Gaius Marius was a highly successful Roman general who held the consulship an unprecedented 7 times. However, his reforms granting citizenship and land to soldiers caused opposition. Meanwhile, Lucius Cornelius Sulla also rose to prominence as a general. A rivalry developed between the two that plunged Rome into civil war. Sulla eventually defeated Marius and his supporters, and established himself as dictator with broad powers, though he used brutal tactics like proscription lists against his enemies.

1. Gaius Marius and
Lucius Cornelius Sulla

2. ● Gaius Marius was a great general
● He fought and won the Jugurthine War
● The Roman people trusted him to defend them
● He was elected tribune (he was plebeian)
● He was elected consul

3. ● Because they trusted him to protect them from
the Gauls/Germans, he was re-elected
immediately (very unusual)
● He held the consulship a record 7 times
(unprecedented, highly unusual, and completely
illegal)

4. ● Marius married into the Julian family to give
himself money and patrician connections
● Marius was prophesied to be powerful and
important. 2 stories:
○ Found an eagle nest with 7 eggs
○ Prophetess told him the gods favored him

5. As consul, Marius made some important reforms to
the military:
● smaller units for more flexibility
● specialized units
● new weapons
● promoting successful soldiers
to be officers
● the eagle standard

6. ● With his improved army, Marius did in fact defeat
the invading Germanic tribes
● Because of this victory he was called “the third
founder of Rome”
● To reward his troops, he pursued two new pieces
of legislation

7. ● One was to grant land to his veterans in colonies
throughout Rome’s conquered territory
● The other was to grant citizenship to Rome’s
allies in Italy

8. ● People didn’t like this in Rome, and violence
erupted
● However, Marius brought in his troops to enforce
law and order and push through his law
● This was also a way of threatening the Roman
people
● This act made clear that whoever had the support
of the military would be in charge of Rome

9. ● However, he didn’t push through the law granting
citizenship to the Italian allies
● They were not happy
● The Social War erupts in 91BC, when the Italian
cities around Rome give up on citizenship and
decide to just destroy Rome and take back
ownership of the peninsula

10. ● Marius and his army fight the former allies, along
with several other armies in Italy
● One is under command of the new consul, Sulla
● Sulla wipes the floor with the allies and manages
to outshine Marius
● This sparks a rivalry that does
not end here

11. ● Meanwhile, war has
erupted in the East
● Mithridates, King of
Pontus, has seized
Roman territory
● The Romans send
an army under
command
of Sulla to
push Mithridates
back into

12. ● Something weird happens though
● Some politicians (clients of Marius) convince the
senate that only Marius can defeat Mithridates
● The senate calls Sulla back to Rome to be
replaced by Marius
● Sulla is not pleased

13. ● He comes back, but he brings the army with him

14. ● Sulla actually encamps right outside Rome and
threatens the people and the government to get
his command back
● Ironically, although he is not “in charge” of the
army, they only listen to him
● It seems they had formed an attachment to him
● Soldiers now have personal loyalty to generals
instead of to the state

15. ● Sulla exiles Marius, who flees to Africa. Marius
has held six consulships at this point
● Sulla then goes off to Asia Minor to fight
Mithridates
● This is when things get crazy back home

16. ● There are two new consuls in Rome, now that
Sulla’s term is over
● One is a guy named Cinna
● Cinna is an idiot
● Cinna tries again to give citizenship to the Italian
allies
● Nobody’s having it, and he gets kicked out of
Rome

17. ● Cinna is unhappy, and raises an army of loyal
followers to take control of the city
● Then out of nowhere, who do you think shows up
again?

18. ● Yup, it’s Marius
● He rolls up and joins
Cinna’s army
● Actually, he takes
over Cinna’s army
● He adds a ragtag
collection of
rebellious
slaves and poor
veterans, then

19. ● This is now the second time a Roman army has
marched on Rome for the sake of their general
● Marius takes over and commits atrocities
● He goes on a killing spree, murdering anyone
who ever opposed him
● The streets are awash with blood for five days of
terror
● Marius and Cinna are “elected” as consuls for the
next year, but then...

20. ● Marius dies
● He was 71, after all
● Bloodbaths take a
lot of exertion
RIP

21. ● “Honey, I’m home!”
● Sulla is back, and not pleased
with the situation at home
● He marches on Rome (again)
● Now a real civil war erupts
● He faces the current consuls
and Gaius Marius Junior
● Fortunately, Junior isn’t as
good a general as his daddy
was, and Sulla
prevails

22. ● It is worth mentioning that one of his biggest
supporters is a young guy named Pompey. He’ll
be important later
● Sulla declares himself dictator
● He totally reorganizes the government and writes
a new constitution
● Most of his reforms are actually pretty good ideas,
like some changes to judiciary proceedings,
increasing the size of the senate, and requiring
more of city magistrates

23. ● However, he also uses a tactic called proscription
● These are basically wanted posters, but there is
no “or alive.” They are wanted dead.
● Sulla proscribes about 1500 people
● Historians estimate about 9000 are
actually killed because of them

24. ● One man on the proscription list is Marius’
nephew
● He goes into hiding to escape
● His family intercedes on his behalf and Sulla is
convinced to spare him
● However, he comments, “In this young man I see
many Mariuses.”
● He’s right.