ROME'S BLOODY STRUGGLE | Rome: Rise And Fall Of An Empire *2 HOUR MARATHON*

[Music] after a decade of Barbarian Terror the Empire's brilliant General Marius grabs the Reigns of power turning Rome's volunteer militia into the greatest fighting force the world has ever known now at the center of the Republic a deadly Revolt is brewing the bloody death of a gladiator slave is the ultimate spectator sport by the first century BC it's no longer a game and the slaves explode in Rebellion against their masters their leader history remembers as [Music] Spartacus Rome's powerful Army and philosophy of Conquest have enriched the Republican territory treasure and slaves captured on the battlefield or in conquered towns the slaves become a commodity slaves were people and the Romans knew it but they pretended that slaves weren't people that they were tools with Limbs and arms and voices between the third and the 1 Century's BC the Roman Republic expands from Central and Southern Italy to Encompass almost all the Mediterranean and so the slave markets fill and eager buyers pick over the merchandise if 30% of the population of the Italian Peninsula was enslaved in the 1 Century BC that would be roughly equivalent with the number of slaves that there were in the American South on a per capita basis where it's true that probably 35% of the population was enslaved in say the the 1850s slaves could be born into slavery they could be sold into slavery from foreign countries slaves could be captured in war so there was a great variety of both of the ways that people got to be slaves and also a great Variety in the way that people lived as slaves first century Roman landowner kumela gives buying advice my first warning is not to appoint a farm manager from the kind of slaves who please with their bodies rather you must select a man who from childhood has been made hard by fieldwork who has been proven by experience not all slaves are destined for fieldwork the strongest are reserved for sport to train for the arena as Gladiators these Gladiators were very much professionals they had professional trainers called Lisi who would prod them on just the way a football coach prods on his men his team to perform at their very best they're rented out for people to put into shows or they're sold to the person who's going to put on the show they tend to be regarded in this way as being the lowest of the low people whose bodies are at the disposal of others glad aters could be either the top professional fighters in the most expensive entertainment of the time or they could sometimes be condemned criminals forced to fight like Championship boxers today they would train really hard in a very dangerous sport and then they would only fight a couple of times a year because they were of course very expensive most of the Gladiators names will be lost to history but posterity will record the Fe of two of these men one named crixus and the other Spartacus a man born to lead Sparticus was a foreigner he wasn't a Roman but he had served in the Roman army but then something happened we don't know whether he deserted that's what some people say or whether he was thrown out uh some stories are that he then became a very successful Bandit on the highways but eventually he was captured and and forced to become a gladiator by the Roman authorities whether against his will we can't say but most likely he hated it second century biographer Plutarch Spartacus not only possessed great spirit and bodily strength but he was more intelligent and nobler than his fate whatever twist of fate brought Spartacus to slavery it's clear he will not accept it idly and crixus will share his Destiny few Gladiators live to retire most die a horrible violent death whether in a small Regional Arena or a great Coliseum sometimes the crowd is asked to choose the weapons relishing the violence to come people were prepared to witness other human beings engaged in Mortal Combat before their very eyes and this was tremendously exciting for them by the late Republic already people are becoming Heroes for becoming Gladiators and they're able to attain some measure of status at least some measure of popularity with the masses because of their abilities as Fighters by the luck of the draw the Gladiators learn who among them will be the first to die [Music] to add spice to the fight Gladiators usually are unmatched in terms of weapons and fighting styles whatever style they fight their inadequate armor can't protect their lives they had trained for months years so they could use their particular weapons having to get so close that they could see the spittle in their opponent mouth or they hoped the fear in his eyes and the smell of blood would have been overwhelming this was an excitement to the crowd it was a sign to the Gladiators that their very life was at [Music] stake it's like a terrible dance of death for a pleasure of the crowd yeah yeah [Applause] [Music] [Applause] but in 73 BC at the ludus or Gladiator School a group of trainees grows tired of taking orders from the Roman guards they decide that if death awaits them it will not find them in the arena abused and angry they conspire to put their lives and their training on the line to change their Fates According to second century historian aan Sparticus joined by his fellow Gladiator crixus masterminds the plan he persuaded about 70 of the enslaved men to risk a break for Freedom rather than to allow themselves to be put on display for the entertainment of others Spartacus became a great Gladiator but there was a fire burning inside him fire I guess resenting the loss of his freedom fire Desiring Justice and so Sparticus organized his fellow slave Gladiators to break out and seek their freedom the local militia unused to combat are wary of the rebels they hunt they've seen them in the arena they know the kind of men they're [Music] facing second Century biographer plutar the Gladiators repelled those who were coming out of the city of Capa and seized from them many weapons that were more suitable for Warfare they happily made the exchange throwing away their gladiatorial armaments which they viewed as dishonorable and [Music] barbaric as their leader Spartacus takes his men From Slavery to Warfare leaving Roman corpses in their wake having defeated the local militia Spartacus leads his slave Army from the city of capua to mount fuus where they seek refuge and make camp at the top of the Steep Ridge Spartacus along with his co-conspirator crixus have slipped the grasp of Roman authorities now they must prepare their men for the inevitable battles to come Spartacus had the personal glow and the strength that would make people want to follow him even on this dangerous Escape From The Gladiator School Jail Mount vvus was an active volcano it was a dangerous place to hide out but Spartacus knew that he and his escaped Gladiators could find a position on Mount vvus to organize and plan but a messenger comes to warned Spartacus that the Romans are setting up camp below to seal them [Music] in the Senate has sent in Commander Clodius globber to Corner the rebels and halt the Rebellion he managed to push Spartacus and his sort of nent group of rebels up onto the mountain into what seemed like a tight spot and therefore Claudius glabber assumed he wasn't going to have any trouble crushing them on Mount vvus plutar Chronicles the plan Clodius ordered his soldiers to guard the one narrow and difficult access road that led up the mountain all the other parts of the mountain were formed of steep precipices and could not be traveled Spartacus and the Escape slaves only way down is now blocked off The Siege has begun in 73 BC Spartacus and his comrade crixus refused to die in The Gladiator ring together they lead a slave rebellion but now the Outlaws are trapped on Southern Italy's Mount fuus by Clodius a Roman [Music] officer high on the mountain Spartacus and his men plot their brilliant Escape as chronicled in the second century by Plutarch the slaves cut off the useful part of the vines and wo Lads out of them they were strong and long enough so that when they were fastened at the top of the cliffs they reached down as far as the level plane at the foot of the mountains one of the things that's very interesting about the early phase of spartacus's Revolt is how he seems to know the terrain much better than anybody else does now in part this can be because herdsmen and other people who know the area around vus are joining in they're sympathetic the slaves who joined Sparticus and group from the countryside were probably in the beginning mostly the herdsmen who were these slaves living independent who already had weapons and were in top physical condition who became then the soldiers for this Gladiator Le Army Sparticus and his ever growing Legion are able to repel down the cliff Landing just beyond Claus's Camp down below the Romans underestimate the slaves resolve got to realize that the people who are chasing them look more like the Keystone Cops than Caesar's Legions these are guys who are not part of the regular military establishment they're being led out by officers who aren't very good officers who probably have very little knowledge themselves of the countryside because it's the area where they send their slaves the Romans vastly outnumber the Renegades but the slaves bold plot is a testament to their Ingenuity desperation and their hatred of their Roman oppress ERS and to the ultimate disgrace of the Roman army these thousands of Roman soldiers and their Commander are routed by this small band of Gladiators who had attacked them from behind by climbing down the cliff on their ropes woven from vines with this success the movement grows according to historian aan many fugitive slaves and even some free men from the surrounding Countryside came to this place to join Sparticus they began to Stage Bandit raids on nearby settlements since Spartacus divided the profits of his raiding into equal shares he soon attracted a very large number of followers the one group that Spartacus did not accept Into His Rebel band were deserters from the Roman army which may seem odd and yet it makes perfectly good sense these people were precisely the ones who had chickened out second century author Flores the daily arrival of new recruits formed themselves into a regular army they made rough Shields out of branches covered with animal hides and swords and Spears by melting down and recasting their shackles from the slave barracks what they cannot make Spartacus and his men scavenge from the dead bodies the amazing thing about the Spartacus Revolt is that the slaves who are trained as Gladiators very quickly retool themselves as soldiers which doesn't mean they fight in precisely the same way that the Roman army does but Spartacus himself some sources say had been a soldier throughout 73 BC the rebels continue South gaining in numbers and leaving Roman soldiers in [Music] defeat the Senate calls for another magistrate Commander puus vinius to stop them a keen Horseman vinius brings his ballion with him as as well as the traditional Roman symbol of power called the fesc a bundle of wooden rods surrounding an axe this symbolized the magistrates power to use Force to enforce order sticks to beat civilians or Soldiers the axe for capital punishment the axe was only put into the fast case when the commander was outside of Rome because on military campaign the commander has martial law power over his troops but symbols seem to be of little use to Venus