Lesson 45 (Part 2): Why Tiberius Gracchus Attracted So Much Suspicion From the Roman Senate

Who exactly was Tiberius Gracchus? Some saw him as a heroic reformer, bravely fighting for the citizens’ rights and privileges. Others saw him as a self-seeking, disrespectful politician, disregarding all revered Roman tradition! Here is why.

The Roman politician Tiberius Gracchus, who died in 133 B.C., noticed a problem in Rome. This problem was veterans’ land, or rather, the lack thereof. At the end of the second Punic War, the veterans returned home to find their farmland war-ravaged. They sold it, planning to move to the cities to find more optimal work. However, slaves occupied the jobs there. The veterans, trying to rejoin the military, could not because only landowners were permitted.

Tiberius Gracchus came to their aid. He devised a way to fix the problem by pursuing land reform. Tiberius attempted to resuscitate the old principle of collecting excess land citizens owned. By bestowing land on veterans, they could rejoin the military. Land for the veterans and a more substantial, powerful army, who could say no? The Senate could if Tiberius gave them a chance.

In the beginning, there was some support from the Senate. But, with his newly formed bill, Tiberius entirely bypassed the Senate and took the bill straight to the Concilium Plebis. This was a horrific and grotesque action departing from long-used tradition. The Concilium, an assembly of the people in support of the people, passed his bill, but the furious Senate refused to fund the land commission.

Out of the blue, a solution appeared. The King of Pergamum had recently died and, possessing no heir, bequeathed his entire kingdom to Rome. Tiberius interjected that the tax revenue collected from the citizens of Pergamum should be employed to fund the land commission. However, this also strayed from the Senate’s esteemed traditions on proper custodianship in finances and foreign affairs.

One tribune (a person in government who represented the people, striving to protect them from oppression and also created legislation and brought it before the Senate), Marcus Octavius, under the sway of the Senate, attempted to veto Tiberius’ bill. Infringing on tradition yet again, Tiberius proposed they strip Octavius of his position as tribune. A vote was cast and passed in condemnation of Octavius. Octavius, his head held high, was dragged from the room of rich politicians to return to the life of a citizen.

Tiberius reached the end of his term in office. Hoping to validate the success of his land commission, Tiberius re-ran for tribune. Yet again, this was against the Roman norm. Reelection for a person in government office was prohibited.

At the rally, Tiberius felt danger. He touched his forehead as a signal to his loyal supporters. Unfortunately, his enemies noticed too. Only they translated his hand motions as Tiberius asking for a crown. Concerned and panicked, the Senate took action to stop him. That day, Tiberius Gracchus met a fatal end by the wooden table legs of the Senate.

Tiberius’ brother, Gaius Gracchus, unmistakably selfish, also rebelled against the Senate and their Traditions and met a similar end in 121 B.C.

Intriguingly enough, Tiberius’ land commission bill lived on, gathering genuine support from many. This leads to the conclusion that the Senate did not disdain and suspect the bill Tiberius was uplifting, but Tiberius himself. They abhorred Tiberius’ actions and unorthodox methods, departing from beloved Roman Tradition.