Optimates (singular optimas, The Best of Men, Italian: ottimati; also known as the priests, The Good Men) were the pro-aristocratic faction of the later Roman Republic. Italian ( or lingua italiana) is a Romance language spoken by about 63 million people as a First language, primarily in Italy. The Roman Republic was the phase of the ancient Roman civilization characterized by a Republican form of government a period which began with the overthrow of the They wished to limit the power of the popular assemblies and the Tribunes of the Plebs, and to extend the power of the Senate, which was viewed as more dedicated to the interests of the aristocrats. The Roman Assemblies were institutions in Ancient Rome. They functioned as the machinery of the Roman legislative branch and thus (theoretically at least passed all legislation Tribune (from the Latin: tribunus; Byzantine Greek form τριβούνος) was a title shared by 2–3 elected magistracies in the The Roman Senate was a political institution in Ancient Rome. In particular, they were concerned with the rise of individual generals who, backed by the tribunate, the assemblies, and their own soldiers could shift power from the Senate and aristocracy. They were opposed by the populares. Populares ("favoring the people" singular popularis) were Aristocratic leaders in the late Roman Republic who tended to use the
The optimates favored the nobiles (noble families) and opposed the ascension of novi homines ("new men", usually provincials) into Roman politics. Nobiles, (" Nobles " belonged to the small groups of families from both Patrician and Plebeian origins who had a Consul in Novus homo (or homo novus, Latin for "new man" plural novi homines) was the term in Ancient Rome for a Ironically, Cicero, a strong supporter of the optimates' cause, was himself a novus homo, being the first in his family to enter the Senate, and was never fully accepted by the optimates[1]. Marcus Tullius Cicero ( Classical Latin ˈkikeroː usually ˈsɪsərəʊ in English January 3, 106 BC &ndash December 7, 43 BC was a Roman
In addition to their political aims, the optimates opposed the extension of Roman citizenship, and sought the preservation of the mos maiorum, the ways of their forefathers. The mos maiorum (lit ways of the ancestors) were the ancestral Traditions an unwritten code of Laws and conduct of the They sought to prevent talented generals, such as Gaius Marius, Pompey the Great and Julius Caesar, from using their armies to accrue such power that they might be in a position to challenge the Senate, firstly by opposing Marius' plan to enlist impoverished Romans too poor to provide their own arms and supplies in the legions, and then by opposing attempts to settle such veterans on state-owned land. This article is about the Roman statesman who reorganized the army and was seven times Consul Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, commonly known as Pompey /'pɑmpi/ Pompey the Great or Pompey the Triumvir ( Classical Latin abbreviation
The optimates' cause reached its peak under the dictatorship of Lucius Cornelius Sulla (81 BC–79 BC). Dictator was a Political office of the Roman Republic. The dictator was above the three branches of government in the Constitution of the Roman Republic Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix ( Latin: L•CORNELIVS•L•F•P•N•SVLLA•FELIX (c During his reign, the Assemblies were stripped of nearly all power, the Senate membership was raised from 300 to 600, thousands of soldiers were settled in northern Italy, and an equally large number of populares were executed via proscription lists. Not to be confused with prescription and other meanings of proscription. However, after Sulla's resignation and subsequent death, many of their policies were gradually reversed.
Besides Sulla, notable optimates included Cato the Younger, Titus Annius Milo, Marcus Calpurnius Bibulus and Marcus Junius Brutus. Marcus Porcius Catō Uticensis (95 BC&ndash46 BC known as Cato the Younger ( Cato Minor) to distinguish him from his great-grandfather ( Cato the Elder Titus Annius Milo Papianus was a Roman political agitator the son of Gaius Papius Celsus, but adopted by his maternal grandfather Titus Annius Luscus. Marcus Calpurnius Bibulus (d 48 BC was a politician of the late Roman Republic. Marcus Junius Brutus (85&ndash42 BC or Quintus Servilius Caepio Brutus was a Roman senator of the late Roman Republic. Though they had opposed him for the entirety of his political career, Pompey the Great also found himself as the leader of the optimates' faction once their civil war with Julius Caesar began. Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, commonly known as Pompey /'pɑmpi/ Pompey the Great or Pompey the Triumvir ( Classical Latin abbreviation
References
- ^ Everitt, Anthony (2001). Cicero. Random House.
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