Marius and Sulla by Herbie Willis

Marius born

157 BCE

Gaius Marius was born in Cereatae in provincial Latinum to a wealthy, if apolitical equite family. When he started his career in politics he was seen as a 'novus homo' as no one in his family had been a consul

Sulla born

138 BCE

Sulla was born into a famous patrician family in Rome who had fallen into poverty by the time he was born. He spent his youth with actors and entertainers, the lowest forms of people in Roman society. he retained some of this libertine spirit in his later life and was famous for his affairs and drinking. Despite this he still received a very good roman education

Joined the legion of Scipio Amemillianus

134 BCE

Marius served as a promising young officer in the numantine wars in Spain and fought with distinction. He was noted for his bravery and was reportedly touted for greatness by Scipio himself. He also served with Tiberius Gracchus and Jugurtha, crown prince of Numidia. (his future foe in the Juguthine war).

Marius elected Military Tribune

133 BCE

Around this time Marius was elected military tribune by his men

Marius served in the legions

Period: 133 BCE to 121 BCE

Marius served with distinction in many campaigns and may have unsuccessfully ran for local office or a quaestorship

Marius elected Tribune of the plebs

120 BCE

Marius was elected tribune with the backing of his troops. That year he introduced the lex Maria, which narrowed the voting aisles to try stop the wealthy interring in elections. This marked him out as a populares and alienating his wealthy patron.

Marius loses election for aedile

117 BCE

Marius unsuccessfully ran for aedile. it may have been because of his status as a novus homo and the hostility of his former patrons. However the fact he ran for this role shows that he was already a rich man. Perhaps due to his campaigns or his family wealth.

Marius elected praetor for 115BCE

116 BCE

Marius won his election for predator for the next year but he was accused of election corruption. However, he was acquitted of this not long after.

Marius elected governor of Hispania Ulterior

114 BCE

Marius was elected governor of further Spain where he'd served under Scipio years earlier

Marius marries Julia

113 BCE

Marius married the eldest daughter of the influential yet stagnent Iulian family, revitalising the ancient house of Iulus. This was a great match for both, Marius gained the prestige and resources of this great family and they gained his energy.

Cimbric war

Period: 113 BCE to 101 BCE

A migration of Cimbri and tuetones, Germanic tribes from the Jutland peninsula turned into a full on massive invasion of the republic, they won great victories at Noreia in 113BCE and Arausio in 105BCE but would ultimately be defeated and utterly destroyed.

Jugurthine war

Period: 112 BCE to 106 BCE

Joined the staff of Metellus

109 BCE

Marius was appointed to the staff of Quintus Metellus who had been appointed to take over command of the Jugurthine wars after accusations of mismanagement and corruption among the previous generals.

Marius elected consul

107 BCE

He ran for consul without the permission of Metellus, who wanted him to take the office as a partner for his son when he came of age. Marius ignored this and was elected consul for the first time by undermining his commander and telling the people that he would have the war over in months. However, Marius was not given the command in Numidia because of the dishonourable way he had campaigned. Enraged, Marius got a friend, who was a tribune, to get the people to overturn the senates choice.

Sulla elected quaestor

107 BCE

Sulla was elected quaestor and chosen to serve in the legions of new consul Gaius Marius, to balance out the populares novus homo with a conservative nobiles.

Marius defeated Jugurtha

106 BCE

After a hard fought campaign, Marius convinced Jugurtha's ally to abandon him. The Numidian's supporters were massacred and he was taken in chains to Rome. However, it was his young, aristocratic, libertine, quaestor Lucius Cornellius Sulla who had convinced Jugurtha's father in law to betray him and had set the ambush which captured the King. Credit went to Marius but among his rich friends Sulla claimed it as his victory. this would cause great tension between the two in the future.

Battle of Arausio

105 BCE

The largest Roman force seen since the Punic Wars, under the command of Gnaeus Mallius Maximus and Quintus Servilius Caepio to try and crush the marauding tribes who had been pillaging the provinces. However, the two men did not get on and so they camped on opposite sides of the river with their forces. the tribes saw this and crushed each force one after the other with very few escaping with their lives. It was Rome's darkest day since Cannae

Marius elected consul five years running

105 BCE

Marius was elected consul for five consecutive years, so the great victor of Numidia could save Rome from this new threat. during this time Marius conducted his military reforms which may inadvertently have caused the fall of the republic. Marius removed the property requirement and provided equipment and much better training for his men. This made soldiering a profession and they became loyal to their payers (the generals) not the republic. he also got rid of the old fashioned maniple system.