against a slave Army Sparticus troops have already bloodied his own killing his co-commander vinius prepares his remaining men for the battle to come Spartacus familiar with Roman strategy stays one step ahead according to the historian Salis to avoid a surprise attack while they raided the countryside the rebels propped up fresh corpses at the gates of their Camp so that the Romans would be led to believe that guards had been stationed with the decoys in place the Renegades are free to attack the Romans at will catching them completely by surprise spartacus's force is really fearsome the officer core if you will are these superbly trained really tough experienced Gladiators so they want want revenge this Army wants freedom but they also want to show their Roman Masters that they are men not just tools through his Ingenuity Sparticus scores another victory over the arrogant vinius and takes prisoners from the Roman army second century historian appan records Rome's humiliation the Romans did not yet consider this a real war but rather raids and predations of Bandits but these Bandits defeated the Romans Spartacus even captured virus's own horse right from under him this Roman Commander was that close to being taken prisoner by a gladiator the victory is all the sweeter when Sparticus steals the feses the ultimate symbol of Roman power wi Sparticus surprises vinius in battle and manages to capture not only is horse out from under him but also his fosque this is a tremendous Blow To The credibility of Venus but also to the power of the Roman State symbolized in those foses Spartacus becomes a figure of Fame and fear and Now commands 70,000 Rebels but tension builds between the Army's popular slave General and his friend [Music] crixus so Spartacus was showing the Romans I'm as good as a Roman I Spartacus I fought in the Roman army I have the same understanding of freedom I have the same understanding of the value of life and death for every man slave or free but crixus becomes consumed with his desire for Revenge he shows the captured Roman soldiers no mercy writes fifth century historian orosius they staged Gladiator torial games using prisoners they had taken those who had once been the spectacle were now to be the [Music] spectators the slaves grew more violent with their success crixus Spurs them on while Sparticus pleads for order their Unity begins to [Music] falter then crixus makes his move unleashing the slaves Fury against defenseless Roman civilians historian Salis describes what happens the fugitive slaves immediately began to rape young girls and married women killing those who try to resist Spartacus himself was powerless to stop them even though he repeatedly begged them to [Music] stop [Music] [Music] until now the slaves were unified against Rome now they begin to turn against each other it's the moment the Romans have been waiting for southern Italy 72 BC the slave Spartacus and his army of rebels have managed to defeat and humiliate the Roman troops dispatched to stop them but now as his comrade crixus exerts his own authority the conflict is coming from within at the slaves makeshift Camp Spartacus makes plans to head across the Alps but crixus has ideas of his own writes the historian Salis crixus and his people wanted to March directly against the enemy in order to force an armed confrontation Spartacus on the other hand advised a different course crixus openly challenges his friend's ability to lead one of the things that's interesting about spartacus's Revolt is that he really doesn't seem to have had a plan in the area that he is he's got now probably tens of thousands of supporters and he's got to move from area to area around Italy to make sure that everybody can eat impatient crixus abandons the slave camp taking a faction of Rebel Soldiers with him Spartacus is now left to lead his people alone the two men strike different paths across Italy with the slave Army now divided Rome prepares to strike hard councils Lucius Gus Paca and naus Cornelius lalist meet to plan their strategy the Romans simultaneously thought of the slaves as contemptuous subhumans but also recognized that these slaves were tremendously successful in battle against themselves so in many ways this made it their worst nightmare that these slaves were defeating them over and over again on the battlefield this untidy Rebellion now looks more more like an actual war and it Demands a serious battle [Music] plan every village spicus enters could hold a trap or an ambush or sometimes according to salest a [Music] friend many slaves in the towns were by Nature sympathetic allies and offered things that their masters had hidden away or dragged out their masters themselves from their hiding places these Nobles are given as prizes to the Army to further humiliate the Republic's aristocracy from his fellow slaves Spartacus also gathers food weapons and more soldiers for his cause but Rome's efforts also increase in the garganus mountains of Italy's east coast crixus and his faction are hunted down by Roman Commander Gus's troops the writer plutar records it Gus made a sudden surprise attack on K's forces who because of their arrogance had separated from spartus the historian apan crixus was in command of 30,000 men 2/3 perished including crixus [Music] himself the Roman army scores its first major victory against the rebels but the Mastermind is still on the loose the Romans don't Linger on the killing field before heading out to crush Spartacus orchestrating a pincer movement Roman commanders gelus and lenus camp on either side of the mountain pass waiting for their [Music] prey but their simple strategy doesn't prepare them for for an army of desperate slaves one of the most important things about Sparticus Revolt was it broke out at a time when the best Roman armies weren't in Italy they were in Spain or they were off in Turkey the troops who were sent out against Spartacus had all been recently raised the historian Apen Spartacus turned on them one after the other and defeated each Roman army in turn the Romans were forced to flee from the field of battle in great confusion and uproar Roman officers faced a really formidable military challenge and the Roman officer Corps not being professionally trained was simply not up to the challenge once again spartus has claimed victory over the Roman army but this time Victory isn't enough Spartacus demands blood Vengeance for the death of crixus he sacrifices 300 Roman prisoners he begins to develop into this massively anti-establishment figure celebrating his defeat of Roman magistrates executing Roman prisoners destroying the property of the rich in the countryside providing an alternative really to the current regime and that's where he draws his strength with this Victory spartacus's Army has the chance to escape Italy for freedom but instead the men choose to remain in the Empire they so despise it's not entirely clear why spartacus's forces turned back from the north of Italy they had enjoyed success to the point that they were sort of drunk with it and they wanted to go on and rather than leave go home settle back down to whatever life it was that they had enjoyed before their captivity they wanted to continue to fight his forces make their way south to the city of thur where they set up a base of operations in the third year of the slave rebellion Rome finds itself helpless the Senate calls upon Marcus linius crus a wealthy nobleman who loves Glory almost as much as he loves money he wanted to be at the top of Roman society and that required winning military victories and so he was eager for the chance to defeat Spartacus which he thought would be easy uh because slaves after all couldn't be seriously dangerous but crus learning from the failure of others will not underestimate his foe a strict disciplinarian he takes his assignment seriously for his glory and for the good of Rome spartacus's growing Army of rebellious slaves have become well organized and apparently unbeatable now Marcus linius Crassus has devoted himself and his considerable forces to their destruction but crus finds the Roman forces undisciplined cowardly and ready to retreat in battle crus will not stand for this after suffering a humiliating defeat against the rebels he takes drastic action he will teach his troops the meaning of obedience through the penalty of decimation decimation was a terrifying punishment because men were just arbitrarily Tak out every 10th man maybe you hadn't run away maybe the rest of the unit had run away and you had stayed to fight but if there were no Witnesses you could be pulled out as the 10th man so you're an absolute Terror standing in the line as to whether you're going to be the one who's going to be taken out and then your death is going to be horrible because your friends are going to have to beat you to death with sticks and clubs it's not going to be a quick easy or honorable death you're not going to be stabbed or allowed to commit suicide you're going to be disgraced and it takes a long time to be beaten to death in decimation cresus makes his troops fear him more than they fear spartic as their enemy it was meant to shame the men who are doing the beating as well as the man who's killed even though he might not have been personally a coward in the name of discipline as many as 4,000 men meet their agonizing death this way but the brutality makes its Point C is scores a victory in his next battle against the rebel [Music] Army unlike spartacus's earlier opponents crus was a really experienced Soldier he knew how to train an army he knew how to deploy an army he had the necessary experience and now for the first time Spartacus is confronted with an actual Roman general not a politician who's leading out an inexperienced group of [Music] men the forces engage a highly trained and able Roman army against a band of desperate violent Rebels with Cris in the fry the balance has started to tip against [Music] paricus pursued by cis' Army the Renegade slaves flee to the South but Sparticus has already planned his next [Music] move Pirates control the waters around Italy like Sparticus they live in Defiance of Roman law or any law they answer only to gold and they traffic in slaves Spartacus sends Messengers to negot iate with them Spar has tried everything to get his men out of Italy to safety finally in desperation he made a deal with the Devil with the cian Pirates cicia is a part of what is today turkey and they were famous these Pirates were for attacking shipping but they were also famous as the biggest slavers in the Mediterranean cian Pirates made lots of money by capturing and selling slaves so Spartacus had to know that when he made a deal with solian pirates to bring their ships to Italy and evacuate his men that there was a real danger that the cian Pirates would simply sell his men back into slavery he probably had in mind crossing over into Sicily and occupying the Island almost taking it over as a new territory a new state where these uh Rebels would be able to face Rome on their own terms the slaves and the Pirates strike a deal the cians agreed to transport 2,000 of the slaves to mesina in Sicily Spartacus hopes to expand his Rebellion while eluding cis' troops they hav't a moment to lose as the legions of cres close in prepared to trap and Slaughter the slaves like feral beasts ahead of the Romans Spartacus and his horde arrive at the tip of Italy and find no ships the Pirates have betrayed them and the Romans are closing in now Sparticus has