Murder in Rome
5 Assassinations That Shaped History
This is my list of the top five assassinations in Roman history. These are the figures whose deaths not only shocked their contemporaries but also changed the course of Roman history.
5. Caligula (41 AD)
Caligula was the third emperor of Rome, following his adopted father Tiberius. His childhood under the watchful, often harsh eye of Tiberius, definitely contributed to his reign as an emperor. Known for his outrageous behaviour and often seen as unhinged, his reign was terrifying and tumultuous for his subjects.
Because of this, Caligula became the target of a conspiracy formed by his own Praetorian Guard—the very men sworn to protect him. The conspirators not only slaughtered Caligula but also killed his wife and son.
His assassination led to Claudius's ascension to the throne. Claudius would later invade Britannia, and so, for me, Caligula's assassination was essential for Romanisation of Britain.
4. Commodus (AD 192)
Fast forward a century and a half, and we reach Commodus, the son of the last of Rome's 'Five Good Emperors,' Marcus Aurelius. Unlike his well-loved, militaristic, and stoic father, Commodus was seen as erratic and cruel, with few of his father's commendable qualities.
Commodus planned to kill his own wife Marcia and several of his closest advisors. When she found out, fearing for her own life, Marcia tried to poison him, but failed. At this point, however, she had gone too far and there was no going back. Commodus’ former advisors sent Narcissus, a wrestler and Commodus’ personal trainer, to strangle the emperor in the bath.
Commodus’ death led to the Year of the Five Emperors, a period of significant turmoil which was very important for the development of the Roman Empire.
3. Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus (133 BC)
Very few people have heard of Gracchus, as his story occurred before the first triumvirate and all the exciting things around the fall of the Roman Republic. Yet I think his assassination had great historical importance.
He was a popularis, and one of the first politicians who realised that the common people in Rome made up a huge amount of the voter base. He understood that if he was seen to advance the interests of the common people, they would vote for him.
To this end, while he was Tribune, he set forward an idea of land reform. This bill would affect the huge estates that wealthy senators owned, but also the Ager Publicus, the public land, which no one owned. Gracchus said it should be given to the urban poor. As you can imagine, that made him very popular with the huge voter base of common people. The senate denied the bill, but Gracchus ignored the senate and went straight to the people who voted on it.
It wasn’t easy though - one of his fellow Tribunes vetoed the bill, and it couldn’t pass. Gracchus immediately put forward a new bill to remove the other Tribune from his post, completely illegally, and once this was complete, Gracchus put forward his land reform bill again, which this time passed.
After this illegal action, the senate were extremely worried that he had such power over the people. Ultimately, he and 300 of his supporters were brutally beaten to death by the Senate and their bodyguards. The violence of his death shows the impact he had on Roman society and politics. It is not a good idea for the senate to fear you. This will become important later.
2. Remus (753 BC)
Going way back to the mythic times of 753 BC, we encounter the legendary brothers, Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome. Their story is shrouded in myth, but the conflict between the twins over where to establish their new city is iconic.
The brothers could not decide where would be best: Romulus wanted the Palatine hill, Remus wanted the Aventine hill. They said, “we will wait for a sign from the gods to tell us who gets to pick where our city's going to be”.
Remus saw 6 vultures and thought, “Hooray! Jupiter, has sent me a sign saying I should build my city where I want to”. Romulus then almost immediately saw 12 vultures and said “well I'm going to build my city on the Palatine hill anyway”. Remus said “but I saw the vultures first”. Romulus said “well I saw more”. Argument at a stalemate, they each built their own city on neighbouring hills.
There are several versions of this story. My favourite one is that, just like any irritating sibling, one of the brothers pretended to invade the other brother's city by stepping over their newly formed ankle-height walls, and the other, in a fit of rage, pulled out his sword. The brothers fought, and unfortunately for Remus, he did not survive.
Romulus, therefore, encompassed Remus new city into his own and named it after himself, Rome. It would have been quite a different story if Remus had won. Perhaps we would be talking about the history of Reme. Legend or not, this act of fratricide marked the definitive founding of Rome.
1. Julius Caesar (44 BC)
No list of significant Roman assassinations would be complete without Julius Caesar. In 44 BC, Caesar became dictator perpetuo, “dictator for life”. Dictator was usually an emergency power, held for six months and then given it back once you had sorted out the crisis had been resolved.
The perpetuo part of this title - “forever” caused resentment among much of the Senate. Despite having considerable support in the Senate, a faction calling themselves the “Liberators” conspired against him, believing they were freeing Rome from tyranny.
On the Ides of March (March 15th), the conspirators lured Caesar to the Senate House. Unfortunately for Caesar, one of his most trusted allies told him he had to attend the meeting, but this most trusted ally was also a member of the Liberators. Julius Caesar, was brutally stabbed to death in the senate house that day.
Ironically, this conspiracy backfired massively. 15 years later, Augustus (then called Octavian and Caesar’s adopted son) gained sole power and became the first official emperor of Rome. So really it had the complete opposite effect of what the Liberators wanted.
And they're my top 5 Roman assassinations!
1. Caesar
2. Remus
3. Gracchus
4. Commodus
5. Caligula
From the mythic early days of Rome to the height of the Empire, assassinations played an integral role in shaping Roman history. Each left an indelible mark on Rome's story, their deaths dramatically influencing the Roman political and historical landscape.
Did I miss anyone important out? Who do you think should have been there? Let me know in the comments and I'll see you next time on bambasbat!