"See that gladiator with a long sword? I bet he can win. " "No, look at the man with the dagger. Look, how strong he is! I bet he can beat the man who uses the sword.
Gladiatori di Roma
Do you dare to bet with me? "The audience of Roman nobles are arguing noisily. For them, this is an interesting performance, and if they are lucky, they can earn some gambling money.
Two young gladiators were brought into the arena. What they face is not a performance, but a cruel struggle of life and death. Either you die or I live. They shielded themselves, looked for opportunities and stabbed each other with weapons. Suddenly, one of the gladiators was unfortunately stabbed by a sword, and his blood gurgled down, leaving him powerless to fight back.
"Well, that's great! Another sword and stab him to death! " The nobles in the audience shouted wildly.
Finally, the injured man fell down. I saw a witch on the stage stand up. She decided the fate of the loser. Her thumb is up, and the loser can survive by luck; Thumb down, the loser must be executed on the spot. Just one gesture can decide a person's life and death. I saw her thumb down, and suddenly, the loser was killed in a pool of blood. Instead of showing any sympathy, the aristocratic audience burst into cheers.
In ancient Rome, there were large manors that used slave labor on a large scale everywhere, and slaves were called "talking tools". For fun, the slave owners built a huge Colosseum, the largest of which can accommodate 50,000 spectators. Before the competition starts, the organizer will post advertisements to attract the audience. Thousands of nobles, slave owners, big businessmen and civilians swarmed in. The most exciting thing about watching a fight is gambling. The victory or defeat of gladiators on the field is directly related to the victory or defeat of these gamblers, so the situation on the field is often very fanatical.
Portrait of Spartak
Gladiators are generally slaves, mostly Thracians, Gauls and Germans, but also Africans and prisoners of war from other places. After a battle, the bodies of slaves were left on the battlefield. The brutal rule of slave owners forced the unbearable slaves to launch large-scale armed uprisings again and again. In 73 BC, the biggest slave uprising in the ancient history of the world-Spartak uprising broke out.
Spartak uprising
Spartak was a Thracian in the northeast Balkan Peninsula and the leader of the most powerful tribe in Thrace. When Rome marched into northern Greece and invaded his hometown, Spartak led the Thracians to revolt. But little Thrace was no match for the powerful Roman army, and Spartak was quickly captured by the Romans. Because of his strong body and extraordinary experience, he was sold as a gladiator slave and sent to the gladiator school in Capua, where he was treated inhumanely. Spartak was invincible in the arena and once defeated four gladiators in a row. But in the Gladiator School, Spartak and his companions can only live a life of fighting wild animals or killing each other all day. Their fate is doomed to death, because they may die in the arena at any time. In fact, they are suspended prisoners. In the unbearable situation, Spartak said to his companions, "It is better to die in the battlefield for freedom than in the arena for the pleasure of the nobility." But the gladiators are closely watched, their movements are strictly restricted, and they are still wearing heavy shackles on their feet. The clever Spartak came up with a clever plan.
Second, just resistance.
Late at night in 73 BC. The gladiator in Kapuya, the center of Rome, suddenly let out a terrible scream behind the bars, which was particularly miserable in the silent night. Three guards rushed over and asked sharply through the railing, "What are you doing? Go to hell! Still not sleeping honestly! "
A gladiator stretched out his head and said, "I killed someone." The Gauls killed our Thracian partner. How can we let him go? Now that he has been subdued by us, what do you think should be done with him? If you don't care, we will strangle him. "
The guard took a photo with an oil lamp, and sure enough, one person was lying on the ground, as if dead, and another person was being scuffled by several people. The guard saw it and said impatiently, "Give him to us. You also carry the dead out. " Said and opened the door. At this moment, the trained slaves rushed forward with lightning speed, knocked them to the ground with the skills they learned from the gladiator school, pulled out their daggers and rushed out of the prison gate. Heavy iron gates were opened one by one, and gladiators rushed out of the house waving fetters.
"Run to Mount Vesuvius!" I saw a loud cry piercing the night sky, and the gladiators rushed out and disappeared into the night. On the way, they happened to meet several cars carrying weapons, seized these weapons to arm themselves, and ran to Mount Vesuvius dozens of miles away to gather righteousness. Spartak led the insurgents to camp here and established a solid position.
Many escaped slaves and farmers have defected. Spartak's wife belonged to the same tribe as him and also took part in the uprising. At that time, a few slaves escaped, which was normal and did not attract the attention of the Roman Senate. The rebels took this opportunity to build up their strength. In just a few months, they seized a lot of weapons from the local garrison and supplemented a lot of materials from the nearby manor. Due to the strict discipline of the uprising army, it won the support of slaves and local farmers, and the uprising team quickly developed from more than 70 gladiators to about 10000. They killed the rich and helped the poor, making local slave owners frightened.