to try to fight his way out of Italy against an army that's been restored to discipline by Crassus that's there in force uh and that will finally be able to display the tactics and the discipline that made a Roman army so formidable crus plays it smart he knows the strength of spartacus's forces he also knows time is on his side he'll starve the rebels out by Walling them in writes plutar this great and difficult work he perfected in a space of time short beyond all expectation making a ditch from one sea to the other over the neck of the land and above it built a wonderful high and strong wall Cris is a fully modern Roman general who among other things knew how to use field fortifications and that's what we see him doing with Sparticus the project 35 M long up to 15 ft high is immense second century biographer plutar when supplies began to run out and Spartacus wished to move off the peninsula he recognized the impediment formed by the wall Spartacus is forced Inland and yet every attempt to move north is rebuffed by the wall after 3 years on the Rampage the rebel forces have been [Music] caged but the Senate which ordered crus to bring a quick end to the Rebellion is tired of waiting for results according to historian Aion when the Romans learned of cis' Siege tactics they thought it unworthy that this work against the Gladiators should be prolonged a messenger arrives at cis' camp carrying infuriating news from Rome the Senate has lost faith in him and turned the task over to his greatest rival The Talented General pompy the great is returning from Spain a hero having crushed a bloody Uprising there he is ordered to bring the slave rebellion to its overdue conclusion pompy was probably one of the best generals that Rome ever had and pompy was like craft as high highly ambitious and had more of a military reputation than Cris he has an enormous knack for the theatrical he has a way of projecting His Image around the Roman world he has a sense of PR that quite frankly other politicians of his time don't have now he's off to Vanquish Spartacus and Rob Crassus of Glory but not if cres can feed him to it they are two dogs after the same Fox 71 BC abandoned by the Pirates in lower Italy the survivors of the spartic a slave revolt find themselves walled in by General cis's troops and now comes the great General pompy a new threat to cis's honor and spartacus's life Spartacus is on the move again having broken The Siege that crus had so carefully said aan and Chronicles his Escape he staged sudden small scale attacks on his besiegers at selected points hitting them suddenly and sharply he crucified a Roman prisoner as a visual demonstration to his own men of what would happen to them if they did not win as the rebels move stealthily through the countryside Spartacus and his army find their Peril has doubled as word comes that pompy is also in Pursuit pompy had already developed something of a reputation for being a cleanup guy he would show up at the end of a lengthy grueling hard slog so to speak and walk away with the glory for having brought it to a close as pompy draws closer crus becomes more frantic to crush the Rebellion before he arrives Spartacus hemmed in against the coming Onslaught sends a messenger to Crassus off offering a truce Spartacus remains confident waiting for word back from crus he's sure the Romans are ready to listen though the rebels keep their sword sharp Sparticus tries to negotiate with the Roman leaders because Spartacus sees himself as a free man that's the way he had started life and Spartacus ran his army like a Roman army as if he had the same honor as his opponents the Romans but when his messenger returns it's clear that the Romans don't see Spartacus that way he is a slave and an enemy with the negotiations of failure the day that Spartacus has dreaded is here even if he beats crus in battle pompy will be following right behind spartus can't withdraw he can't surrender second century biographer plutar Spartacus recognized that his hand was being for forced and arranged his whole Army into battle formation when his horse was brought to him Spartacus drew his sword and killed the animal he proclaimed that should he win the battle he wasn't going to need a horse he would have thousands of horses at his disposal should he lose the battle he also wouldn't need a horse that is to say he had dismounted he had joined the foot soldiers in his troop and he had gotten out there to fight it out to the Finish crus and his army meet Spartacus near brundisium on the hill of [Music] Italy and so the battle begins three years of Revolt have led up to this one decisive match between crus and Spartacus the largest confrontation between two strong [Music] armies One Source reports that he was wounded in the leg and was so crippled up that he had to get down on his knees but he refused to quit [Music] fighting according to historian Aion The Killing was on such a scale that it was not possible to count the Dead the body of Spartacus was never found Spartacus never took the opportunity to get away which he might well have done individually so Spartacus was a man who showed that he had a sense of honor the sense of honor at least as deep and as sincere as that of any Roman who You' never been a slave crus pursues the survivors killing all he can find except 6,000 whom he captures and crucifies along the main road to Rome they were crucified spread out at about 30 to 40 ft each one by one for 125 miles so you can imagine the stench and the disgusting sight that anyone would have had traveling that road if you were a Roman this stench would have smelled like dead slaves to you you were glad to see these people albeit in their disgusting decaying form if you were a slave this was a message this was what awaited you if you rebelled against the power of Rome crus vanquishes the slave Rebellion though some of the rebels are lucky enough to dodge the slaughter until pompy true to form has the last laugh pompy managed to show up just in time to chase down the 5,000 or so Gladiators who managed to escape this combat this big battle and he captured or killed the remaining ones then according to plutar pompy makes sure he re receives all the credit poy then wrote to the Senate that although crus had defeated the Gladiators in battle pomy had extinguished the war to its very Roots pompy's career is very interesting in fact pompy at one point was accused of being a vulture he was feeding upon other people's roadkill the Romans rushed to put this ugly slave rebellion behind them when it's over pompy receives a Triumph the highest Roman honor for his work fighting enemies in Spain crus receives merely a minor Commendation for his efforts against the common slaves who terrorized Italy though the end of Spartacus in 71 BC marks the end of the slave rebellions in Rome slavery continues to bolster the economy of the Awakening Empire but the lessons of the Revolt aren't lost on the Romans Spartacus in the Roman imagination becomes almost the equivalent of an assama Bin Laden he's a frightening figure who's out there he remains a threat even when you can't see him and you're afraid that there will always be another one coming up behind him the Romans realized from this slave revolt that they had to keep their army in tiptop shape this might have been the time when Romans first began to think maybe we need a professional standing army to keep us safe at home as well as to protect us against foreign Invaders but even a mighty Empire can't defend itself forever long after it Withers away the story of a single man who stands against it still endures Sparticus survives in Legend down to the present he's been a culture hero for people who are repressed for people who are downtrodden right up to the Modern Age age but while the Empire Reigns it belongs to the powerful the Sparticus slave rebellion awakens the seething power of the poor and downtrodden but ultimately money still rules for the most destructive force in Rome is the growing greed that poisons its politics now the lust for power reaches a fever pitch as three men VI for absolute Supremacy in the Roman Republic only one will emerge the Victor and to him go the spoils honor riches and the name that will echo through history as the archetype of Ruthless ambition and tyranny Julius [Music] Caesar [Music] it is the middle of the first century BC and democracy is breaking down in the Roman Republic it is a time of riots and violent political upheaval people saw blood and death Every Day murder was as important as The Ballot Box violence was not supposed to be the way that Romans decided the big political questions that set the course for the country but violence breeds violence and Rome had descended almost into a state of Anarchy by Caesar's time this is the troubled World in which young Julius Caesar grows up by the age of 16 his father has died and Caesar knows his life will be a struggle Julius Caesar in inherited that most distinguished family history of Roman could have but by the time Julius Caesar was born uh in 100 BC his family wasn't as rich and wasn't as powerful as Legend said it ought to be Julius Caesar wanted to restore to his family the glory and the leadership position that his family story said his ancestors had had while still a teenager and sailing to study on the aisle of Roads Caesar is kidnapped for ransom by notorious Pirates these were the biggest Pirates and slave traders in the Mediterranean so the pirates captured Caesar and held him ransome it took a long time to raise the money so Caesar spent a great deal of time in the Pirates Camp holding his own against these murderers and thieves young Caesar proves to be more than his captor bargain for Caesar isn't your ordinary Roman he's not going to be terrified Pirates are the great threat to aristocratic Society so what Caesar is showing is that even when he's encountered this greatest of threats he's risen above it in the end Caesar wins his freedom and the Pirates are brought to Roman Justice crucified and left for the caran birds Caesar matures and by 65 BC now an experienced soldier in his 30s he is sent to the Roman province of hispania to suppress a dangerous band of rebels it is here that he shows the dynamic leadership and Charisma that would mark his later life Caesar was able to interact with people from every level of society he could be friendly with his ordinary soldiers because he showed that he had as much courage and as much guts and as much stamina as they did and it is here as well that Caesar's military reputation begins to build if you're member of the elite who shows courage and clear-headedness and ability on the field of battle that's going to translate into some political clout in [Applause] [Music] Rome returning to Rome Caesar enters politics using his soaring popularity in an attempt to win the election for the office of Consul to be Consul is to hold Rome's most prestigious position and comes not only with the lucrative governorship of an entire Roman province but the military command of the legions stationed there Caesar is a natural politician Julius Caesar was brilliant in his ability to relate to people to make them like him but he was also one of the greatest writers and one of the greatest public speakers Julius Caesar could make you do what he thought you should do by giving you a speech among his admirers is Marcus Brutus the child of his favorite mistress he quickly becomes Caesar's loyal Protegé Brutus is inspired by his mentor's populist campaign and