light. He also feared that if Pompey got too powerful, that his name would be on the top of Pompey’s proscription list. Crassus decided the only way to protect himself was to amass a huge army. He gained support for his army by loaning money to various individuals and by being a legal representative for the wealthy.He hired a charismatic young man as his political manager by the name of Julius Caesar. Crassus hoped to use his own gold and Caesar’s brains to secure control of the democrats and an army. Caesar’s ambition had already placed him deeply in debt to Crassus and others, so their joining of forces only seemed natural.In 65 B.C., Crassus became censor. During his service as Censor, he proposed to register the people of Cisalpine Gaul as Roman citizens. He thought that this would gain the support of those people for his army. His idea was not surprisingly blocked by the other censor, but the attempt was enough to gain the support of these people.When Caesar decided to run for election as consul in 60 B.C., he knew that he needed the support of both Crassus and Pompey. Caesar’s great diplomatic abilities came to light as he managed to bring the two men together somewhat peaceably. It was at this point that the three men came together to form the First Triumvirate. Caesar was well on his way to political power, and Crassus saw this union as a way to get laws passed to help his business ventures in Asia.Caesar was sent to Gaul in 59 B.C. as consul. Since he was gone most of the time, this 2left Crassus and Pompey in Rome to quarrel violently with one another. From 58 to 56 B.C., Crassus made serious attempts to limit Pompey’s power. Caesar saw the need for his mediation to keep the Triumvirate from falling apart. With Caesar’s help in 55, Crassus and Pompey became consuls again.Crassus was still jealous of Pompey. He was hungry for military glory like that of Pompey, and he managed...
