Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus (consul 177 BC) facts for kids

Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus (around 220 BC – 154 BC) was an important Roman politician and general. He lived in the 2nd century BC. He was elected consul twice, which was a very high position. He served as consul in 177 BC and again in 163 BC. He also earned two triumphs, which were big parades to celebrate military victories.

Tiberius was the father of two famous brothers, Tiberius and Gaius. These sons later became very well-known in Roman history.

During his time as a tribune (a protector of the common people) in 184 BC, he helped save important Roman generals, like Scipio Africanus, from legal trouble. He felt their service to Rome was more important than any small mistakes. Later, he married Africanus' daughter, Cornelia. A few years later, Tiberius became a praetor and then a governor in Spain. He won many battles there and was given a triumph. After his first time as consul, he went to Sardinia and won another triumph when he returned. In 169 BC, he became a censor and started building the basilica Sempronia in the Roman forum. He became consul for a second time in 163 BC.

Early Life and Roman Family

Tiberius belonged to the plebeian class, which meant he was a common citizen, not a noble. However, he was part of the powerful Sempronia family, which was very old and well-connected in Rome. It's possible he was the same person who served as an augur (a religious official who predicted the future) from 204 to 174 BC. His grandfather, who had the same name, was also a consul in 215 and 213 BC.

We don't know much about Tiberius's very early life. He did serve in the Roman army. While fighting in Asia with the Scipio family, he was sent to talk with Philip V of Macedon, a king, to arrange safe travel. He might have also helped settle a disagreement between Macedon and its Greek neighbors a few years later.

Tiberius served as a tribune of the plebs in 184 BC. This was a special job where he could protect the rights of the common people. He famously used his power to help Scipio Africanus avoid a trial and Lucius Cornelius Scipio Asiagenes avoid prison. Even though Tiberius wasn't a close friend of the Scipios, he believed their great service to Rome meant they should not be punished. Many stories say that Scipio Africanus gave his daughter Cornelia to Tiberius in marriage as a thank you. However, other sources say the marriage happened after Africanus died, arranged by his family. The marriage probably took place around 181 BC.

His next important job was curule aedile in 182 BC. During this time, he put on such grand public games that the Roman Senate decided to limit how much money could be spent on them.

Military and Political Achievements

Tiberius was elected praetor for 180 BC. To hold this office, men usually had to be at least 40 years old. This helps us guess that he was born around 220 BC. After being a praetor, he became the governor of Hispania Citerior (part of Spain) in 179 BC. He argued that the work in Spain wasn't finished, so he continued as governor from 179–178 BC. Rome had been fighting in Spain for a long time.

While he was governor, Tiberius worked with another governor, Lucius Postumius Albinus. They successfully fought against groups like the Celtiberians and Lusitanians. They also made peace treaties that helped keep the peace for a long time. For the next twenty years, Rome focused less on expanding in Spain. During his time as governor, Tiberius also founded the city of Gracchuris in 178 BC, named after himself. This was on the Ebro River. He claimed to have destroyed 300 cities during his campaigns in Spain, which was likely an exaggeration. When he returned to Rome, the Senate gave him a triumph. He and Albinus brought back a lot of silver.

In 177 BC, Tiberius was elected consul with Gaius Claudius Pulcher. He was sent to Sardinia, where he stopped a rebellion. He fought two tough campaigns, making the Ilienses and Balari groups surrender. By the end of 175 BC, he returned to Rome, saying he had killed or captured 80,000 Sardinians. He celebrated his second triumph in 175 BC.

He was elected censor in 169 BC, again with Gaius Claudius Pulcher. Censors were important officials who counted citizens, managed public money, and oversaw public morals. They helped gather soldiers for a war against Macedon. Tiberius was very strict, which even led to his colleague Claudius being put on trial. Claudius was found innocent with Tiberius's help. It was said that citizens would put out their lights at night when Gracchus walked by, so they wouldn't seem too wasteful. As censor in 168 BC, he also built the basilica Sempronia in the Roman forum.

After his time as censor, in 165 BC, Gracchus led a group of ambassadors to different kingdoms in the East. Their job was to find out how these kingdoms felt about Rome. He reported that everyone had good opinions of the Romans.

In 163 BC, Tiberius was elected consul for a second time. During the elections for the next year's consuls, he made a small mistake while performing the religious rituals (called auspices). He realized this mistake after the new consuls had already taken office. He reported it to the Senate, and because of his honesty, the new consuls were forced to resign. One of them was his brother-in-law, Publius Cornelius Scipio Nasica Corculum.

Later Life and Family

Tiberius returned to Rome in late 162 BC. He became an ambassador again, traveling to Greece and Asia to check on conditions and help settle disagreements between different kingdoms.

It's not clear if the mistake that caused his brother-in-law, Scipio Nasica, to lose his first consulship caused any problems between them. However, their sons would later have serious political disagreements about 30 years later.

Tiberius's Family Life

Tiberius married Cornelia in 172 BC. She was 18 years old, and he was about 48. Despite the age difference, their marriage was very happy. They had twelve children together, but only three lived to be adults: a daughter named Sempronia, and two sons, Tiberius Gracchus and Gaius Gracchus. Sempronia later married her mother's cousin, Scipio Aemilianus.

Tiberius loved his wife very much. Romans also thought highly of Cornelia as a wife and mother. After Tiberius died, Cornelia managed his property and household. She chose not to remarry, even though several Roman senators and the Egyptian king Ptolemy VIII asked her. Cornelia spent the rest of her life raising and educating her sons.

There's a famous story about Tiberius showing his love for Cornelia. One day, he found two snakes in his bedroom. The soothsayers (people who predicted the future) told him he had to kill one of them. They said if he killed the male snake, he would die, but if he killed the female snake, Cornelia would die. Tiberius loved his wife very much and felt it was better for an older man like him to die than for a young woman like her. So, he killed the male snake and let the female escape. Soon after, he died, leaving behind his twelve children with Cornelia.

Tiberius's own achievements are sometimes overshadowed by the fame of his wife, Cornelia, and the actions of his two surviving sons. His elder son, Tiberius, was still young when his father died, and his younger son, Gaius, was just a baby. Both sons were raised not only in their own home but also partly in the home of their relative and brother-in-law, Scipio Aemilianus. They were influenced and taught by important thinkers like the historian Polybius and the philosopher Panaetius.