will one day move into politics himself Caesar's campaign for the office of Consul wins him many supporters but his appeal to the commoners of Rome and his campaign for change lose him the support of the conservative Aristocrats he sets himself up quite deliberately as a person who will try to change the system of government and he's a real threat to conservatives because Caesar appears as somebody who stands for something new he stands out in every way as their antithesis and there's very little they can do about [Music] it still even if Caesar is elected Consul in Rome the conservative Senators can deny him the one thing he wants and needs the most the governorship of the profitable province of Gaul Caesar needed money bad he was so far in debt that he had literally to run away from his creditors all of Caesar's financial difficulties will be over if the Senate will grant him his wish for the province of Gaul for Caesar it was absolutely crucial to get Gaul assigned to him by the Senate as his Province if Caesar was successful in Gaul he could make a lot of money from the enemies that he captured and sold into slavery and from the booty that he took it is essential that Caesar win the election and the governorship of Gaul he develops a plan to ensure this happens in the brutal Arena of Roman politics one should never fight alone Caesar arranges a meeting with the two most powerful men in the Republic one an old friend crus the richest man in Rome he funds all of Caesar's political campaigns the other is the celebrated General NES pompus Magnus better known as pompy the great cunning as a gladiator in the arena Caesar convinces cresus and pumpy to work with him to win the election and control the Senate Caesar really was the third man he wasn't as distinguished as pompy militarily and he certainly wasn't as rich as Crassus um but Caesar had that glow that aura that Charisma that nobody else had this extraordinary Alliance becomes known as the triumvirate the tribert is so powerful that they gain control of the political apparatus uh they're a able to almost uh in a sense bestow offices at will uh and of course this is going to put the bit in the Bridal on the political freedom of the aristocracy which it greatly cherished to seal the deal Caesar proposes a marriage contract between his daughter Julia and pompy marriages especially among Roman Aristocrats are not so much love matches between a husband and a wife it's more as if one family is marrying another family and the women are simply tokens of the exchange with their newly combined political muscle crus and pompy manipulate the system Caesar wins the election for console and the two of them gain immense power for tax breaks and land grants and then for Caesar who has arranged it all they confer a magnificent assignment [Music] a 5-year term as the governor of not one but two provinces in Gaul and Beyond them a whole continent to [Music] conquer Caesar heads North In Search Of Glory and [Music] gold at the same time on a collision course with Caesar's army A desperate and hungry horde of Barbarians moved South preparing to invade Roman territory known as the helvi they are 300,000 strong seeking new lands to settle by force if necessary for reasons that are hard to know maybe environmental probably because of Wars the northern barbarians were moving south lockstock and Barrel with men women and children this Caesar will not allow along the banks of the rone river the Romans throw up a barrier a wall 18 M long the helvian cannot pass they must go instead through the lands of the idoi tribe beyond the Imperial border but this poses a problem Caesar has no authority to lead his army out of Roman territory to collect the booty slay aves and new territory he craves he must convince the Senate that he has no choice he had to construct a threat of monumental proportions and it so happened that the helvian managed to fill this role for him sending back reports of this dangerous group of savages on the March Caesar pursues them thinking them an easy target he is quickly proven wrong without warning the helvian Melt back into the forest and Ambush Caesar's rear guard these groups had substantial military infrastructure they had Weaponry they had military organization they organized themselves into units that were ready to defend themselves despite the chaos of the moment Caesar spots a superior battle position a sloping Hillside where he array his troops he understood how to put his men in a position where they were most likely to succeed he also took very few risks he had a tendency to stake out bold positions but always positions where the enemy would be at a disadvantage in responding to him sure that their overwhelming numbers will carry the day the helvian rush headlong towards the Roman Hill Caesar himself describes the battle from our commanding position the troops easily broke the enemy's faix with a single spear my men could pin together the ga's overlapping Shields forcing them to drop them then we drew swords and [Music] charged briefly the Roman seemed to take the upper hand but the Hans outman the Romans 5 to one in 58 BC the helvian A violent Barbarian horde turn the tables on the Romans they Ambush their rear guard forcing Caesar to fight Terror sweeps through the Roman ranks as The Barbarians attack they're already taller than the Romans yelling at their uh top of their lungs ready to charge in a mass seemingly in a frenzy I mean what could be more frightening than trying to fight someone that you think is crazy that is frenzied though horribly outnumbered the Romans command the superior position as the battle slowly shift in their favor they take No Quarter killing Hans as if they would wipe them from the face of the Earth genocide is probably acceptable at this point and even preferable because do you really want how many would it be possibly 200 300 400 500,000 Germans in Italy after the Revolt of Spartacus after we've seen what slave populations and mass can do to Italy the better technique is simply to exterminate them but survivors Escape an expert manipulator Caesar raises the Spectre of a German invasion to Garner popular support for his War but in the Senate conservatives suspect the real danger lies in Caesar himself he is even seen as a threat to his ally pompy he's beginning to look like somebody who will take pompy's place as the leading figure in Rome and the difference of course between Caesar and pompy at this point is that pompy had supported the status quo where Caesar has always stood for its [Music] overthrow tension fills the city the conservatives tried to convince pompy to break with Caesar too late his new wife Caesar's daughter Julia has completely beguiled the great General poppy was so in love with his teenage bride that he began neglecting politics so he could spend all his time with her pompy took his teenage love on constant tours to visit all the most beautiful gardens and parks in Italy popy's generosity to Caesar even includes a member of his extended family his Protege Marcus Brutus as a favor pompy grants Brutus a lucrative Post in one of the Eastern provinces allowing the young Noble to rise in the political ranks just like his mentor with pompy protecting Caesar's interests in Rome Caesar turns his attention to rumors of invasion from the Galla Kingdom of idoi it is a quiet and pastoral region unaccustomed to violence I to [Music] we most people most of the time were not involved in military activity uh most people spent most of their time farming building their houses making clothing raising their children and so on in 58 BC peace is sh ated when Caesar reports that tens of thousands of Barbarian Warriors flood into idoi led by the terrifying warlord Ario Vistas Ario Vistas becomes virtually a Saddam Hussein figure in the Roman imagination he's virtually equipped with weapons of mass destruction in Roman terms he's got this terrible violent Army that is again evocative of the Barbarian leaders of earlier Generations he is rumored to to be oppressing Rome's allies left right and Center to be in that way directly attacking The Prestige of Rome such aggression according to Caesar must not be [Music] tolerated Caesar learns that Ario Vistas plans to set up his base in the Fortified town of Besson swiftly Caesar marches his men across Gaul to meet them the renowned classical biographer plutar the whole Army clamored for the fight as the Men followed Caesar to their Camp just 20 mil from the enemy with the Roman Legions closing in The Barbarians looked to their pagan gods for guidance the German army of ARA Vistas like every ancient army had priests and seers and shamans in this case women who were believed to have the ability to communicate with the gods when the time for battle came then the priests the sear the susers would be asked do the gods say that it's not prohibited for us to fight now weapons water the movement of the stars all may bear me messages from the gods through their totems the soothsayers Divine that ariovistus will not win if he fights before the new moon he must not move until then it is the kind of intelligence upon which whole battles hinge and it finds its way to Caesar's ear ancient peoples took these difficult to understand messages from the gods very very seriously Cesar knows that if he can force The Barbarians into battle when they think the gods are telling them not to fight that he will have a great psychological advantage with the gods themselves seeming to lay his path Caesar seizes the moment Caesar sends his forces right up to the German fortification threatening them and shaming them and forcing finally against his will ariovistus to bring his troops out uh when they're going to be fighting with this dread in the back of their minds we shouldn't be doing this for the gods have told us not to go against Caesar Caesar presses his advantage and [Applause] attacks Caesar has no no compunction about getting rid of vast numbers of people so in the battle with ARA Vistas he boasts that he killed 880,000 Germans including two of his wives and one of arista's daughters the other one he captured ariovistus himself manages to escape and flees to Germany leaving Caesar as the new master of Gaul in 58 BC Julius Caesar Slaughters tens of thousands of violent German Warriors their leader Ariel vist fleas in dishonor releasing the Germans hold on Gaul now as he has planned all along Caesar has a free hand to Annex the kingdoms of Gaul himself he claims to come as a liberator but some do not welcome Roman rule the principal downside was that you lost your political Independence and that might not have mattered to some of these Elites the leaders in particular got all sorts of political and material benefits but as we know from later circumstances in Rome and elsewhere lots of peop don't like being ruled by Outsiders over the next three years Caesar drops his pose of protector not only does he conquer gallic tribes to the north and west but he also crosses the Rind and the channel to invade Germany and Britain the first Roman to [Music] doo in a combination of self-promotion and newscast Caesar sends back the story of his Conquest in action-packed dispatches those surrounded by thousands of natives my men defended themselves with the utmost bravery for over 4 hours they killed a number of Britain at the cost of only a few men wounded as soon as their Cavalry came in sight the enemy threw down their arms and fled suffering very heavy casualties it's like he sucks you along into his campaign