Swords Against The Senate: The Rise Of The Roman Army And The Fall Of The Republic - Softcover

Hildinger, Erik

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0306812797 ISBN 13: 9780306812798

Publisher: Da Capo Press, 2003

Synopsis

In the first century B.C., Rome was the ruler of a vast empire. Yet at the heart of the Republic was a fatal flaw: a dangerous hostility between the aristocracy and the plebians, each regarding itself as the foundation of Rome's military power. Turning from their foreign enemies, Romans would soon be fighting Romans.Swords Against the Senate describes the first three decades of Rome's century-long civil war that transformed it from a republic to an imperial autocracy, from the Rome of citizen leaders to the Rome of decadent emperor thugs. As the republic came apart amid turmoil, Gaius Marius, the "people's general," rose to despotic power only to be replaced by the brutal dictator Sulla. The Roman army, once invincible against foreign antagonists, became a tool for the powerful, and the Roman Senate its foe.

About this title

About the Author:

Erik Hildinger has written on ancient and medieval military history for a number of publications. He was a practicing lawyer for many years and now teaches at the University of Michigan. He lives in Ann Arbor.

From Publishers Weekly:

The epic decline of the Roman Republic into civil war and military dictatorship gets a fresh and engrossing retelling here. Hildinger (Warriors of the Steppe) covers the period 137-78 BC, when mounting conflict between the aristocratic Senate and the plebeian popular assemblies undermined Rome's constitution and fueled political violence. Meanwhile, the displacement of the Roman peasantry by slave labor transformed the legions from a force of yeoman farmers into one of professionals recruited from the destitute classes, who owed their allegiance to their commanders rather than the Republic. When political turmoil created an opening for charismatic generals, "the republic was toppled by men with private armies." Combining social and political analysis with detailed battle narratives, Hildinger, a military historian, provides a lucid account of the Roman army, its major campaigns and its growing importance in the Republic's volatile and bloodthirsty politics. Unfortunately, an almost Shakespearean contempt for the Roman "mob," who "envied the wealth of their betters," were "prey to demagogues" and "unfit to exercise power," makes his defense of constitutional niceties and senatorial privilege against the inroads of popular democracy rather unconvincing. Still, this is a gripping treatment of one of history's great tragedies.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Da Capo Press
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 0306812797
• ISBN 13: 9780306812798
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 256