Caesar and the First Triumvirate
Dear Diary,
Today was the first meeting of what will be called the first triumvirate. We will have so much power. We will rule even though the senate despises the idea. The Senate can do nothing about the formation and the members of the group because we are the three most powerful men in all of Rome at this time. The men involved are me, Pompey, and Crassus. I have my armies, Pompey has his political genius, and Crassus has the money. We are the most capable men to rule Rome. We formed this group so that we can reorganize the Roman government. Pompey wants to be popular with other high ranking Roman officials. This could cause many problems between Pompey and me so in effect I am not really sure how well I am going to get along with him when we're working in government. Although I know Pompey very well because he his my daughter Julia's love and husband, I have never had the experience of working in a political fashion with him. From what I see from him in his relationship with my dearest daughter he seems to have a tiny fraction of a jealous personality because he needs my daughter's attention all for himself. This part of him jeopardizes my daughter's relationship with other people outside the marriage.
I am also a bit suspicious of Pompey and Crassus' relationship because they have been in politics together before as joint consuls. I am afraid their friendship will be torn apart because of this new way of ruling Rome we have come up with, and I will be to blame because two is company, but three is a crowd. I am also wary of Pompey because he seems to be a very invidious person and since I am the new one he may feel threatened by me. I have a strange feeling that Pompey and I are not going to mesh with each other and Crassus will be thrown into the middle. It has already begun to show that Crassus may be the one member of this group that will hold it together, he will be the mediator. Pompey and I have very different ways of looking at things, because all he wants to do is win and conquer the world before we actually have Rome in order. I think we need to make sure that Rome is stable before anything else. Pompey isn't the easiest person to get along with; he is very stubborn and thick- headed. I like Crassus very much. Although he doesn't know much about politics, he seems to be a smart guy with a general knowledge of how things work. I think Crassus and I will get along very well, but I just am worried about what Pompey will do if he gets resentful of Crassus and me. I am much stronger than Pompey: I am politically wise and my armies are much bigger, so I really shouldn't be scared of the little guy or what he thinks.
Today at the meeting we discussed what we would do to Rome and how we would go about doing it. At the moment we decided that we will first evaluate the Roman government and see what changes need to be made. At the end of the meeting I came to the unfinal decision that changes the new triumvirate will make will come in the form of the senate and the power that they have and also the power of the triumvirate we have made.
I am not really sure why the other men want to join this government accept for a few vague ideas of mine. I think that Pompey wants to use me, my armies, and my power. Crassus is just doing it because he likes the idea of having this power. I have no problem with being in politics with Crassus because he has a lot of money, doesn't have a lot of useful ideas, and he knows that he is not really good with politics, so he doesn't offer a lot of imput.
Dear Diary,
Today is the end of the First Triumvirate and I am officially breaking all ties with Pompey. Although the official Triumvirate ended a few years ago because of Crassus' death, all the major problems are because of Pompey.
When Julia died I didn't have much of a reason to be kind to Pompey any more. When Crassus died a year after Julia we didn't have a reason to work with each other either, so things just went bad. Pompey became jealous of me because of my phenomenal success in Gaul because of victory in the Gallic Wars which only ended a year or two ago. I always knew that Pompey and I would end up in some way or another fighting each other. I have tried time and time again to make it work with him, but he seems to be looking for a fight and now he is in big trouble. My armies are bigger, stronger, and I am a much better leader and general than he is. He just can't seem to be happy for a friend. When a friend of his does well he always wants to out do that friend because he is envious of them. He tried to get back at me by joining my opponents for my bid for a second consulate, so I showed no reaction to that. I am sure my reaction made him furious. Today I tried to negotiate and make a compromise with him and the senate who now practically are best friends. They became friendly while I was away fighting in Gaul.
Well, he did get what he always wanted, which was to become accepted by the high ranking Roman officials. Now he must fight me and boy does he ever deserve what he gets. I plan to march my army across the Rubicon into Italy proper and hopefully kill him and his whole army. I know this will cause a civil war, but it will be well worth it to see him crumble.
He has tried to hurt me, take my daughter away from me, take my power and my money. He has done everything he possibly can to me, and now he will pay. I am going to hit him where it hurts the most; I will take away his pride by taking away his army. It is no contest between him and me. All of Rome hates him because they hate the senate, and now who is best friends with the senate? Pompey is. I have all of Rome on my side and the biggest, most powerful army ever, so I will surely beat him. Once I beat him all of Rome will love me and I will be given so many honors. I am getting a bit ahead of myself I guess I just got carried away by the whole idea of finally having my chance to beat Pompey and repay him for everything he has ever done to me. I just hope am the one to kill him and when he looks up at me with knife in his heart he will not believe I was the one to kill him.
By Lauren D. '02, Germantown Academy