After Gaius Gracchus - Sulla

Question 1

What do we know about the 90s?

Answer 1

One of the most obscure decades

• Existing tensions remain
• Tension of allies, populates vs. optimates
• Marcus Livius Drusus

Question 2

What does Marcus Livius Drusus propose?

Answer 2

• 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

Question 3

What was Marcus Livius Drusus trying to do? Did it succeed?

Answer 3

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

Question 4

What happens to Drusus after he proposes?

Answer 4

• Opposition develops; one of the consuls cancels them
• Drusus is assassinated
• Allies disappointed

Question 5

What do the allies do after Drusus’ death?

Answer 5

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

Question 6

Describe the social war (allies against Rome) following Drusus

Answer 6

• 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.

Question 7

What were some holdout states (Social War)

Answer 7

Nola (continued to rebel)

Question 8

Who commanded the Social War (on Roman end)

Answer 8

Marius and Lucius Cornelius Sulla; but, Sulla got most of the credit, making Marius bitter.

Question 9

What contributed to tension between Marius and others?

Answer 9

• 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.

Question 10

What does Publics Sulpicius Rufus propose? Where does he come into the picture?

Answer 10

• 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

Question 11

What does Sulpicius Rufus do to get help to pass his citizenship proposal?

Answer 11

• 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.

Question 12

What does Sulla do after Sulpicius Rufus gets the proposal through?

Answer 12

• 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

Question 13

What happens immediately after Sulla marches on Rome in 88?

Answer 13

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

Question 14

What does Cinna propose surprisingly in 87?

Answer 14

• 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.

Question 15

After Cinna gathers an army and wants to march, what happens?

Answer 15

• 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

Question 16

What happens after Cinna and Marius become consuls in 87?

Answer 16

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.

Question 17

How many years was Cinna consul?

Answer 17

After Marius dies in 86, he remains consul and becomes consul again in 85 and 84 (four consecutive years)

Question 18

What was the state of Rome when Cinna was consul?

Answer 18

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

Question 19

Why was Cinna worried after getting sole control?

Answer 19

• 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

Question 20

What was the end of Cinna?

Answer 20

His own troops murdered him in 84, leaving Carbo in charge.

- In 82, Carbo is consul again with Young Marius (son of Marius)

Question 21

What does Carbo do when Cinna dies?

Answer 21

He starts to put new citizens into 35 tribes

Question 22

What does Sulla do during Cinna’s death/Carbo’s rule?

Answer 22

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.

Question 23

How does Sulla make his way back to Rome after making a peace treaty with Mithridates?

Answer 23

• 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)

Question 24

What is Pompey’s reputation after Colline Gate?

Answer 24

Pompey massacres Samnites; wipes them and Africa; known as the “Young Butcher”

Question 25

What does Sulla do when he gets in control?

Answer 25

• 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

Question 26

What is Sulla’s overview of leadership?

Answer 26

• Dicator from 82 to 80
• Consul for one year
• Retires
• Dies