![[Prev Page]](/westciv/images/previous.gif)
![[Contents]](/westciv/images/toc.gif)
![[Next Page]](/westciv/images/next.gif)
The Roman Revolution
Death of Gaius Gracchus
Trouble broke out over a chance incident. By this time, many leaders in Rome had not only their personal followers, which we might call a bodyguard or a gang, but also secondary leaders who had their own gangs as well. These went about the streets of Rome armed and of course there were skirmishes and beatings and even murders.
On one occasion, a group of Gaius' followers met up with a servant of one of the consuls. Words were exchanged, and then blows, and the consul's servant ended up dead. This provided the excuse the Senate needed to move against Gaius, whose popularity was eroding fast.
The Senate issued an emergency decree, the senatus consultum ultimum. This suspended due process and yielded power to the consuls, allowing them to bring the army into the city. It said, in effect, that the Senate would support any actions taken by the consuls for the duration of the decree.
The Gracchan partisans realized that their number was up and they
took a desperate action: they occupied the
Aventine Hill and
fortified it. The army, however, besieged them and Gaius and followers were
overwhelmed and killed in 122.