Once Sulla was satisfied that a favorable government was installed, he departed in 87 BCE to confront Mithridates whose control and influence had swiftly spread throughout the east, but Sulla's plans were quickly thwarted. Sulla used his unlimited power to unilaterally reform the Republic into his ideal form of government. He was betrayed by his slave who, on Sulla's orders, was first granted his freedom and then thrown to his death from the Tarpeian Rock for his betraying his master. Marius fled the city as Sulla proclaimed him and eleven of his associates public enemies, carrying a sentence of death, but only one public enemy was captured and killed, Sulpicius. Marius was not expecting such an unparalleled enterprise and was only able to coordinate a limited but insufficient defense. He reversed his troops and became the first Roman general to lead a hostile army across Rome's pomerium (a sacred boundary surrounding Rome) and seize the city. Sulla refused to relinquish his coveted command and decided to consolidate his position in Rome. The pro-Marian faction responded just as viciously by executing some of Sulla's supporters in Rome. Marius swiftly dispatched subordinates to facilitate the transfer of power, but they were stoned to death by Sulla's troops. When Sulla departed to prepare his army in 88 BCE, Marius engineered the passage of legislation replacing Sulla with himself as the head of the command. This required swift action, and the highly sought command fell to Sulla, which enraged the envious Marius. King Mithridates of Pontus had invaded the Roman province of Asia and orchestrated the massacre of 80,000 Romans and Italians. It became so dangerous that Sulla was forced to seek refuge in Marius' home even though he was aiding Sulla's opposition.Īll the while, a threat was rapidly developing in the east. However, domestic politics proved difficult to maneuver, and factional disagreements led to an outbreak of violent rioting. Because of his newfound popularity, he was nearly unanimously elected to the consulship of 88 BCE. Sulla plunged himself into the conflict, briefly fought alongside Marius, and impressively neutralized many foes, gaining great notoriety. Rome's Italian allies had clamored for Roman citizenship for years and finally revolted to gain their independence. Sulla as Consulīut Sulla's political ambitions abruptly halted as Rome descended into its first civil war in 91 BCE, called the Social War. Following his praetorship, Sulla was assigned to serve as governor of the Roman province of Cilicia beginning in 96 BCE, where he displayed his administrative aptitude and military prowess.
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Undeterred by this loss, he sought the office again the following year on a platform of unprecedented free games, and unsurprisingly, he was duly elected.
In 99 BCE, he unsuccessfully canvassed for the praetorship on his military successes. With the Jugurthine and barbarian wars concluded, Sulla focused his energy on advancing his political career. The transfer was approved, and once more Sulla proved his worth, even though Catulus' army was relegated to a supporting role in the conflict, which ultimately resulted in the sound defeat of the barbarian tribes in 101 BCE.Ĭarole Raddato (CC BY-SA) Sulla's Political Ambitions However, during the barbarian conflict, the relationship between Marius and Sulla became so strained that Sulla requested to be reassigned to another army, led by the co- Consul Catulus. Marius was charged with subduing these tribes, the Cimbri and the Teutones, and he again chose the very capable Sulla to assist him. Barbarian tribes from the north had humiliated multiple Roman armies and were threatening to invade the Italian peninsula. Nonetheless, more serious matters required their attention. Sulla took every opportunity to boast that it was he who actually ended the war, not Marius, which undoubtedly annoyed the general. Eventually, Bocchus agreed to surrender Jugurtha personally to Sulla, which essentially marked the end of the conflict in 105 BCE. As Marius gradually captured Jugurthine strongholds and routed his armies, he tasked Sulla with negotiating with the vacillating King Bocchus of Mauretania whose allegiance was subject to change. Sulla raised and ably led a cavalry contingent during the Numidian campaign, during which he won great popularity within the ranks for sharing the common legionary's hardships. Sulla allegedly wanted to repair the fragile republican government, but he implemented reforms through brutal force.