The Controversial Career of Marcus Livius Drusus

Background

• Cursus Honorum: A guideline to Roman magistracies for public advancement.
• Non-Traditional Path: Drusus did not follow the conventional order of holding offices.
  • Admin work in Anatolia instead of starting as Tribune of the Plebs.
  • Likely served under Lucius Cornelius Sulla in Cilicia.
  • Refused to wear his rank insignia to show respect for Sulla.
  • Returned to Rome before Sulla, served as Aedile and gained popularity through lavish public entertainment.

Unexpected Candidacy for Tribune of the Plebs

• Surprising move to run for Tribune of the Plebs in 91 BC.
• Reasons for this decision are still debated by historians.

Political Landscape in Rome

• Lex Licinia Mucia (95 BC): Required re-registration of Italian Romans to prove citizenship.
  • Extremely polarizing, accused of racism and xenophobia.
  • Sparked paranoia and accusations between factions.
  • Aimed at curbing illegal voting and taking advantage of the grain dole.

Influence of Publius Rutilius Rufus

• Ex-Consul and Drusus' uncle, served in Anatolia, prevented abuses by equestrian publicani.
• Tried and exiled by the equestrian-dominated court for alleged corruption.
• Chose to be exiled to Smyrna, where he had been accused of corruption, received warmly by locals.

Drusus' Legislative Efforts

• Court Reform: Mixed juries of equites (equites) and patricians to ensure fairer outcomes.
• Anti-Corruption Legislation: Proposed equites to be liable for bribery prosecution, but both reforms were dismantled.

Legacy

• Initially seen as a moderate reformer trying to balance polarized factions.
• Viewed by some as a demagogue of the late Roman Republic.
• Understood the necessity for change amidst factional deadlock.

Key Questions

• Would Rome’s factions have allowed the changes Drusus proposed?
• What were the deeper motivations behind his controversial decisions and reforms?