The Third Triumvirate
III
Excerpt from Emperor In All But Name: The Reign of Sextus Salvatoris by William Broadhead
Chapter VIII, The New Roman Republic
The period of time in which the Third Triumvirate governed Rome was the shortest of the three Triumvirates, lasting two months over a year from 40-38 BC. The Treaty of Cremona was less of an establishment of a permanent military alliance and more of a temporary truce for the three generals to marshal their forces. In the east, Marc Antony had postponed his invasion of Parthia in preparation for the invasion of Iberia. Sextus Pompey faced a unique diplomatic crisis, as both of the Consuls of the Roman Senate, Gaius Asinius Pollio, and Gnaeus Calvinus, had defected to Marcus Agrippa and fled to Gaul. Agrippa, for his part, had the loyalty of the Romans in his territories, but had failed to find any meaningful rapport with the tribes of Lusitania and Marcomanni.
With both Consulships vacant, and Sextus still holding the power of Dictator (having had received an extension of his title), he met with the Roman Senate to restructure the authority of Dictator, Consul, and Senator. Sextus Pompey would be declared Consul Dominus, a position that carried nearly all of the authority of Dictator. The position of Consul Dominus would `in perpetuity`, ironically bestowing upon Sextus what the Senate had killed Julius Caesar for.
The Consul Dominus would govern with the aid of two Consuls, one of which would be appointed by the Consul Dominus, while the other would be appointed by the Senate. Of the restructuring of power, the Senate fared worse. Having been purged of those who had stood against Julius Caesar, then purged of those who had stood with Octavian Caesar (not to mention those Senators who had fled to side with Agrippa or Antony), the Senate`s size was lowered from 1000 members to 600, further centralizing power. The only way to remove the Consul Dominus from power would be through the unanimous agreement of the Consuls, as well as two thirds agreement of the Senate, and with one of the Consuls appointed by the Consul Dominus, it seemed unlikely it would ever happen.
With the political situation in Rome having dramatically changed, Consul Dominus Sextus Pompey declared the establishment of a New Roman Republic to take the place of the old. While the Senate deliberated on their pick for Consul, Sextus had chosen Marcus Lepidus, who had been in Rome ever since his officers had turned against him in his wayward invasion of Agrippa`s lands. While a somewhat controversial pick, it seemed Sextus was both rewarding - and insuring - his loyalty. The Republic was dead, but a new one had been born.
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Excerpt from Agrippa: The Tarnished Triumvir by Richard Weigel
Despite the Treaty of Cremona, Agrippa had his suspicions that Sextus Pompey and Marc Antony had come to some sort of agreement against him. Agrippa’s hopes of establishing an alliance with the native inhabitants of his branch of the Roman Empire continuously fell through. The tribes of Lusitania had little respect the for Romans, and refused to have talks until Roman settlers stopped moving west across Iberia, something Agrippa was unwilling to do. The remaining Gallic peoples, who had been nearly wiped out by Julius Caesar’s conquest of Gaul, were equally apathetic, as Agrippa was loath to rearm lands so recently conquered for fear of rebellion. That left the Marcomanni, a confederation of Germanic and Suebi tribes north of the Danube. Agrippa offered the Marcomanni settling rights in Belgica and Germania Inferior, but the Marcomanni had already begun settling in those regions without Roman permission. Marcus Agrippa knew that any navy he built couldn’t compete with that of Pompey, and would be lucky to take on Antony’s successfully. To that end, Agrippa focused on preparing his legions for an invasion by sea by the forces of the other Triumvirs when the inevitable betrayal came. The major port cities of Massilia, Tarraco, Carthago Nova, and Valentia were fortified, and several legions were posted along the Alps in strategic positions. With all three Triumvirs gearing up for war, and as winter gave way to spring, it seemed certain that there would soon be a reckoning in Rome.
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Excerpt from The Life and Times of Marc Antony by Arthur Weigall
Chapter 8
As Marc Antony simultaneously planned his invasions of Parthia and Iberia, the question remained on what Antony would do with his displaced allies. King of Juba II of Mauretania had fled to Athens following his lands being conquered by Lepidus and subsequently transferred to Pompey’s control. Additionally, Lucius Antonius, the brother of Mark Antony and the Governor of Hispania, fled to Alexandria after Agrippa’s takeover, leaving Antony without any allies in the west.
Despite the Aquileia Pact, Marc Antony had his reservations, and most of his children were relocated from Rome to prevent a hostage situation when relations with Pompey and the Senate inevitably broke down. His previous wives, Fadia, Antonia Minor, and Fulvia, had all died, Fulvia, just that year from illness. His children, Antonia Prima, Iullus Antonius, and Antonia Major, were brought to Alexandria, while his son Marcus Antyllus remained in Rome with his fiancee Pompeia.
With the support of Egypt, Marc Antony began an extensive shipbuilding project to for the Iberian invasion, as well as remaining competitive with Pompey’s navy. As was to be expected, the Senate, still unaware of the Aquileia Pact, began voicing their concerns that Marc Antony was “going native” as it were. He had been spending more and more time concerned with the affairs of Cleopatra, Egypt, and the Parthians, while seeming less and less interested in the politics of Rome. Some Senators were glad to seem him out of the way, while others accused him of secretly plotting against the Republic. Sextus Pompey, who had until that point remained silent on the issue, assured the Senate that all was well, and that, for now, the focus of their attention should be Marcus Agrippa.
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Excerpt from Consul and Res Republica: Holding High Office in the Roman Republic by Hans Beck and Antonia Dupla
The New Roman Republic
With the establishment of the New Roman Republic under Consul Dominus Sextus Salvatoris, and with both Consuls having defected to Marcus Agrippa, the first Consuls of the New Republic were appointed. The Consul Dominus’ choice was Marcus Lepidus, the former Triumvir who had previously been one of the masters of Rome, but had fallen even farther from grace since the death of Octavian Caesar. In many ways it was a strategic choice: it solidified his claim over Lepidus’ lands in Africa, Numidia, and Mauretania, as well as keeping Lepidus in a position of power, requiring him to hold some loyalty to the new regime. Lepidus held most of his hostility to Agrippa, while the choice of the Senate was directed to Marc Antony.
After extensive deliberation on who to appoint as Consul, the Senate decided on Cicero Minor, the son of famed philosopher and politician, as well as noted anti-Caesarian Marcus Cicero. Before his death, Cicero had been especially critical of Marc Antony, and, in revenge, Antony had him hunted down and killed before almost all others. With an understandable loathing of the Eastern Triumvir it seemed the Senate still felt a certain hostility.
In any event, it seemed the prospects of Marcus Agrippa and Marc Antony were anything but secure...
