I have been reading Tom Holland's most excellent book, Rubicon: The Last Years of the Roman Republic. It is, as the name would imply, a discussion of the eventful years that led to the collapse of the Roman Republic and its replacement by the Principate (Empire) of Augustus, otherwise known as Caius Iulius Caesar Octavianus. This is the period of the murders of the Brothers Gracchi, the rise of Marius and Sulla and the professional army loyal not to the state but to its generals, of Cicero, of the Cataline Conspiracy, of Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus (Pompey the Great), and of Caius Iulius Caesar, perhaps the most gifted military/political leader of the bunch. It is, finally, the story of how the extreme competitiveness of Roman society led to the destruction of the Republic and to the rise of a military dictatorship in the guise of the Principate of Octavian.
Holland discusses the military aspects of the period, how could he not do so, but he is much more interested in the political machinations and in the societal pressures that led to the men doing as they did. He concludes that the overweening pressure to succeed, to do better than your ancestors, on the part of the Senatorial class of the Roman Republic led to a situation where, by the First Century BCE, the major players were becoming so desperate that they were prepared to take whatever actions were required for them to succeed while others were equally prepared to take whatever actions were needed to stop them. This led to the Civil Wars, that between Marius and Sulla, between Caesar and Pompey, between Octavian and Marc Antony against Brutus and Cassius after the latter had led in the assassination of Caesar, and, finally, between Octavian and Antony for control of the Empire.
Octavian eventually won out in 31 BCE and took control as "Princeps", or "First Man", from which we get the terms "prince" and "Principate". Princeps meant that Octavian was the first man to speak on any subject in the Senate and, therefore, was able to tell the other Senators how he wanted them to act on that subject. It made him look as if he was merely the "First Among Equals." The book ends with his death in 14 CE and the succession of his heir, Tiberius.
Holland's knowledge is both voluminous and detailed, but his writing style is easy enough that you do not feel oppressed by the information that he is giving you. My only complaint is that I would rather that he place the footnotes at the end of each chapter rather than at the end of the book. It is a pain to have to go back and search through several pages of fine print for the note that you are seeking. But that is a minor pain and the rest of the book is such a real gem that I recommend it highly to anyone interested in this fascinating period of history.
Holland discusses the military aspects of the period, how could he not do so, but he is much more interested in the political machinations and in the societal pressures that led to the men doing as they did. He concludes that the overweening pressure to succeed, to do better than your ancestors, on the part of the Senatorial class of the Roman Republic led to a situation where, by the First Century BCE, the major players were becoming so desperate that they were prepared to take whatever actions were required for them to succeed while others were equally prepared to take whatever actions were needed to stop them. This led to the Civil Wars, that between Marius and Sulla, between Caesar and Pompey, between Octavian and Marc Antony against Brutus and Cassius after the latter had led in the assassination of Caesar, and, finally, between Octavian and Antony for control of the Empire.
Octavian eventually won out in 31 BCE and took control as "Princeps", or "First Man", from which we get the terms "prince" and "Principate". Princeps meant that Octavian was the first man to speak on any subject in the Senate and, therefore, was able to tell the other Senators how he wanted them to act on that subject. It made him look as if he was merely the "First Among Equals." The book ends with his death in 14 CE and the succession of his heir, Tiberius.
Holland's knowledge is both voluminous and detailed, but his writing style is easy enough that you do not feel oppressed by the information that he is giving you. My only complaint is that I would rather that he place the footnotes at the end of each chapter rather than at the end of the book. It is a pain to have to go back and search through several pages of fine print for the note that you are seeking. But that is a minor pain and the rest of the book is such a real gem that I recommend it highly to anyone interested in this fascinating period of history.