul. They agree to pool their resources and work together to outmanoeuvre their rivals in the Senate. Caesar strengthens the pact by marrying his daughter Julia to Pompey. Today, this agreement is known as the First Triumvirate.

Each man has something to gain from the others. Pompey needs the executive powers of Caesar's consulship to help settle his soldiers - they have fought long and hard for their general, and now it is time for them to be rewarded. Pompey needs to achieve this quickly; a powerful general he may be, but he is nothing without the loyalty of his men, loyalty that must be earned through the keeping of the promise of land at the end of service. Also, Pompey is not deaf to whispers in the Senate; his astonishing success has brought jealousies to the forefront. He is wary of being isolated by his rivals and he needs political allies, and who better than talented young Caesar and rich old Crassus?

Crassus has wealth, but he lacks the kind of respect wielded by Pompey. He also wishes for a prestigious military command, perhaps taking Rome’s legions even further east to Mesopotamia or Persia. He also has his vast business empire to protect, for which it is always good to have friends in high places.

Caesar, for his part, is ambitious and hungry; he wants the consulship and, even more importantly, he wants a military command. This would be an opportunity to prove himself the equal of Pompey Magnus and to conquer new swathes of territory for Rome. Finally, running for political office in Rome is not cheap; there are campaigns to finance, bribes to pay and parties and games to organise. Caesar has found himself heavily in debt and needs Crassus’ help to settle his accounts.

The three combined are unstoppable. Caesar becomes consul in 59 BCE and helps Pompey settle his legions, Crassus obtains tax concessions for his business interests, and Caesar has his debts cancelled. Just like the feared Gracchi, the consul Caesar appeals directly to the people, not the Senate, for support, becoming hugely popular among Rome’s poor. He shares the Consulship with a man named Marcus Bibilius, a rival who attempts to block Caesar’s reforms with his veto. But, with the overwhelming support of the people, Caesar can effectively ignore him. He sidelines his colleague, gathering the powers of the consul around himself so exclusively that the Roman people begin to refer to the consulship as the ‘consulship of Julius and Caesar’.  

Julius Caesar finally gets what he has always wanted. In 59 BCE, he is awarded the title of proconsul (a governor of a foreign territory controlled by Rome) over three provinces: Cisalpine Gaul (northern Italy), Transalpine Gaul (modern-day south of France), and Illyria on the Dalmatian Coast. Then, he has a stroke of luck: a powerful Gallic tribe, the Helvetii, moves troops through Roman territory. It’s the perfect pretext for war, and so, as governor of the northern frontier, Caesar is awarded legions for the conquest of Gaul. He sets off for the north, accompanied by around 40,000 men, including a talented young officer named Mark Antony, and the 10th legion, who were raised by Caesar himself and are fanatically loyal to their commander.