After Gaius Gracchus - Sulla Flashcards
What do we know about the 90s?
One of the most obscure decades
- Existing tensions remain
- Tension of allies, populates vs. optimates
- Marcus Livius Drusus
What does Marcus Livius Drusus propose?
- Tribune in 91; his father opposed Gaius Gracchus (optimal); Drusus sees citizenship and puts a program
- Proposes that senators lead again, 300 of whom would be equites (makes senate happy that they can be jeerers)
- Sets up new land commission (distributes ager publicus)
- Founds colonies (proposes a further reduction in the price of the monthly grain ration; wants to make happy)
- An extension of citizenship
What was Marcus Livius Drusus trying to do? Did it succeed?
PLEASE EVERYONE
- Senators like being on jury but dislike equites being there
- Equites upset that they don’t have as much visibility and authority
- Citizens glad about land/grain, but concerned that having more citizens will make it too expensive for the state
What happens to Drusus after he proposes?
- Opposition develops; one of the consuls cancels them
- Drusus is assassinated
- Allies disappointed
What do the allies do after Drusus’ death?
End of 91 - rebellion of allies against Rome
- Allies (most in center and south of peninsula) join together and declare war on Rome - want recognition/citizenship
- Others like Samnites find this as an opportunity to destroy Rome
CIVIL WAR
Describe the social war (allies against Rome) following Drusus
- Called a social war because “ally” in Latin is “socii”; also called Marsic war (commander=Marsi)
- Allies/federation have capital called Corfinium (renamed Italica); organize themselves as a state with a senate, coinage (Italian warrior)
- Romans win, but this is a serious shock
- By 89, most in Italica were put down (loyal allied communities given citizenship
- They said that if people wanted Roman citizenship, they could come to Rome, present themselves, and get it
- Makes the war a waste of time.
What were some holdout states (Social War)
Nola (continued to rebel)
Who commanded the Social War (on Roman end)
Marius and Lucius Cornelius Sulla; but, Sulla got most of the credit, making Marius bitter.
What contributed to tension between Marius and others?
- Sulla gets credit for war
- Marius ad falling out with Quintus Metellus (didn’t keep his oath for land proposal); later, Sulla marries lady from Metellus family.
What does Publics Sulpicius Rufus propose? Where does he come into the picture?
- Rufus was friend of Drusus who wants reform; read about the land grant
- Saw that new citizens would not be distributed among the 35 tribes but would create new ones (low chance of voting; second class voters)
- Proposes measure to redistribute new citizens among the 35.
- Optimates are against it; concerned that new citizens will overcrowd Rome and change traditional arrangements of control
What does Sulpicius Rufus do to get help to pass his citizenship proposal?
- Friends of Sulla, but Sulla cannot agree to help.
- Sulpicius gets help from Marius (good relations with equites). He promises that in exchange, Marius will deal with Mithridates of Pontus (besieging Nola first, then bringing army to the east)
- Sulpicius ignores other consuls’ iustitium and gets the proposals through.
What does Sulla do after Sulpicius Rufus gets the proposal through?
- Sulla has an army outside Nola but can’t go to Asia because Marius is there. Can only do it if he marches on Rome. Only one commander joins Sulla
- Sulla in 88 marches on Rome
What happens immediately after Sulla marches on Rome in 88?
Sulpicius and Marius flee. Their supporters branded enemies (killed/proscriptions); Marius goes to Africa, Sulpicius gets killed while fleeing.
- Sulla gets command in Mithridates to be returned to him
- Cancels Sulpicius’ redistribution of citizenship
- Sulla can’t control consulship of 87 but asks Lucius Cornelius Cinna to look after his interests.
- Then, Sulla goes off to face Mitrhidates
What does Cinna propose surprisingly in 87?
- Redistribution of new citizens in the 35 classes –> Cinna is driven out of Rome.
- Cinna and new citizens are offended, so he gathers an army from Campania.
After Cinna gathers an army and wants to march, what happens?
- Cinna and Marius agree to be allied. In 87, they take the city.
- When Marius gets there, he wants revenge, looting, raping, stealing, and burning.
- Cinna is aghast and makes Marius pause.
- Both make themselves get elected consul for 86
What happens after Cinna and Marius become consuls in 87?
Marius gathers an army to fight MIthridates but dies a natural death, leaving Cinna in charge.
They send another commander to fight Mithridates to replace Marius.
How many years was Cinna consul?
After Marius dies in 86, he remains consul and becomes consul again in 85 and 84 (four consecutive years)
What was the state of Rome when Cinna was consul?
Lots of chaos - people worried about their money.
- State was not collecting revenue successfully (no money from Asia because under Mithridates)
- Gov says that if debt, only have to pay ¼ money you borrowed
Why was Cinna worried after getting sole control?
- Worried that Sulla would be angry and gathers/rebuilds army; intends to face Sulla in Greece.
- Another senator Carbo becomes consul in 85 and 84 with Cinna
What was the end of Cinna?
His own troops murdered him in 84, leaving Carbo in charge.
- In 82, Carbo is consul again with Young Marius (son of Marius)
What does Carbo do when Cinna dies?
He starts to put new citizens into 35 tribes
What does Sulla do during Cinna’s death/Carbo’s rule?
He cannot defeat Mitrhidates, so he makes a treaty on very favorable terms so that he can go back to Rome to take control.
- In 84, Sulla comes back with 5 legions; plans to assert himself in Italy and get rid of Carbo –> mixed feelings in Rome.
How does Sulla make his way back to Rome after making a peace treaty with Mithridates?
- Reaches Brundisium (Southern Italy) in 83. On the other side is Pompeius (from Picenum), who wants to give a hand.
- Pompey raises 3 legions from Picenum; helps fight Samnites and Carbo
- Finally, battle centers on Rome. Battle outside Rome called the Colline Gate in 82.
- At Colline, Sulla is set to lose, but another senator Marcus Licinius Crassus turns the battle around. Sulla wins and gets possession of Rome.
- Dictator in 82 (15 months)
- Holdout against Sulla in Spain (governor Quintus Sertorius)
What is Pompey’s reputation after Colline Gate?
Pompey massacres Samnites; wipes them and Africa; known as the “Young Butcher”
What does Sulla do when he gets in control?
- Orders proscriptions (equites, opposing senators)
- Confiscates property of those under proscription; forbids sons/grandsons to public life
- Confiscates peoples’ property to settle 80K soldiers
- Founds veteran communities/extends existing communities (Pompeii)
- Gets all laws through citizen assembly doesn’t worry about tribune veto
- Keeps citizen distribution in 35 tribes
- Increases Senate to 600; puts equites in Senate
- Removes equites from Repetundae court; establishes 4-5 new courts
- More jury courts; doubles quaestors, increases praetors (from 6 to 8)
- Reasserts rules about holding magistracies (age, order, waiting 10 years for next consulship)
- Tribunes: must first bring things to Senate; cannot veto unless for individual, cannot hold another office
- Pro-consuls/pro-praetors must get Senate’s permission; cannot make war outside province without permission
- Removes Monthly Grain Ration
What is Sulla’s overview of leadership?
- Dicator from 82 to 80
- Consul for one year
- Retires
- Dies
