WI: Senate Capitulates to Caesar

Lets assume that, for whatever reason, the Senate is not able to threaten Caesar with prosecution and he's able to return peacefully. Yes, this is incredibly unlikely and isn't even necessarily what Caesar wanted. But, however it happens, Caesar's back in Rome, likely elected once more as Consul.

What on earth happens then?
 
This means Caesar and Pompey's alliance lasted longer.

Caesar is elected consul for 48, with Labienus as colleague.

He gets a law granting lands to his veterans.

Caesar and Pompey together champion a law giving roman citizenship to Transpadans.

Now the big question is going to be : who is going to lead the campaign against Parthians ?
 
So the best way to go about this is to get Curio out of the way. He was the one thing standing between Pompey, Cicero, and Caesar from reaching some kind of compromise.

That said, I still don't think this can be the compromise (Caesar getting to run for consul in absentia). More likely I think it is similar to one of Caesar's original proposals: Perhaps Pompey agrees to relinquish Spain by years end and Cicero agrees to speak in his defense (alongside Pompey throwing his weight behind Caesar's defense as well). The chances Caesar would successfully be prosecuted were slim anyway, and this essentially would be assurance enough to Caesar that he could easily avoid any successful prosecution. Then he stands for the consulship the following year.

Now, here's the fun part. The Pompey Caesar alliance is still all but defunct after the years end. Pompey was pummeled over the past decade with political loss after political loss, and so his alliance with Caesar is probably only one on a few select issues, including granting lands to veterans, and a few other mutual issues. Otherwise, Pompey is going to try hard to return to his middle path of old, where he managed to gather an impressive coalition of nobles and new men alike. It probably won't work, but Pompey would be in a better position than he was currently.

As Matteo said, the big question will be who gets the Parthian command. This is huge. In my opinion, the upper hand clearly belongs to Pompey. While I'd wager he may not necessarily have wanted a new command, the idea of Caesar outshining him and becoming the more famous of the two would be enough for him to push to get it for himself. I think he'd get it-he has way too many clients and contacts in the east from his earlier days, is the only one of the two with any experience with the east, and, moreimportantly, would be at least trying to cultivate goodwill amongst the bona. Most important of all however is the fact that he's not Caesar. I don't see how Caesar can outbid him there.

However, Caesar will likely be granted some concession. It's easy to devise what that likely would be: either Illyria or Macedonia. He'd shown interest in conquering the Balkans and Dacia before, but instead chose to go for Gaul, so I don't see why he wouldn't be content with being granted a free reign to campaign there while Pompey went to deal with Parthia.
 
Lets put it this way: How is opposition to Caesar going to attempt to combat him?
Basically by building Pompey up, and then tearing them both down. 49 BC is really the only time Caesar can force a civil war. He doesn't have any justification say, after his command in the Balkans (in my scenario) is up, because there would be no threat of prosecution for his term as consul (since he wouldn't be dealing with unprecedented obstruction designed solely to pave the way for such a prosecution this time around). And, contrary to popular belief, Caesar did not want a civil war. After he returns from his second command however, I can see the bona going after him unceasingly once more. Pompey's easy to tear down-his power is simply a coalition of well off senators and a few new men, many of whom can be stripped away from him again. Caesar's a little harder, but they could use Pompey to help bring Caesar down, and then bring Pompey down later. Would it be successful? I don't know, but it avoids civil war.
 
So the best way to go about this is to get Curio out of the way. He was the one thing standing between Pompey, Cicero, and Caesar from reaching some kind of compromise.

That said, I still don't think this can be the compromise (Caesar getting to run for consul in absentia). More likely I think it is similar to one of Caesar's original proposals: Perhaps Pompey agrees to relinquish Spain by years end and Cicero agrees to speak in his defense (alongside Pompey throwing his weight behind Caesar's defense as well). The chances Caesar would successfully be prosecuted were slim anyway, and this essentially would be assurance enough to Caesar that he could easily avoid any successful prosecution. Then he stands for the consulship the following year.

Now, here's the fun part. The Pompey Caesar alliance is still all but defunct after the years end. Pompey was pummeled over the past decade with political loss after political loss, and so his alliance with Caesar is probably only one on a few select issues, including granting lands to veterans, and a few other mutual issues. Otherwise, Pompey is going to try hard to return to his middle path of old, where he managed to gather an impressive coalition of nobles and new men alike. It probably won't work, but Pompey would be in a better position than he was currently.

As Matteo said, the big question will be who gets the Parthian command. This is huge. In my opinion, the upper hand clearly belongs to Pompey. While I'd wager he may not necessarily have wanted a new command, the idea of Caesar outshining him and becoming the more famous of the two would be enough for him to push to get it for himself. I think he'd get it-he has way too many clients and contacts in the east from his earlier days, is the only one of the two with any experience with the east, and, moreimportantly, would be at least trying to cultivate goodwill amongst the bona. Most important of all however is the fact that he's not Caesar. I don't see how Caesar can outbid him there.

