The praetorian guard was an elite infantry created by Augustus and charged with the task of guarding the princeps. The princeps was a person without strict legal right to rule, however they possessed great imperium, along with extraordinary political influence. The praetorian guard consisted of 9,000 troops and signified …

10 CE

The political alliance between Mark Antony, Augustus and Marcus Lepidus is known as the "Second Triumvirate." This alliance was recognized with legal authority to rule under Roman law. See Augustus.

60 BCE -- The First Triumvirate was an alliance between three very powerful Roman Senators, Julius Caesar, 100- 44 BCE , Crassus, 112- 53 BCE , and Pompey, 106- 48 BCE. When Caesar's attempts to augment his political power, after returning from a successful military command in Spain, failed, Caesar joined forces with …

Tiberius Gracchus, 163- 133 BCE, was a member of the nobiles. He was concerned with the shortage of military recruits, and attempted to create some reforms to improve the situation in Rome. Tiberius believed that the primary problems in Rome stemmed from the demise of the family farm, so he …

The latifundia were enormous farms administered by wealthy landed aristocrats. The latifundia were known for their wide use of slaves. The latifundia resulted in agricultural intensification as the wealthy landowners bought poor peasant farms. The latifundia primarily produced olives, wine, and sheep. Since Rome primarily conscripted military service from landowners …

A select group of wealthy and powerful families who tended to occupy the more important political offices, 133 BCE. Interestingly, nobiles consisted of both patricians and plebians showing the significant influence of wealth on the Roman power structure. The nobiles demonstrated the central power and control of as few as …