Triumvirate facts for kids

A triumvirate is a group of three people who share power. A duumvirate is a group of two people who share power.

This word is often used when talking about historical events or different types of government. The word troika is a Russian word for triumvirate. It was used in the Soviet Union after Vladimir Lenin died. For example, Joseph Stalin, Lev Kamenev, and Grigory Zinoviev worked together to gain control of the government. In the Soviet Union, a troika usually meant the three most important people in the government: the Party leader, the head of state, and the head of government.

Triumvirates in Ancient Rome

In Ancient Rome, a famous leader named Julius Caesar was part of the First Triumvirate. He shared power with Pompey and Marcus Licinius Crassus.

After Julius Caesar died in 43 B.C.E., three other powerful men formed a Second Triumvirate. These men were Mark Antony, Marcus Aemilius Lepidus, and Octavian. They worked together to rule the Roman Empire.

The First Triumvirate of the Roman Republic: Gnaeus Pompeius (Pompey), Marcus Licinius Crassus, and Gaius Julius Caesar
Triumvirate of : (L-R) Saint-Just, Robespierre, and Couthon
L-R) Zhou Enlai, Mao Zedong, and Liu Shaoqi in 1964
Triumvirate of: (L-R) Nikolai Podgorny, Leonid Brezhnev, and Alexei Kosygin during October Revolution anniversary celebrations in 1973
The "Triumvirate of National Defence": (L-R) Admiral Kountouriotis, Venizelos, and General Danglis
Moses (in the centre) along with Aaron and Hur at the Battle of Rephidim.
Peter (sitting in the centre) along with John and his brother James, son of Zebedee (sitting L-R) at the Transfiguration of Jesus.