However, Caesar will likely be granted some concession. It's easy to devise what that likely would be: either Illyria or Macedonia. He'd shown interest in conquering the Balkans and Dacia before, but instead chose to go for Gaul, so I don't see why he wouldn't be content with being granted a free reign to campaign there while Pompey went to deal with Parthia.

I guess you and I read the same great biography of Pompey by Robin Seager. :)

However I disagree on the point about Curio. Of course Curio had his own ambitions and he certainly, as any roman young ambitious noble, prefered a situation were 2 imperatores were not over-shadowing the whole roman political stage.

But I think Seager is wrong in supposing that Curio bypassed Caesar and forces him into conflict with Pompey. Caesar had his dignitas. And my guess is that he did use Curio to exert pressure on Pompey because he (rightly) felt that Pompey was playing double-game and deliberately undermining his own position.

Pompey could not ignore the situation in Gaul. Pompey could not ignore that Caesar could not come back to Rome in late 50 because he needed the whol year 50 and even the first months of 49 to settle matters in his Gallic provinces, to celebrate his triumph in Rome, and then to be candidate for a second consulship that could only have been the consulship for 48 because of the law demanding a full 10 years delay between 2 consulships (having been consul in 59, Caesar could not be consul again before 48 without a special law granting him a derogation).

If Caesar had felt Curio had forces his hand, he would not have made him his most important lieutenant until his premature death in Africa against Juba of Numidia.


Now, to come back to the subject, if Caesar and Pompey decide to remain allies, they will certainly have some solid deal lasting for at least 4 to 5 years. Don't expect the 2 men to split quickly if Pompey did precisely refuse to do in this timeline what he did in OTL.

The most probable next step is that only natural or accidental death will then put an end to their alliance. Pompey was coming close to his sixties. Caesar was 6 years longer.
 
However, Caesar will likely be granted some concession. It's easy to devise what that likely would be: either Illyria or Macedonia. He'd shown interest in conquering the Balkans and Dacia before, but instead chose to go for Gaul, so I don't see why he wouldn't be content with being granted a free reign to campaign there while Pompey went to deal with Parthia.

I agree that Caesar would not accept Cyprus.

However, the romans just passed a bill, introduced by Pompeius, that between magistrate and pro-magistrate has to be a 5 year delay.

Well, it was always possible to annul a law the next year, or to get an extraordinary command. But in this case I doubt it would have been that easy.
 
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I guess you and I read the same great biography of Pompey by Robin Seager. :)

However I disagree on the point about Curio. Of course Curio had his own ambitions and he certainly, as any roman young ambitious noble, prefered a situation were 2 imperatores were not over-shadowing the whole roman political stage.

But I think Seager is wrong in supposing that Curio bypassed Caesar and forces him into conflict with Pompey. Caesar had his dignitas. And my guess is that he did use Curio to exert pressure on Pompey because he (rightly) felt that Pompey was playing double-game and deliberately undermining his own position.

Pompey could not ignore the situation in Gaul. Pompey could not ignore that Caesar could not come back to Rome in late 50 because he needed the whol year 50 and even the first months of 49 to settle matters in his Gallic provinces, to celebrate his triumph in Rome, and then to be candidate for a second consulship that could only have been the consulship for 48 because of the law demanding a full 10 years delay between 2 consulships (having been consul in 59, Caesar could not be consul again before 48 without a special law granting him a derogation).

If Caesar had felt Curio had forces his hand, he would not have made him his most important lieutenant until his premature death in Africa against Juba of Numidia.


Now, to come back to the subject, if Caesar and Pompey decide to remain allies, they will certainly have some solid deal lasting for at least 4 to 5 years. Don't expect the 2 men to split quickly if Pompey did precisely refuse to do in this timeline what he did in OTL.

The most probable next step is that only natural or accidental death will then put an end to their alliance. Pompey was coming close to his sixties. Caesar was 6 years longer.
I can agree with that.

I agree that Caesar would not accept Cyprus.

However, the romans just passed a bill, introduced by Pompeius, that between magistrate and pro-magistrate has to be a 5 year delay.

Well, it was always possible to annul a law the next year, orto get anextraordinary command. But in this case I doubt it would have been that easy.
Crap, I forgot about that law. That plays an interesting role here. Pompey's last consulship was in 52, so that leaves him available for a pro-magistracy for 47. Caesar probably wouldn't be available for one until 43. Well then that leaves their lieutenants maybe? Actually, looking at the consular fasti, it interestingly leaves Ahenobarbus as eligible for a pro-magistracy in 49. I suppose Cato's men might rally behind supporting him for the eastern command?
 
This law is not blocking since it was for the "common" consulars.

A very powerful consulars like Pompey and Caesar always could have the Assembly of the people vote an extraordinary command in their favour, derogating to common law.
 
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