Marius and Sulla

Question 1

gracchus brothers

Answer 1

tiberius Gracchus - tribune 133, killed 133
gaius Gracchus - tribune 123 and 122, killed 121
senate take extraordinary measures to deal with rising powers of tribunes
legalize killing by consul to protect republic
solves problem in long term but sets precedent for future actions - senate could kill who they dont like

Question 2

interim period before marius

Answer 2

gallia transalpina made a province
spanish wars 114-111 - takes 3 years to retake control after rebellion
africa and numidia provinces
jugurtha problem

Question 3

Marius’ beginnings

Answer 3

enters as deputy in was against Jugurtha
returns to rome and elected consul 107
chosen to go and sort out numidia problem
beginnings of client army to try and get ore men

Question 4

Sulla’s beginnings

Answer 4

Marius’ Quaestor and right hand man
work closely together and they defeat jugurtha
claims a lot of credit for this because he got jugurtha’s ally to betray him, even though marius’ military tactics won the overall campaign

Question 5

Cimbri and Teutones

Answer 5

germanic tribes- seen as direct threat to rome but bypass italy and go to southern gaul
werent allowed to settle, chain reaction leading to big consequences
battle of arousio 105- one of many huge defeats for rome - consuls unable to work together
marius becomes consul again 104 (keeps it until 100)
continues fighting tribes, final victory in 101 at battle of Vercellae- tribes return north
wins 6th consulship on back of this

Question 6

Marius’ Army Reforms

Answer 6

no longer classes based on wealth and position
weapon and equipment were standardized to sword, shield, 2 spears and typical armour
more versatile and easier to command
maniples changed into cohorts of 500 men, 10 cohorts in a legion
not new ideas, just standardized
marius’ mules as soldiers had to carry their own equipment now
eagle standard

Question 7

Consequences of army reforms

Answer 7

landless new soldiers didnt have farm etc to return home to, no cause o fight for (easy to turn)
soldiers dependent on loot and reward from generals
falls to general to ensure good land etc for veterans
therefore debt of gratitude to commander - veterans at beck and call (caesar)
farmers found it harder to sustain farm as wars now no longer in border but across empire

Question 8

Saturninus

Answer 8

marius’ return from gallic tribes - what to do with army
uses alliance with tribune Saturninus - no opposed to using violence to get his way
lands found in gallia transaplina for veterans
saturninus re-elected, marius not - marius breaks deal by blocking Gaucius from being consul
mob brought in again- senate gives freedom of power to consuls
senate gives right to kill tribune if thats what it takes, although position is sacrasanct
marius attacks Saturninus and Gaucius imprisons them but thy are stoned to death by ob

Question 9

social war

Answer 9

marius and Sulla off in empire
romans vs unhappy allies
armies 2:1 allies to romans, so right to citizenship
tribune drussus tries to sort it out - wants all italians to have same status
huge opposition form roman elites
assasination of drussus - signal of war
rome win due to power of empire, offer political confessions to allies- everyone moved up one notch

Question 10

Sulla rise to power

Answer 10

consul 88
wants to command Mithridates war, but given to Marius
marches army into rome, sacks it and reinstates lots of laws, then marches east to fight his war
attempt to prosecute sulla for actons- made enemy of the state- he ignores this
85- Mithridates surrenders to sulla

Question 11

Cinna

Answer 11

wanted maximum ennfranchisement or italian tribes
tries to recruit slave army to fight but is driven out of the city
gets marius to help and they both march on the city - bloodbath, falls within a year
marius and cinna in charge - marius 7th consulship
marius died a couple of weeks later
cinna basically sole consul as other one sent east
84- death of cinna b his soldiers

Question 12

Sullas return to italy

Answer 12

returns 83BC
consuls army keep deserting him as no-one wants to face sulla
82- other consuls dead or run away- sulla wins
pompey given name ‘the great’ for his efforts
sulla proscriptions - 40 senators and 1600 equitaes - political annhialation
interrex flaccus makes sulla dictator
sulla given dictator for life

Question 13

sulla in power

Answer 13

attempt to reaffirm power of senate, but sulla had already undone this with army 
new equitaes all sulla supporters
priesthoods not chosen by people
juries made entirely from senators 
restrictions on tribunes 
freedmen in 4 new urban tribes - influence by intimidation 
restrictions of provincial governors 
steps down 81, dies 78BC

Question 14

Secondary Sources

Answer 14

M. Hyden - could only have been either Marius or Sulla, not both
-problems of the future might not have happened if sulla hadnt been so aggressive

Question 15

Primary sources

Answer 15

Polybius on the army - example of how it used to be, eg units of war and positions in battle