with him they read for the Romans like an adventure story uh a story of exploration because Romans had not been to Northern Gaul Romans had not been to Britain so for the Romans in particular it would have been a very exciting story Caesar's account as one of the most remarkable political documents to survive from any age in the history of the world that's intended to justify actions that many Romans regarded as completely illegal and outrageous and only justified by their success even Caesar's Protegé Marcus Brutus studies the dispatches with growing concern in between Caesar's eloquent lines he perceives greed and overreaching ambition all of a sudden people begin to realize Caesar's Gathering enormous wealth an enormously powerful Army behind him he's spending a lot of money buying support throughout the Italian Peninsula Brutus is troubled and concerned for his political position a more powerful Caesar means a less powerful aristocracy conserv leaders vow to stop Caesar what the Roman upper class fears most of all will be one of its members will break ranks and go directly to the people without the consensus of the governing class behind him they were always afraid that somebody might do something to upset the status quo which was entirely devoted to maintaining their wealth and position to stop the growing challenge Caesar must call in a favor from his longtime Ally crus he alone does not fear Caesar's booming popularity his own enormous wealth insulates him from the vacillation of politics with bribes and gu he manages to block Caesar's enemies and win for himself another Consul ship and his first military command in nearly 20 years dreaming of lasting Glory crus heads East to invade the kingdom of Parthia only to die in an ambush Caesar has lost his first protector in Rome around the same time Caesar's only daughter Julia dies in childbirth her husband pompy Caesar's last protector is devastated the baby died a couple of days later pompy was dest Draught and the loss of his love and of his child from his young wife destroyed his alliance with Caesar his emotions overcame him and pompy broke with Caesar the Triumph foret is finished pompe and Caesar are now enemies the die is cast for an Ultimate Showdown as political Terror increases the supporters of the two Titans riot in the streets each side determined to destroy the other Rome was in political turmoil violence had become the norm in politics there were street gangs fighting each other uh in political campaigns in the Mayhem the Senate building the very home of Roman government Burns To The Ground the situation in Rome is desperate back in Gaul the situation is turning dangerous for Caesar as well a charismatic gallic leader named verson Jedis rallies the GS to unite against the Romans from his homeland of volia verson Jed's plan is radical burn all the supplies every last Barn full of corn and every bit of forage for the animals then hunker down in the Fortified hilltowns and starve out the Romans as their homesteads go up in Flames The Cure must seem as bad as the disease to the Galls yet their self-sacrifice astonishes and alarms the Romans person Jed was trying to destroy the logistics of the Roman army just feeding these people is an enormous problem and the farther Caesar goes against the GS the longer his supply lines become the easier it becomes to cut the supply lines and starve the enemy into submission with Food Supplies plummeting the Romans will have only two options stay and starve or Retreat Caesar never retreats in 52 BC a courageous Warrior named versen jeder calls upon his people to rise up against Rome and burn their Barns and Food Supplies by Winter's end the Romans must choose starvation or victory but now as spring returns Caesar calls on his troops to rally and Strike Back Against vers jeds and his people among Caesar's most trusted subordinates is Mark Anthony Anthony also has a lot of energy he's a very brave Soldier he comes to Caesar with a lot of EXP experience in the field the kind of character that Caesar likes to have [Music] around they attack jovia where verson jeder and his people fight a furious defense the battle is brutal Caesar fighting shoulder toosh shoulder with his men escapes with his life but the battle is a disaster meanwhile back in Rome the political situation deteriorates for Caesar even more as his enemies gather strength the conservative Senate declares pompy sole conso placing an army at his disposal then to add insult to injury pompy turns down an offer to marry into Caesar's family again instead he Weds a young Widow named Cornelia the daughter of a senator matius cpio pompe probably wants to offset the prestige that Caesar is acing pompe at this point for years has been sitting on his Laurels uh he's been uh in Rome much of the time and so he probably wants to hedge his bets at this juncture against Caesar and he does this by by casting about for political alliances with the aristocracy py even gets the Senate to make his his new father-in-law co- conso with this final betrayal pompy move away from Caesar and into the conservative Camp is at last complete the situation is becoming critical for Caesar he must Salvage Gaul or lose face altogether he pursues versen Jedis and his army to the Fortified town of Alicia and orders his men to dig a double entrenchment one to keep the alician in the other to keep their reinforcements out what they did was build up this just wonderful structure of uh defense Works which started initially with a thing his men called stimuli or spears Timbers planted in the ground with hooks on them then they built a thing that they jokingly called lies and these are pits about 3 ft deep that have a 3-in steak protruding out of the ground it's a phenomenal achievement uh and all done with arm swinging picks a lot of back power moving Earth in wicker baskets and you have to imagine about 15,000 guys digging for days on end and just with sheer back power you can just imagine what a chiropractor would have done for that Army as supplies dwindle verson Jed and his people are starving desperate things became so bad in Alesia for the GS who were there uh that they were running out of food but just as they must surely surrender Caesar's worst nightmare comes true all of Gaul Rises up to defend the alians two 200,000 fresh Barbarian Warriors March against the Romans the Gs are relatively well organized opposing Force they can muster a lot of people and muster them relatively quickly we see that with the siege of Alesia in which the besieger uh Caesar finds himself in turn besieged with the arrival of reinforcements veren Jedis finally bursts out of the city Gates the Romans are surrounded The Barbarians Rush In For the Kill The Battle of Alia was Caesar's greatest challenge in 10 years of huge military challenges because in order to defeat the enemy Caesar had to fight them both in the front and in the rear only the most seasoned troops could withstand such an assault you had to be psychologically prepared to to confront the enemy close enough to hack them to death with a two-foot sword you had to get into that Killing Zone that was literally at arms length where you could as easily be killed as killed in his firstand account of the gallic wars Caesar describes the battle neither ramparts nor trenches could check the goal's Furious Onslaught and I knew that the time for the decisive action was at hand he has great Lucidity to the point that sometimes when his men were losing it he would actually grab them by the throat and thrust them back into battle so a great clear-headedness in the midst of great danger suddenly the Gauls saw their Cavalry in their rear and fresh cohorts coming up in front they broke and fled that we mowed them down in 50 2 BC in the fields outside Alia the dream of gall Independence dies versen Jed surrenders to Caesar bringing much of Northern Europe into the empire for good Caesar's campaigns are important because they take the Roman Empire away from the Mediterranean into Central Gaul Northern Gaul he crosses into Germany he crosses into Britain so northern Europe is now included in the Roman Empire and long term this has really important consequences so Caesar is now taking the Roman Empire away from this Mediterranean world now in Victory Caesar can return to Rome he has eclipsed all the other Nobles even pompy after Caesar's near decade of overwhelming military success in Gaul he wants to return to Rome to reap the rewards uh to be recognized by everyone as Rome's leading man but his Rivals fear and hate him above all because he's put them in the shadows in 49 BC many Roman Aristocrats insist that Caesar release his army and return home but Caesar BS Caesar knows that if he were to disband his army and come to Rome he would be murdered by his rivals who hate his success and know that Caesar can't be stopped because he's so popular so Caesar's life was literally on the line Caesar and his enemies are headed for a showdown and no one can stop it by 50 BC Julius Caesar has no equal in Rome the Senate fearing that he has grown too powerful insists that he resign his command fuming Caesar leads an Army South contemplating an invasion of Rome he pauses at a small River at the boundary of Rome the Rubicon for Caesar leaving his men on the shores of the Rubicon and traveling on to Rome alone means complete capitulation to his enemies Caesar's life was literally on the line Caesar had to cross the Rubicon River this little stream there was a boundary between the provinces and Rome itself when he did that he knew that there would be a civil war but it was that or die in disgrace one side of the power struggle is led by Caesar forged by a decade of campaigning his Army's belief in him is unshakable its dedication absolute the other side is led by pomy his army is scattered throughout Italy and its loyalty is in doubt Caesar's popularity he knows is at its height the population of Italy treated Caesar like a returning God and sold flocked to Caesar's Army there was no opposition uh those who feared him were fleeing like a wave towards Rome and the city became a scene of absolute tumult and panic the people at Rome who love Caesar are partying in the streets because they can't wait for him to return pompy gathers up the Roman senate and fleas to where support for him is deep and strong Greece it buys the great General valuable [Music] time months pass before Caesar can build and appropriate enough ships and supplies to follow him by the time Caesar's troops disembark in Greece pompy has amassed a great Army in January 48 BC at farcela the most important figures in Rome Square off in tragic Civil War pompy commands twice as many men as Caesar yet Caesar's soldiers come armed with a potent weapon confidence pompy had to fight or had to surrender that is the way that Caesar worked and Caesar's men knew that he would always put them in a position where the chances of success were very great he also has a very well trained Army uh you reach a certain point and the Army becomes a well-oiled machine uh they're not called Veterans for nothing and they become a very effective fighting force because they're so used to what they're doing at farcela Caesar's long years of campaigning pay off his men utterly destroy pompy's Army pompy himself escapes Caesar chases him to Egypt but too late in the end the Great pompy is tricked murdered and beheaded by Egyptian brigin the head is sent back to Caesar classical biographer plutar when pompy's head was brought to him Caesar refused