Marius and Sulla

Civil War

Background to Apollo in Roman Political Propaganda—Marians vs. Sullans

As soon as Sulla set foot in Italy, other members of the nobility who had been outlawed after his departure flocked to his standard. Among them were Cn. Pompeius, who had raised a force in Picenum and, outmanoeuvring the opposing armies, reached Sulla with three legions, Metellus Pius, a son of Metellus Numidicus, and M. Licinius Crassus [1].

With these reinforcements Sulla's army, now augmented to more than 50,000 men, began its second march upon Rome. To check Sulla’s advance, Carbo (Cinna's consular colleague in 85 and 84) had sent forward two consular armies, but the commanders had so little confidence in their soldiers, perhaps because they were mostly untrained and not more than half-willing, that they gave Sulla a free road as far as Campania. Here each consul in turn offered battle, but Sulla heavily defeated one, and bribed the other’s army away. He then disarmed another potential source of opposition by proclaiming that he would respect the rights of the new citizens [2].

• Introduction
• Conflict
• Age of Cinna
• Civil War

A severe winter brought the campaign of 83 to a premature close. Carbo profited by this reprieve and recruited fresh armies, especially the Samnite tribes against whom Sulla had fought during the Social War. Joining him was a son of Marius who lured his father's veterans back to the standards by the magic of his name. Hence, in 82, the Marian forces were far more battle-worthy [3]. from http://janusquirinus.org/

At the outset of 82, the war-front extended from Campania to the northern Adriatic. While Carbo consolidated in the north, the younger Marius was to hold Rome. But the war-zone was quickly narrowed down by a sweeping northward move on the part of Sulla, who broke away along the line of the Via Latina towards Praeneste. Near Praeneste, Sulla defeated the younger Marius so completely that Marius was driven into Praeneste. Sulla then entered Rome where he found that many leading senators had been massacred on the orders of the younger Marius [4]. from http://janusquirinus.org/

Sulla hurried on northwards to Etruria, where his lieutenants Pompey and Metellus had been harassing Carbo and his reserve forces. Despite a delay because of Carbo’s efforts, Sulla's northward march effectively decided the campaign. While Sulla drew Carbo's reserves, the remaining Marian forces, left unsupported, were crumpled up by Sulla's lieutenants [5]. With enemy armies closing in on all sides, his own supporters melting away by desertion, and news about defeats of the Marian forces, Carbo he lost his nerve and fled from Italy. Most Marian troops in Etruria now surrendered or dispersed [6]. from http://janusquirinus.org/

A few, though, cut their way through to join up with a Samnite army. Their combined forces, estimated at 70,000 men, made a determined attempt to disengage the younger Marius in Praeneste, but it could not get through Sulla’s armies. In a final attempt to save the besieged, the Marian and Samnite forces made a sudden dash on Rome. Sulla raced there in the nick of time. Dividing his force Sulla doubled back to Rome with a mobile column, and offered battle under its walls outside the Colline Gate. His own wing was almost overpowered, but made a final rally, while Crassus carried all before him on the right flank. The fight for Rome ended in the destruction of the last Marian army. Losses on both sides were heavy and the Samnites fell to the last man [7]. from http://janusquirinus.org/

Soon afterwards Praeneste fell, Marius committed suicide and most of the survivors were massacred. A few cities still resisted, but the Battle of the Colline Gate put the final issue beyond doubt. The last actions of the civil war were fought in the western provinces, where Sulla's lieutenants got rid of the Marian governors. By the end of 80, the Marian party had been dislodged from its last places of refuge, and the entire Roman Empire was at Sulla's disposal [8]. from http://janusquirinus.org/

Sulla was made dictator rei publicae constituendae (dictator for reorganising the government) and tried to reform the government in a way he thought was best—by giving the Senate another chance and to make the government more effective by curbing those forces that threatened it: tribunes, censors and magistrates, especially the army commanders [9]. He passed a treason law (lex de maiestate) which regulated the conduct of a promagistrate in his province [10] and sent magistrates to their overseas provinces after rather than during their year of office [11]. He accepted recent constitutional developments, even extended them [12]. Italians were freely admitted to the Senate, and the support of the upper classes of Italy was recognised as vital to the survival of the Republic [13]. The addition of many equites into the Senate eased the political differences between the patricians and the equites [14]. By far though, the most lasting of his reforms was his handling of criminal justice. He created first standing courts in order to cover all major crimes: murder and poisoning, forgery, extortion, treason, electoral bribery, peculation and assault [15]. However, a “balanced constitution could work only if there was concordia, and concordia could not be revived by force. It would have to grow, and Sulla probably hoped that his arrangements would give it time to do so” [16]. He then stepped down from his dictatorship willingly and withdrew from the political scene completely. from http://janusquirinus.org/

Despite his reforms, the later historians most remembered his ruthlessness:

Sulla now wielded with unbridled cruelty the powers which former dictators had employed only to save their country in times of extreme danger [17].

After Sulla had restored the state, he befouled a most glorious victory by cruelty greater than any other man had ever displayed. He butchered eight thousand men, who had surrendered, in the Civic Villa; he set up a proscription list; and filled the city and all Italy with slaughter. Among other enormities he ordered all the Praenestines, who were disarmed, to be cut down, and put Marius [Gratidianus, Marius’ nephew], a man of senatorial rank, to death after breaking his legs and arms, cutting off his ears, and gouging out his eyes [18].

The Marian faction was “broken and in a low condition” [19] but that were not the end. In Julius Caesar, the Marian faction found hope again. As Sulla warned,