Spartak's rebels finally caught the attention of the Roman Senate. They realized that if they did not intervene, these former slaves and peasants would probably threaten the Roman regime. In the spring of 72 BC, the Roman Senate sent 3000 troops to suppress it. They blocked the top of the mountain where the rebels camped and blocked the only way in and out of the volcano in an attempt to trap the rebels. Eating and drinking water for ten thousand people soon became a problem. Spartak, in danger, issued a war order to the soldiers: "I would rather die than starve to death." At the same time, he also actively sought strategies to break through. One day, he inspected the battlefield and saw a group of soldiers rotating shields with wild vines. This situation made him suddenly have a plan: weave a ladder with wild vines and then use it to go down the cliff. His clever plan was answered by the soldiers, and soon a long ladder was woven. Under the cover of darkness, the insurgents moved safely to the foot of the mountain. They went around behind the enemy and launched a fierce attack, defeating 3000 enemy troops. The enemy leader jumped on the horse and fled back to Rome before putting on his saddle.
The victory in the first battle greatly boosted the morale of the rebels. Spartak carefully analyzed the situation, and it was very difficult to establish political power in Rome when the enemy was strong and we were weak. Therefore, he decided to take the rebels out of Italy and get rid of the slavery of Rome. So the rebels marched into northern Italy, ready to cross the Alps and enter the Gaul region where the Roman army had not yet reached.
However, the Roman Senate was not satisfied with its failure. It sent about 65,438+0,000 people, led by Rigney, to pursue the rebels in three ways.
After the war between the two sides, Spartak defeated two enemy troops in Rome. Because of continuous fighting, the rebels are exhausted and need proper rest. During this short break, another enemy quickly trapped the rebels in a ravine. The enemy was in high spirits and thought that they had killed the rebels. Who knows, late at night, the resourceful Spartak came up with another coup. They tied the bodies left by the enemy to a stake and lit a bonfire beside them. From a distance, it looks like a sentry standing guard, while leaving several soldiers honking their horns from time to time, causing the illusion that the rebels are still trapped in the mountains. In this way, under the eyes of the enemy, the insurgents quietly rushed out of the enemy's encirclement along the rugged narrow path. At dawn, the Roman army found the recruits and quickly led the army to pursue them, but it was already water under the bridge, and it was too late. The frustrated Roman army was ambushed by the rebel ambush team halfway, and suffered heavy losses. Rigney was seriously injured. Spartak's leadership and war talent have been fully demonstrated and recognized.
The insurgents defeated the Roman army many times in a row, and their ranks grew stronger and stronger. Spartak reorganized his rebel army according to the organizational form of Roman army. In addition to infantry composed of several legions, he also formed cavalry, scouts, signalmen and small trench teams. In addition to collecting enemy weapons, the rebel barracks also organized the manufacture of weapons, trained soldiers, and formulated strict barracks and marching life rules. It soon took control of the entire Kan Oena Plain.
At the beginning of 72 BC, the number of insurgents in Spartak had increased to 60,000. He drove his troops to Apulia and Lucania, and the number reached 6.5438+0.2 million (some history books think it was 9 ~ 65438+0.2 million). The scale of the uprising was unexpected by the elders of the Roman Senate. At this time, they fully realized the seriousness of the problem, and in the middle of 72 BC, they sent two armies, headed by the consuls Lun Tulus and Galliou, to crusade against Spartak. Under the good situation, there are differences within the insurgents. Most slaves, including Spartak, clearly realized that although the rebels galloped on the battlefield, they were invincible. However, according to the current strength comparison between the enemy and ourselves, it is impossible for them to March on Rome at this time. So Spartak advocated leaving Italy, crossing the Alps, entering Gaul where the Roman army had not yet arrived, getting rid of Roman rule, or returning home. However, the local shepherds and poor peasants who participated in the slave uprising did not want to leave Italy, hoping to continue fighting with the Roman army and seize the lost land. Some of these generals thought they were numerous, won several battles and became proud, thinking that they could completely overthrow the Roman regime. Due to this disagreement, about 30,000 people left the main force and confronted the Roman army at the foot of Mount Calganus (north of Apulia). Spartak heard the news and came to the rescue, but it was too late. More than 20,000 people died under the iron feet of the Roman army. Spartak killed 300 Roman prisoners and paid tribute to the "soul" of the fallen comrades. After that, he led the army to continue northward, hoping to complete the original plan and finally lead the soldiers to freedom.
Spartak's army crossed the whole of Italy along the Adriatic coast. At the Battle of Motina in Zizalpins Gaul (northern Italy), they defeated the army of Governor Gaius Gaius Cassius Longinus Longinus. The rebels finally reached the foot of the Alps. However, the Alps are towering into the sky, covered with snow all year round, and the climate is bad, so it is difficult for a large group of people to climb the mountains. Encouraged by the victory and the difficulty of crossing the Alps, Spartak changed his original plan, marched south, returned to Italy, bypassed Rome from one side and marched south.