to look at him but he took pompy's signat ring and grieved as he did so did he really do that it's very anecdotal and it almost defies plausibility but it is possible in a sense it's possible because Pompei had been a colleague and a friend for a time and maybe in a sense uh Caesar saw what could happen to himself in the eyes of the Dead Pompei in 46 BC with his Rivals out of the way Caesar has the total power he has craved his entire life Rome is his Caesar quickly moves to rebuild the city changes the tax laws and establishes colonies he becomes the first leader of Rome to conceive an Empire Caesar essentially becomes the new state Caesar replaces the Republic now this is a great preview of what's going to happen under the Emperors but Caesar does it in such a way that he seems to disregard the traditions of the Republic and as a result he essentially Cuts himself off and isolates himself unwilling to share his rule with lesser Nobles he proclaims himself dictator for Life king of Rome in everything but the name the fear is if Caesar becomes a king the rights of the people to vote to choose to express their opinion will be taken away from them outrage over Caesar's tyranny seeps like poison through the Senate even Caesar's own Protege Marcus Brutus is persuaded to betray him Brutus was a complex and frankly not very attractive man Caesar had made him his close companion and promoted brutus's career but I think Brutus couldn't stand being second banana to Caesar and Brutus had this romantic notion of of himself as the defender of Roman Liberty by Leading the conspiracy against Caesar finally in 44 BC on the Ides of March in the name of Liberty 40 conspirators take matters into their own hands led by Brutus classical biographer suetonius 23 dagger thrusts went home as Caesar stood there he did not utter a sound after the first blow though some say that when he saw Marcus Brutus about to deliver the second blow he reproached him in Greek with you too my child many of them were his friends some from a long time some perhaps thought that Caesar had destroyed the Republic's most cherished tradition that no one man can be the leader of Rome and there was surely Spite and jealousy and just h human passion and perhaps some Notions that this was what Freedom required Caesar's death spawns not a rebirth of the Republic as the conspirators hoped only Anarchy more violence eventually Empire I think long term the infusion of obscene riches into Roman Politics the the Turning of the army into clients of the general as a patron and the intense rivalry among the aristocrats to defeat each other instead of serving the country meant that the Republic was doomed even without the genius the fire of Julius Caesar it was his relative Augustus who found a way to make that work and create the Roman Empire [Music] the age of Emperors begins and with it bloody Conquest brutal repression and endless war Rome from a small Republic it grows into the greatest empire ever known lasting for over 600 years at its height it stretches from London to Baghdad projecting its power with the first professional Army and creating the model of Western Civilization And yet when the Empire begins to falter it collapses with shocking speed it takes only a 100 years for the Imperial edifice of Rome to vanish like smoke Swept Away by the Barbarian invasions how did it happen [Music] it is late in the 2 Century BC a 100 years before the crucifixion of Christ a decade before the birth of Julius Caesar Rome is facing a transition one that will will change its fundamental character forever it comes at a time of [Applause] Conquest Rome has come off 150 years of really successful foreign expansion they've defeated Carthage their great enemy across the Mediterranean Sea in Africa and they've begun to expand to the north and they've made big conquests that are hard to keep in Spain but even as the Romans are carving out their place in the world through brutal Conquest the Republic faces a cataclysmic event that will eventually Force the Romans to abandon the rule of the senate for the absolute dictatorship of an [Music] emperor it begins with the first Barbarian War by 113 BC Rome has become Master of the entire Mediterranean Basin but with new lands come new [Music] enemies the Romans know that there are more people farther away especially to the north and that these people are if anything even more formidable than the armies they've defeated before and they're worried about those people coming into Italy beyond the borders of Roman civilization the solders ERS face an unfamiliar breed of warrior they call them barbarians a word meaning foreign and crude anybody that didn't follow classical Customs speak Classical Languages Latin or Greek was considered to be very different other Barbarian and Rome simply regarded them as much less capable much less civilized than themselves only the rugged Alpine mountain ring keeps the northern Barbarians at Bay the Alps mountain chain at the top of Italy is like the cork in the bottle that keeps the bad guys away from the Roman point of view and the Romans don't control that cork and so they know that it could pop out at any time and the enemy could come pouring into Italy or at least that's their [Music] fear against this growing Barbarian Menace stands the Roman army a volunteer militia which Prides itself on being well ordered well trained and well armed an individual Roman soldier would be wearing metal and leather armor a helmet something to protect his chest all of this armor together could weigh as much as 60 or 70 lbs half his body weight the burden of Rome's expansion Falls squarely on the shoulders of these battle hardened men but back in the capital it's the wealthy government officials who reap the benefits Rome is not an Empire yet but a republic ruled by the Senate at the top of the political ladder are two elected officers known as consules they were the highest civilian and military officials in Rome above all their responsibility was was to lead the Army because National Security came first but they were also because of their tremendous prominence very important in setting the agenda for politics for legislation for reform though the Roman Republic Embraces democratic ideals all men are not created equal soldiers may win the battles for Rome but they dare not hope to achieve the position of conso [Music] the highest office is reserved for members of Rome's most important families like naus papirus carbo a very small number of families dominated the elections to become Consul this is part of the belief that Rome really needed the kind of Honor that came from a long distinguished family history now as Rome expands this honor is no longer based on Merit but on money what's happening in Rome is as Rome conquers more territory more wealth is going to flow into the City and there's a sense that wealth is going to demoralize the citizen body and the aristocracy both that as wealth becomes more and more uh uh powerful en Roman society more and more enticing that this is going to infiltrate its way into the political process by spreading around his wealth carbo can buy his place as console in terms of campaigning uh one of the things that you'll find as you go on later in the Republic is the system becomes extremely corrupt you have people bestoring all sorts of largess any sort of little kind of gifts or remuneration uh in order to get your your vote but in the north a dangerous new tribe the Kimber is is on the move from their home in northern Europe they Journey South toward Roman [Music] territory completely uncivilized the kimry radiate Terror according to the famous ancient biographer plutar they were believed to be German tribes based on their great size the light blue color of their eyes and the fact that their name kimry is the German nickname for plunderers led by the great warlord Bock The Horde leaves a smoking trail of Destruction in its wake they were characteristic Iron Age peoples we don't really know exactly what it is they were after they may have been moving in order to attack and invade uh provinces that were becoming wealthy through trade with Rome they may have simply been coming to seek their Fortunes in what they perceived as a richer land near the Mediterranean the kimry aren't the only ones lured by Rome's growing wealth on the way South two more Barbarian tribes join them the tones and ambones the combined Barbarian armies are heading straight for an Alpine pass into Roman territory guarded by the simple villagers of noram the norum is not a Roman territory its proximity to the Roman border ties its people closely to The Republic nor miss the area that we would say today is essentially Austria the people who lived there are the noriki uh and therefore they the territor is named after them the people there the noriki controlled the Alpine passes Romans also rely on the nans for trade as their skill working in precious metals and iron are well known what the orans actually have available in the way of raw materials is gold silver and salt minable salt in the Alps is is a major industry there so the Romans truly needed large quantities of salt for preservative and they had to have that and they had to have it all the time the Naran Villages provide an irresistible Target to the merciless [Music] Warriors hungry for loot they are rapacious and heavily armed for the raid by the period we're talking about the second and first centuries BC the kimry had very effective swords Spears um Shields helmets are rarer but they were fully equipped with very able kinds of weapons but the barbarians are after more than the nor re's wealth the northern barbarians who were migrating what they wanted above all was land they weren't there to raid and leave they wanted to live uh next to the Romans the Craftsman of norum stand no chance against the Warriors of the [Music] north the nans send an emissary to their allies in the Roman Senate begging for help against the vicious kimry Invaders they seek out the Aristocrat carbo whose politicking has finally paid off he now holds the post of counil the most prestigious office in Rome carbo orders his Aid to begin preparations for war he has just one year to win the glory and riches that come from Battle we're talking about needing to show the qualities of leadership through a display of Manliness and a display of Manliness meant success on the battlefield generals not only feathered the nest of themselves and their families but of all their supporters carbo takes the challenge leading his troops to noram despite an utter lack of experience in the ways of War he is eager to prove that he is more than just a wealthy Senator he arrives in noram backed by the men of the Roman army after a century of victories they exude confidence the kimry claimed they didn't know that they were in territory that they shouldn't have been in they sent ambassadors The Barbarians have never seen such a well equipped and disciplined Force the warlord box tells carbo his people only wish to return home peacefully carbo agrees to let them go but there is little glory in a truth the Roman general devises a plan to force the victory he so badly needs carbo pretended that he was going to negotiate and then he sent his troops on a shortcut to attack the kimry before the bassadors could get back thinking that his sneak attack would work carbo's plan backfires the Roman Commander carbo out foxed this group called The kimry but he did it in a way that smelled of disgrace a few of the kiman