The Rise of Pompey and Crassus in the Late Roman Republic
📌 Following Sulla's dictatorship, Pompey (a skilled military figure known as "Magnus") and Crassus (the richest man of his time, who profited heavily from Sulla's proscriptions) rose to prominence in Roman politics.
⚔️ Crassus gained fame suppressing Spartacus's slave revolt, while Pompey achieved success against the Roman general Quintus Sertorius in Spain.
🏛️ Around 70 BCE, both sought the Consulship, the highest ordinary office, which required prior service in the *cursus honorum*; Pompey bypassed these rules by threatening with his army, leading the Senate to yield.

Consulship and Political Maneuvering (70 BCE)
🤝 During their one-year consulship, Pompey and Crassus, though linked to the conservative Optimates, worked to gain the support or at least non-opposition of the Populares.
📜 They achieved this by abolishing key reforms enacted by Sulla that favored the Optimates, specifically by restoring powers to the Tribunes of the Plebs (including the right of veto) and allowing *equites* (knights) back into the judicial courts.
📈 This strategy aimed to secure the broadest possible base of support beyond the traditional Optimates faction.

Pompey's Extraordinary Military Commands
🎖️ In 67 BCE, Pompey received his first **extraordinary military *imperium* for three years to combat piracy in the Mediterranean, which severely disrupted Roman trade and supply lines, particularly for grain.
🌊 Using immense resources (120,000 men and 500 ships), Pompey rapidly suppressed the pirates in just three months**, capturing key pirate strongholds like Cilicia and Crete.
🌍 In 66 BCE, he received a second, even broader extraordinary *imperium* to deal with Mithridates VI of Pontus, who had invaded Bithynia. Pompey defeated Mithridates (who eventually committed suicide) by 63 BCE.

Reorganization of the East
♟️ Following his victories, Pompey bypassed the Senate and unilaterally reorganized the East to ensure lasting peace and secure new revenues for Rome.
👑 He annexed several regions, including Bithynia and Cilicia, turning them into Roman provinces. Other regions, like Judea and Cappadocia, became formally autonomous client kingdoms subordinate to Rome.
💰 This reorganization brought significant, enduring peace to the Eastern frontiers and secured new tribute for the Roman treasury, boosting Pompey's prestige as a great conqueror, rivaling achievements since the Punic Wars.

Key Points & Insights
➡️ Pompey and Crassus leveraged their military successes post-Sulla to gain Consulship in 70 BCE, despite legal challenges regarding Pompey's age and lack of prerequisite offices.
➡️ To secure power, they strategically conceded ground to the Populares by reversing Sulla's Optimates-favoring reforms, such as restoring power to the Tribunes of the Plebs.
➡️ Pompey demonstrated his independent power by taking on extraordinary military mandates (against pirates and Mithridates) and ultimately reorganizing entire Eastern territories without explicit senatorial approval, solidifying Rome's borders and finances.

📸 Video summarized with SummaryTube.com on Jan 05, 2026, 14:33 UTC