The Roman Senate used to do everything possible to prevent Spartacus from running out of Italy, but now it does everything possible to prevent him from entering the center of Italy. Roman soldiers set up a defense line on the way the rebels passed, but they could not resist the rebels with high morale, such as tigers descending the mountain. The Roman Senate sent two consuls to suppress it, but both failed. In the face of this uprising team galloping in Italy, the Roman ruling group panicked, and no one dared to run for consul this year. The Senate declared a state of emergency, and finally elected the great slave owner crassus to command the army to suppress the rebels.
During the whole summer of 7 1 BC, crassus didn't win a battle, but spent it in the situation of losing ground. In order to reorganize the army, crassus restored the cruel "Eleven Killing Enemies Law" of the Italian army, that is, every 10 escaped soldier, each group drew lots to kill 1 person. In order to survive, the soldiers regained their courage and effectively improved the combat effectiveness of crassus troops. In the autumn of 72 BC, Spartak's army assembled in Brugia Peninsula (now Calabria), and it was expected to cross the Messina Strait on a pirate ship from Kiirikki. The pirates got the money and swore an oath, but they broke their word at the appointed time and disappeared. It turned out that they were bought by the governor of Sicily. Their shameless behavior cornered the rebels. However, Spartak did not lose heart. He organized the rebels to make their own rafts, and tied wooden barrels under the rafts to cross the sea instead of ships. However, the weather was not beautiful, and the big storm at sea made this plan fall through.
At this point, crassus has built a fortification behind the rebel camp-a trench with both ends leading to the sea, and built a dirt fence to cut off their export to Italy. The tenacious uprising army filled the trenches with mud and trees and broke through the fortifications. In this attack, Spartak's army lost two thirds. Soon after, after the army was quickly replenished (up to 70,000 men), Spartak tried to unexpectedly occupy the main port in southern Italy, west of Brin, across the sea to Greece, and then to Thrace (now the European part of Bulgaria and Turkey) in the spring of 7 1 BC.
The Roman Senate tried its best to suppress the uprising as soon as possible, and sent Pompeii's army and the army of Lucius from Spain and Thrace to reinforce crassus. In order not to let the Roman army meet, Spartak decided to launch a total decisive battle against crassus's army. He sped north to meet crassus. Spartak's troops fought bravely in the fierce battle in the south of Apuria province, although they were much less in number than the Roman army. Spartak, riding a horse, came in a hurry and killed two Roman officers, but neither of them was crassus, the leader of the Roman army. Spartak was determined to kill crassus, the executioner, but because he was stabbed in the thigh and was seriously injured, he had to bend his legs on the ground to continue fighting. Under the crazy siege of the Roman army, 60,000 insurgents died heroically, and Spartak also died heroically. About 5,000 insurgents fled to northern Italy, but were unfortunately wiped out by Pompeii. The bloodthirsty crassus ordered 6,000 prisoners from Rome to Gabon to be crucified. However, some scattered uprising troops without unified leadership inherited Spartak's will and persisted in fighting in many places in Italy 10 years.
Third, the benefits are in the future.
Spartak Uprising was able to establish a powerful military organization and beat back the elite Roman troops many times, which had many military successes, such as trying to seize and seize the initiative in combat operations; Organize the cooperation between infantry and cavalry and advocate attack; Cleverly mobilize troops in the war zone; March concealed quickly, unexpectedly, waiting for an opportunity to set an ambush and carry out a sudden attack; We should be good at annihilating the enemy one by one. These provided many useful experiences for the later slave uprising war. However, the vigorous Spartak uprising ended in failure. I'm afraid there are many reasons, such as: there is no general program that can unite the exploited masses; The social and ethnic components of all classes in the Roman society who participated in the uprising were complicated, and the hearts of the people were uneven, lacking the necessary education work; There are also many operational command mistakes caused by inexperience. However, the significance of this uprising goes far beyond the uprising itself. It dealt a heavy blow to the slave owners of the ruling class at that time, made the economic crisis of Roman slavery worse, and promoted the transition of Roman regime from harmony to monarchy. Spartak showed heroic fighting spirit and outstanding military talent in the uprising, and Marx called him "the real representative of the ancient proletariat"; Lenin also said: "Spartak was one of the most outstanding heroes in the biggest slave uprising about 2000 years ago."
Spartak Uprising greatly promoted the slave liberation and freedom movement and left an indelible mark on the history of people's struggle for social liberation and individual freedom. Lenin pointed out when evaluating the Spartak uprising: "For many years, the seemingly omnipotent Roman Empire, which was completely based on slavery, was often impacted and hit by the large-scale uprising of slaves who were armed and assembled under the leadership of Spartak." Slave owners were forced to change the way of exploiting slaves and managing land, and the methods of controlling slaves and attitudes towards slaves also changed. They try to buy slaves of different races, avoid using slaves of the same race together, and prevent them from uniting to organize resistance again. Slave owners began to divide the land into small pieces and give them to slaves for farming, so that slaves could share part of the harvest, which made them have a certain enthusiasm for productive labor. In this way, slaves began to evolve into "slave owners", and more and more slaves were released.