ambassadors survived to carry a tale of treachery back to the Barbarian Camp fur ious The Barbarians swear they will never leave until they exact bloody [Applause] [Music] revenge in 113 BC the Roman general carbo parlays for peace with violent barbarians the kimry then he turns around and murders their [Music] ambassadors his treachery enrages The Barbarians who value honor above all else vowing to avenge their fallen comrades the kimry strike back with Swift and sudden Fury classical biographer plutar their courage and daring were irresistible they rushed into battle with the speed of a raging fire nothing could stand up to them led by two Warlords vrii of the kimry and and Tad of the tones The Barbarians advance in inexhaustible ways the archaeology tells us that they had very good weapons not inferior to Romans it tells us that they had really real military organization with infantry troops with officer core so we can we can tell quite a bit certainly we can tell much more than the Romans seem to understand until it was too [Music] late console carbo suddenly finds himself far from the comfort and privilege of Roman politics here the language of power is spoken in steel and blood as console Chief War magistrate he fails miserably because the chief War magistrate is only out there for a year it's very frequently Amateur hour out there on the field of battle uh so you end up with uh very frequently inept leadership uh in a very important position and on occasion results in dister disaster for the Romans the battle for noram is such a disaster the Romans were in the end saved from being pushed over the cliff into the hell of utter destruction only by a giant storm lightning thunder and rain knocked from his horse carbo struggles to flee from the deadly chaos he escapes the battle only to commit suicide for he has disgraced himself and Rome in the eyes of the Gods the God saved the Romans but only just and only after many many had been killed what did that mean it meant the gods were unhappy at the way the Romans behaved and yet the Romans cling to the notion that only the aristocrats can lead them to Victory the Romans believe that old meant good new meant dangerous so they for their politicians and their leaders they preferred people with a long distinguished family history over the next decade a string of nobles all armed with more arrogance than skill lead armies North to protect Rome's province in Gaul they meet The Barbarians at Tulsa berala and finally arosio present day to Bordeaux and aange [Music] France in each instance The Barbarians completely route Rome's heralded Legions the Romans had their particular formal ways of fighting if we think of the beginning of the film Gladiator that's a perfect representation of how Rome liked to fight take hours to set up everything in the Battle Order and then launch the attack in contrast the barbarians Counterattack is unpredictable and devastating to the Roman lines you have these lines of men and if the person next to you goes down the person behind will step into that Gap uh and and death would be much much more [Music] intimate the death toll is staggering at a Rosio alone 80,000 Romans are massacred in a single afternoon when an army lost its cohesiveness then the men were literally like fish in a barrel to be picked off at leisure by the other side so when a side has been defeated then the victors they just slaughter them one by one with no danger to the people doing the slaughter ing it's not a battle anymore it's a mass [Music] execution by 105 BC the kimry and their allies desire much more than Roman blood and booty some members of the clan want to set down Roots they were farming peoples they uh engaged in trade um they lived in small Villages people were growing wheat and barley Rye oats Millet a whole variety of different kinds of cereals they were raising lentils and peas and beans and other kinds of garden crops cattle were extremely important pigs sheep and goat were all being raised this new Domesticity alarms the Romans to their minds the only thing more threatening than a barbarian Warrior is a barbarian woman the presence of women is a standard Roman way of communicating that this is an invasion for settlement and another words this is a group that's coming in to significantly alter the way we live to threaten our basic values if it's just a raid it's just a bunch of teenage guys we can deal with that but see when we throw women into the description we have the migratory feature and there it's a permanency it requires a Sterner and long-term solution it requires a general who can beat The Barbarians back once and for all the hero Rome so desperately needs emerges on another hotly contested Borderland nearly a th000 miles away in numidia part of present day Algeria for eight long years the Romans have tasted only defeat here until now the name of their savior is Marius with guts and cunning he crushes the nidian armies of the Rogue King [Applause] [Music] jera Rome needed great soldiers and Marius was the greatest Rome had yet seen both because he was a great Commander Marius could pick the right time in the right place for a battle but also because he won his soldiers loyalty and affection by getting down and digging ditches with them by eating the same rough food by being in better shape than even they were and they were the the best conditioned soldiers in the world he comes by his common touch naturally for Marius is no Aristocrat still he speaks of his humble background with pride I cannot point to my ancestors but I can show medals and other military honors to say nothing of the scars on my body all of them in front these are my title of nobility now as the northern barbarians close in the Romans turn to Marius their last and best hope at the end of the 2 Century BC a violent Barbarian tribe the kimry along with her allies the tatonis and ambones lay waste to the northern Frontier a horrified Rome turns to its greatest General and new console Marius he's a proven military commander and you don't want to fool around when you have uh tones and kimry who have defeated Army after Army you really want to take care of the problem urgently and so you want to send a capable leader out on the field but even the great Marius cannot lead without men to follow him devastated by a decade of War Rome faces critical troop shortages if you have uh as many men l lost the German tribes in uh 11 113 and 109 and 107 uh and 106 and 105 as the Romans did that's going to traumatize Roman society pretty severely despite a vigorous recruitment campaign Marius cannot find enough qualified men landholders who are willing to serve to be in the Roman army in the high Republic you had to have a property qualification you had to be a person of means uh and uh and this causes some problems for the Roman army because there's a problem with Manpower marius's solution is as simple as it is radical he sends his recruiters out to seek soldiers among the landless poor you don't have to be a property holder to be a Roman citizen so why should you have to be a property owner to be a legionnaire many people wish to be soldiers it's a good job uh and it's probably an exciting job opportunities for booty wine women in song chance to see the world at government expands Etc uh the same things that we see on our recruitment posters Maria said anybody can be in the Army this then gave the Romans a much greater pool of men on which to draw to strengthen their Legions because in Roman society there were many many many more poor than there were middle class the Old Guard judges recruits by their income Marius judges his by their fighting potential stand up against a legionary and you can stand up to The Barbarians by extending the search for Legionnaires down into the plural terot what that rather quickly does is it makes the ordinary Soldier even more dependent upon the success of the commander the general is expected to provide for his man and to provide for them as soon as he can and to be generous lured by the promise of wealth a new breed of Roman soldier marches to war Marius pledges to give them all the tools and skills they need I will teach you to strike down an enemy fear nothing but disgrace to sleep on bare ground and work hard on an empty stomach in 104 BC Marius and his army set off for Gaul to meet the kimry in a stroke of Good Fortune for the Romans The Barbarians choose that very moment to leave Gaul and raid hispania instead it is a tactical mistake that buys Marius valuable time Marius molds his new Army from the ground up he not only hardens them to the rigors of a soldier's life he makes them love it Mary made lots of Innovations in the Army for example he gave each Legion an eagle a silver eagle as its standard he trained his men to carry what they needed on campaign so they could move faster um but he weighed them down so much that they call themselves marius's mules uh Marius didn't need pack animals for his army to go on campaign he already had his mules and they only had two legs but they were more effective Ive they were more flexible and it's the flexibility of the legions that is enhanced by marius's military reforms including the standardization of equipment well equipped and unified in spirit marius's mules are transformed but untested 2 years pass with no sign of The Barbarians still the fear they Inspire remains panicked the Romans ignore their own ancient Traditions about term limits and reelect Marius Consul the chief magistrate of War I think part of the problem is to deal with the threat from the north you have to give Marius this extraordinary command where in 104 103 102 101 100 he's Consul boom boom boom boom boom at last in 102 BC the Phantom men becomes real the Kim tatonis and ambron sweep out of the north and west on a collision course with Rome Marius builds a fortress near araso he sends another Army to guard noram for Above All Else the Alpine passes into Italy must be protected within weeks half of the horde the tones and ambones swarm around Mario 's Fort a terrifying sight according to plutar their numbers appeared to be infinite they were hideous to look at their speech and their shouting were unlike anything that anyone had ever heard before and yet Marius forces his men to look and learn Marius was a brilliant military man he understood the life and the thoughts and the psychology of a soldier what Marius gave to the Roman Republic was confidence that Romans could defeat the fiercest Barbarians in the world the Fortress holds the tatonis and ambones cannot pass 150,000 strong they head south seeking another Alpine pass the Romans pursue them at a distance in no hurry to engage till the right time and place for Marius has already picked out the perfect Battlefield where he will at last unleashed the power of His unconventional Army in 102 BC hundreds of thousands of Barbarians swarmed towards Italy the great Roman general Marius pursues the tones and the amb bronis as they seek a pass over the elps he moves his troops from his Fortress at araso to aquai sexi modern day Exon provance France there Marius orders his men to set up camp he chooses his position carefully the Roman Camp is a uh a singular military uh piece of Machinery it would preferably be on high ground in order to see any kind of enemy Maneuvers it's going to be laid out on a grid pattern uh you're going to surround it with a deep ditch and you're going to have a ramp part dug or uh heaped up above that ditch what's known as an agar uh and everyone would have their