Lex Vatinia

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The lex Vatinia (probably passed in May or early June 59 BC)[1] also known as the lex Vatinia de provincia Caesaris[2] or the lex Vatinia de imperio Caesaris,[3] was legislation which granted to Gaius Julius Caesar governorship of the provinces of Cisalpine Gaul and Illyricum for five years.[4][5] It was named after and proposed, in the tribal assembly, by plebeian tribune Publius Vatinius.[6]

Along with this, it also gave him the three legions already present in the province and the privilege of naming his own legates.[7] Caesar also received Titus Labienus as legatus cum imperio, who, according to Syme, was a Pompeian supporter that was then a sign of friendship between the two to-be enemies.[8]

Impact[]

At the proposal of Pompey and Piso,[4] the senate also added to Caesar's assigned provinces the province of Transalpine Gaul after the unexpected death of the governor of that province in that year and granted him another legion.[6] The army assigned to Caesar in Cisalpine Gaul and the provinces close to it would prove both useful in Caesar's civil war and, in the immediate term, for the protection of Caesar's legislative programme against repeal.[9] It gave Caesar, governor of the provinces, a chance to show his martial quality with great potential for military glory by campaigning for an extended period in Germany and Gaul; the selection of the provinces also helped in that the provincial populations were flush with Roman citizens who could be recruited for Caesar's campaigns.[6]

The granting of a proconsulship in Gaul also gave Caesar legal immunity against prosecution by his political enemies and a number of armies.[10] While Caesar did not appear to desire a war against his countrymen upon his prorogation pro consule to Gaul and Illyricum, the following Gallic Wars and his subsequent personal popularity, led to a confrontation with the senate and Caesar's decision to go to war to protect his personal interests.[10][11][12]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Taylor 1968, p. 173.
  2. ^ Jehne, Martin (2017). "Why the anti-Caesarians failed: political communication on the eve of the civil war". In Rosillo-Lopez, Christina (ed.). Political communication in the Roman World. Brill. p. 210. ISBN 9789004350847.
  3. ^ Taylor, Lily Ross (1951). "On the Chronology of Caesar's First Consulship". The American Journal of Philology. 72 (3): 254–268. doi:10.2307/292075. ISSN 0002-9475. JSTOR 292075.
  4. ^ a b von Ungern-Sternberg, Jurgen (2014). "The Crisis of the Republic". In Flower, Harriet (ed.). The Cambridge Companion to the Roman Republic (2 ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 91. doi:10.1017/CCOL0521807948. ISBN 9781139000338.
  5. ^ Drogula 2015, p. 371.
  6. ^ a b c Chrissanthos, Stefan (2019). The Year of Julius and Caesar: 59 BC and the Transformation of the Roman Republic. Baltimore: JHU Press. p. 73. ISBN 978-1-4214-2969-4. OCLC 1057781585.
  7. ^ Taylor 1968, p. 182.
  8. ^ Drogula 2015, p. 336.
  9. ^ Taylor 1968, p. 188 (quoting Ronald Syme (1944) 34 J Roman Studies 92, 98).
  10. ^ a b Bucher, Gregory S (2011). "Caesar: the view from Rome". The Classical Outlook. 88 (3): 82–87. ISSN 0009-8361. JSTOR 43940076.
  11. ^ Ehrhardt, C. T. H. R. (1995). "Crossing the Rubicon". Antichthon. 29: 30–41. doi:10.1017/S0066477400000927. ISSN 0066-4774.
  12. ^ Morstein-Marx, Robert (2007). "Caesar's Alleged Fear of Prosecution and His "Ratio Absentis" in the Approach to the Civil War". Historia: Zeitschrift für Alte Geschichte. 56 (2): 159–178. ISSN 0018-2311. JSTOR 25598386.

Sources


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