Emperors and the Plebs
- Created by: Jonno45
- Created on: 02-02-16 16:54
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- Emperors and the Plebs
- Claudius
- Had a populist stance
- At public games he would rise with the audience and show his delight by clapping
- This behaviour endeared him to the people
- When there was a fire, he had all the city magistrates summon people before him so he could enroll them as firefighters
- During a grain shortage, he ensured a adequate grain supply even insuring merchant ships during winter
- His building projects provided employment for 30,000 men for 11 years/
- Put on magnificent public shows and public picnics
- He acted very informally at these picnics and acted in a somewhat Plebeian manner
- The Flavians
- Suetonius
- Titus
- Displayed huge generostiy
- 5000 animals were slaughtered at the Colosseum
- Never let a petitioner leave without some hope that his request would be favourably considered
- Titus is showing great practical skills here in ensuring that people leave with a sense that they are getting somewhere
- "Titus maintained that no-one ought to go away disappointed after an audience with the Emperor"
- Titus is showing great practical skills here in ensuring that people leave with a sense that they are getting somewhere
- Displayed huge generostiy
- Vespasian
- Rebuilt Rome after the civil wars of 68/69 AD
- Built Colosseum. A pet project of Augustus built on the Domus Aurea
- Ensured that the working class had enough money by hiring them to do engineering or building work over private engineers or builders
- Had a "Pleb-like humour"
- Suetonius showing him to be a "Man of the People"
- Domitian
- He too put on lavish games BUT Suetonius adds some grotesque details to blacken Domitian's image
- Thrice he distributed three gold pieces a head, measly compared to Nero's 40.
- He like Gaius scattered gifts and also gave out large hampers of food but smaller ones for the Plebs
- Built the stadium on the Campus Martius, a new Forum and a artificial lake
- Cancels the grain distributiom
- Suetonius goes into no detail about this, other than that it occurred.
- Titus
- Suetonius
- Tiberius
- Suetonius
- Crushed city riots "without mercy"
- Hardly ever attended public shows put on by others.
- He hardly put on any himslef
- "Tiberius showed large scale generosity no more than twice
- Tacitus
- Rebuilding of the Caelian won him praise because his building projects were so rare
- Suetonius
- Augustus
- Suetonius
- Very generous toward the people
- Amount of largesse varied. "Sometimes it was four gold pieces a head, sometimes three, sometimes two and half.
- Gave them free grain not to win popularity but because he had their welfare in mind.
- Was careful not to give into the demands of the plebs.
- He expelled every "useless mouth" from the city to cope with public distress
- Postulated the idea of stopping the grain supply to the city because it had a negative impact on Italian farming
- Decided not to do this as he knew a politician would champion its return to gain popular support
- He understood all to well the relationship between then Emperor and the Plebs
- Decided not to do this as he knew a politician would champion its return to gain popular support
- Lavish games
- He watched games intently, even if he arrived late.
- He took a "friendly interest" in all sorts of professional entertainers
- Would offer a prize of ten gold pieces for every legitimate son or daughter a citizen could produce
- He would vote in his tribe to show he was still a man of the people
- Very generous toward the people
- Res Gestae
- Tells of of the insane amount of money Augustus gave to the plebs
- Suetonius
- Gaius (Caligula)
- Suetonius
- Initially very popular with the people.
- Twice presented every member of the Plebs with three gold pieces
- Staged many gladiatorial shows.
- Scattered vouchers amongst the audience which entitled them to all sorts of gifts over and above the basket of food which was everyone's due
- However, when he went mad "He behaved just as violently and just as arrogantly towards the other orders of society
- "More than once he closed down the granaries and let the people go hungry"
- His generosity towards the people was just political expediency, not concern for their welfare
- "More than once he closed down the granaries and let the people go hungry"
- Suetonius
- Nero
- Suetonius
- He lowered some of the heavier taxes, abolished others and reduced the penalty for evasion of the Lex Papia-Poppaea by 75%
- He presented the Plebs with 40 pieces of gold a head
- "Gave an immense variety of entertainment"
- All kinds of gifts were scattered to the people
- Introduced sumptuary laws limiting private expense
- Argues that Nero started the fire of Rome (64 AD) for monetary purposes.
- Nero offers to pay for the removal of bodies and rubble but then sets about collecting any loot he can lay his hands on.
- "He aggravated popular resentment by profiteering in grain, which was priced too high"
- Tacitus
- Fairer view of Nero during fire.
- Credits Nero with rebuilding housing and with introducing some very sensible fire-fighting regulations.
- He reintroduced the height limit set by Augustus, making sure fire-resistant materials were used in construction, that fire extinguishers were present in any building over a certain height and be equipped with fire-fighting platforms.
- Credits Nero with rebuilding housing and with introducing some very sensible fire-fighting regulations.
- Fairer view of Nero during fire.
- Suetonius
- Claudius
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