place there is one more feature that most camps have but this particular Camp is lacking classical biographer plutar Marius chose a place that was not very well supplied with water they said he did this deliberately so as to encourage his soldiers to fight when people complained they were thirsty Marius pointed to a river running close by the Barbarian Camp there there is some drinking water for you he said but you have to pay for it with blood on the banks of the rone river settled Side by Side in two great camps the ambones and tones have plenty of fresh drinking water confident that the Romans are no match for them the ambones lose themselves in feasting and making merry the Romans especially the ordinary soldiers were afraid of the northern barbarians the ones from the farthest north from the coldest climates tough climates made for tough men they were much bigger than the Romans they were much louder than the Romans and from the Roman point of view they were smelly not because they didn't bathe they probably bathed more than the Roman soldiers but they used shall we say a different cologne bare fat the Romans were used to the scent of olive oil they never suspect the danger lurking in the forest as a small but Des desate contingent of marius's troops creep up on the Barbarian Camp Roman soldiers were always afraid because they weren't fools they knew that they were going to be in danger of being killed just as easily as the enemy because Roman soldiers didn't do their real killing from a distance [Music] marius's mules throw themselves into the Skirmish but the barbarians swiftly rally in overwhelming numbers just as defeat closes in on the Romans Marius orders reinforcements Into The Fray re-energized the Romans push the ambones back to their Camp there the battle takes a strange turn as Plutarch reports the women came out armed with swords and axes and making the most horrible shrieking they threw themselves into the thick of the fighting and though their bodies were gashed and wounded they endured it to the end with unbroken Spirits the barbarian women always came to the battlefield sometimes the women would pull the wagons up right behind the men so that they couldn't Retreat from Battle they'd block them in the women were so uh aware of their sense of honor and Liberty that they thought death was better than [Music] Retreat the Romans thought that uh these women were unbelievably Brave unbelievably courageous they thought these barbarians were the ultimate risk-takers by bringing their family to the battlefield they're putting everything on that one roll of the dice we win or we die and that means all of us men women children babies but the Romans also have something to protect their honor and Homeland with the skills that Marius has taught them they earned their first victory over the German Invaders In more than a [Music] decade back at Camp Marius prepares for the Revenge attack that will certainly be launched by tbad King of the tatonis in a sex the ey he faced a really difficult tactical situation as usual the enemy far outnumbered the Romans but Marius always able to choose the right time and the right place carefully selected the terrain he lays a trap with his trusted Captain Claudius marcelus Marius sends marcelus with 3,000 men into the woods behind the tatonis camp he instructs them to lay low until the fighting begins The Barbarians spoiling for vengeance charge up the hill to the Roman Camp just as Marius has planned they meet a wall of Swords according to plutar Marius himself fought in the front rank putting into practice the orders he'd given his soldiers for he was in as good training as anyone and in daring he far surpassed them all this battle was a real test of marius's philosophy in creating his mules that were strong enough to stand up uh with all of their armor and to stay in position and to hold their discipline even when the enemy was yelling and charging with a fantastic fierceness in full full armor rushed them with their swords so that they could be like a flying wedge coming downhill and smashing the [Music] enemy as Marius and his men forced The Barbarians back marcelus and his cohorts burst from the woods together they snuff out any hope of retreat for King tbad and his [Music] Warriors the body count defies imagination the Romans Slaughter more than 100,000 tatonis the rest they take as slaves Spoils of War that will make marius's mules and all of his supporters Rich his patronage is not just to the soldiers he is very generous to all Romans of all ranks Marius by monopolizing it power at the very top in in in reality becomes the patron of even members of the senatorial class swept up by the Barbarian Fe the Romans once again elect Marius to Rome's most important office he will serve as councel for an unprecedented fifth term there was such an immense fear that The Barbarians would come pouring in through the Gateway of the Alps which the Romans didn't control and lay waste to Italy and Sack Rome politics has to take the hindmost for Rome is not out of danger Marius has has only crushed half of the Barbarian horde the kimry the most fearsome barbarians of all are still on the loose while Marius is in Rome the kimry break through the Roman fortifications at noram the enemy has at last breached Italy's borders and is ravaging the PO plane clearly only one man has the courage and cunning to meet this new crisis console Marius in 102 BC marius's mules Massacre the violent Barbarian tribe that tonat in southern Gaul destroying half of the Barbarian Force but the terrifying kimry tribe slips through the Austrian Alps from Rome Marius rushes North to the PO plane vowing to eliminate The Barbarians once and for all when Marius arrives in the Roman camp the kimry send him an Envoy they come not to attack but to make demands the kimry come to him and say we want land that's what we want we don't want to fight we want land just like the land you gave our neighboring tribe there across the mountains in France the kimry Apparently haven't heard about the disaster that has befallen their taton comrades so Marius with a crooked smile on his face a smirk Maybe says to them oh you don't have to worry your brothers they already have their land we'd be happy to give the same land to you meaning your graves in the earth in disbelief that kimry demand proof according to plutar Marius mocked but your friend is right here please don't go without saying hello to him and he ordered Tad King of the tutonis to be brought forward in Chains Marius will cut no deal with the kimry their Envoy leaves swearing to take revenge for their fallen allies despite marius's recent victory over the barbarians the Romans are still vastly outnumbered by the fierce Northern warriors with battle looming the great General calls for an animal sacrifice the Romans would always have a sacrifice before going into battle to see if the gods would send them the message there's nothing wrong with your plan it didn't guarantee Victory but it meant you had a chance and the Romans took that very seriously the Romans faith is their only shield in the face of overwhelming odds by the end of tomorrow a tidal wave of blood will flow whose blood remains in the hands of the Gods Marius es the goat and trails for a sign and finds that the heavens are with him in 101 BC all Rome holds its breath as two mortal enemies meet outside the Hamlet of verelli Italy 15,000 strong the Kimber calvalry rides onto the field of battle right behind them come the Fearsome infantry like a cloud of locusts on the move as the Roman line is set Marius makes a final appeal to the gods classical biographer plutar Marius washed his hands and lifting them up to heaven vowed to make a sacrifice of a 100 beasts should Victory be his altogether the Romans number a little more than 50,000 men they face at least twice as many kimry it's the Roman's worst nightmare but Marius outsmarts the enemy he gets his troops in position first so the sun will rise behind the Roman soldiers when the sun gets to its full power it reflects off the Romans shiny armor and The Barbarians think that the sky is on fire like the gods have sent lightning bolts to help their enemies sensing the kimry sudden anxiety the Romans attack the Romans uh do have Slingers they do have archers but the foot infantry is the main stay of the battle you're going to get blood on you you're going to get the groans of the person you're killing the person who is getting killed next to you you can't tell what's going on behind you were to the side of you because you're wearing a helmet you can hardly hear and you can only see straight ahead it required courage and dedication and overcoming your fear uh to an overwhelmingly amazing degree at forell the Romans wipe out 120,000 kimry more importantly they cast out the shadow of fear that has terrorized Rome for 13 years [Music] Marius returns home from the kiman war a hero adoring crowds hail him as the savior of Rome despite their own long-standing rule that no one should serve consecutive Council ships they clamor for him to once again run for console as Marius is doing this he's moving little by little toward becoming in the eyes of the people a permanent head of this Enterprise so that we're approaching having an emperor it is exactly what the aristocracy has worried about all along now that the Barbarian danger has passed many Nobles are openly hostile to Marius to stay in power Marius must find support elsewhere he seeks out corrupt politicians whose tools include bribery and murder as as a politician Marius was not good at choosing who should be his allies the battlefield of politics was one in which Marius was not decisive and wasn't insightful the way he was on the battlefield of javelins and swords jealous of other Rising military Stars Marius orders the assassination of many of his Rivals under marius's leadership violence not debate becomes the currency used to settle political differences he has saved Rome only to cut out the heart of the Republic yet Marius never loses the love of the people in 886 BC shortly before his death they elect him to an extraordinary 7eventh Council ship he left a legacy of power in the hands of the military he left a Legacy of popular support for one man in power it's a hinge event because the balance of power will shift uh instead of 10 or 20 ruling families controlling the consulship you'll start to have just these Grand Warlords the power of money the power of having all of those men behind their back uh whether through actually um uh in the form of giving them political support or actually using it as a potential threat to go against their political enemies uh it's going to really be a problem for the Roman government down the road as the Empire starts a long slow slide into dictatorship Rome is launched into an apocalypse of political Injustice and endless war from which there is no return

Channel: Military Heroes

Views: 153,557

Keywords: Military Heroes, Military, Heroes, Full Episode, Army, Marines, Navy, Air force, General, Soldier, Special Forces, Cavalry, history, history channel, history shows, history channel shows, full episodes, military, military heroes, war, wars, julius caesar, Rome, Roman Empire, roman empire, fall of roman empire, the fall of the roman empire, julius, Rise and Fall of an Empire, Rome Rise and Fall of an Empire, rome rise and fall documentary, fall of rome documentary, fall of rome, empire

Id: GBIlYh5NrTs

Length: 133min 41sec (8021 seconds)

Published: Fri Dec 29 2023