Servilius Rullus
Publius Servilius Rullus was a politician in the late Roman Republic, and sought in vain tribune 63 BC as a land law with far-reaching political implications push through.
Life
Publius Servilius Rullus was the son of the mint master of 89 BC and son of a Valgius who had enriched themselves at the confiscation of property by the dictator Sulla with vast tracts of land in the territory of Hirpiner.
As tribune in 63 BC Servilius wanted to get an agrarian law, but were behind this application is probably the triumvirs later Gaius Julius Caesar and Marcus Licinius Crassus. Already 65 BC Caesar had, supported by the then acting as a censor Crassus, the. Ptolemy XII collect ruled Egypt as a Roman province tries to to gain by the rich Nile Valley a power base. But his plan was foiled. But a year later he obviously wanted to achieve with the help of Servilius his plans by other means.
The agrarian law of Servilius BC applied in December 64 officially served the welfare of landless farmers Roman. These should get in Italy real estate on the one hand yet available state domains ( Ager publicus ) and on the other hand, the financing was planned by the sale of public lands in the provinces of newly purchased land. To carry out the agrarian law an elected five years Ten men Commission with far -reaching powers should be used, so this Decemviri have acquired the power to dispose of the entire state public domains. Caesar figured probably a good chance of becoming a member of this Commission, it was probably Egypt involved in this capacity in its deliberations, since the Nile had been bequeathed by will of Ptolemy X. the Romans as inheritance.
But the orator and politician Marcus Tullius Cicero fought the requested lex agraria immediately after the commencement of his consulship ( on 1 January 63 BC after the vorjulianischen calendar) in four words, three of which are largely intact. He feared that an ambitious Roman politician like Caesar could win as a ruler in Egypt so much influence that he managed to eliminate the republican form of government. Even on the first day of his consulship Cicero held in the Senate a speech De lege agraria, in which he decided opposed the proposed law of Servilius. A little later he tried his rhetorical talent in a second speech on the same Causa before the People's Assembly and threw Servilius before, only to play a major role and wanting to provide for his own relatives, especially his father, especially. Only one of two further held on the same topic speeches of the orator is obtained.
Cicero reached its destination, that the legislative initiative of Servilius failed. His decisive arguments were particularly revealing the political background of the proposed farm bill, which was in reality no social reform, and the reference to the large powers of ten men Commission, whose members he therefore dubbed as "kings". They would have been determined, according to Cicero especially as a counterweight to Pompey. When Caesar but was consul 59 BC, he brought his Lex Iulia agraria through the essential points of the challenged laws proposal of Servilius.
The further fate of Servilius is unknown. Possibly the same captains of the Octavian was his son.