Marius awarded triumph for Jugurthine war

104 BCE

Marius was awarded a triumph for his victory in Numidia. I t was shortly after parading him as a prisoner during this parade that the former Numidian King was killed

Battles of Aquae Sextiae and Vercellae

101 BCE

Marius won two resounding victories over the numerically superior tribes at Aquae Sextiae and Vercellae. Here he crushed first the Tutones and their allies, showing just how effective the new army and system he had created was. Then he once and for all destroyed the hated Cimbri, bringing the war to a close and making him a true Roman hero.

Marius puts down Saturninus

100 BCE

As consul Marius put down the attempted strike for land and citizenship for veterans of the cambric war lead by Saturninus, a tribune for that year. Marius barricaded them in a temple and reportedly allowed a mob in to massacre them. This went against his usual political leanings, he may have been attempting to try and become a true senatorial elite, but this would not succeed.

Marius goes into a voluntary exile

98 BCE

Marius went into voluntary exile by going on a tour of the east

Sulla elected praetor

97 BCE

Sulla was elected praetor for 97BCE

Sulla elected propretore of Cicillia

96 BCE

Sulla was elected proprietor of the asian provides of Cicillia He was sent to deal with the pirates but was soon given new orders. He was told to restore king Ariobarzanes to the throne of Cappadocia, who had been deposed by Mithridates VI of Pontus. Sulla successfully did this, driving the Pontic King to the Euphrates. Here his troops hailed him Imperator. He also was the first Roman to treat with the great Parthian empire after this victory.

Sulla repulsed the Armenians from Cappadocia

94 BCE

Sulla successfully defended the Newley reclaimed province of Cappadocia from Tigranes the Great of Armenia

The social war

Period: 91 BCE to 88 BCE

This was the successful fight of the Italian allies to win full roman citizenship from the metropole. It was brought about when Marcus Livius Drusus, a tribune for 91BCE preposed a bill which would grant full rights and land to all free men in Italy. He was assassinated and so the city states who had been promised this went into revolt.

Marius commanded a legion with Caepio the younger

90 BCE

After the death of his nephew, who had been his commander, Marius took over command of his legion along with Caepio the younger. He took this as an insult and when Caepio tried to order him about he refused. This lead to Caepio trying to bring his army back to friendly territory alone and they were killed to the last man.

Marius and Sulla defeat the Marci and Marruncini

90 BCE

Marius and Sulla joined there forces to take on the Marci and Marruncini. They crushed them in battle, killing 6000 and capturing 7000

Lex Julia passed

90 BCE

the less famous lex Julia was passed, granting full citizenship to any Italian not under arms against Rome to try and lessen support for the growing rebellion

Sulla served under Lucius Caesar

90 BCE

Sulla served under Lucius Caesar fighting against the Samnite tribes of souther Italy in the social war

Marius retires from the war

89 BCE

Marius was either forced to, or retired because of ill health from this conflict. This may have left a bitter taste with the old general and been why he was so desperate for command in the East.

Sulla awarded Grass Crown

89 BCE

Sulla was awarded the grass crown (the highest military honour) for his role in destroying the rebels outside the walls of Nola, personally killing their leader.

Sulla elected praetor

89 BCE

sulla was elected praetor and served under the consul Cato, however he was killed early on in the fighting so Sulla took commanded of the southern front

Sulla pacified the south

89 BCE

After his victory at Nola, Sulla proceeded to conquer almost all of Campania and then crush the Samnite armies at their own capital, effectively ending the rebellion in the south.

Lex Plautia Papiria

89 BCE

The Lex Plautia Papiria de Civitate Sociis Danda was the law passed by the Roman senate in the middle of the social war to grant full citizenship to all Italians.

the first Mithradic war

Period: 89 BCE to 85 BCE

This was the war between King Mithridates of Pontus and the republic which lead to the first civil war. It began because the opitunistic Mithridates wanted to capitalise on Rome's distraction with the social war and steal some territory. However he was crushed by Sulla but was given a mild peace so Sulla could hurry off and destroy his enemies.

Sulla appointed command in Pontus

88 BCE

After the social war, Sulla was appointed consul for 88BCE and commanded to deal with Romes wayward hassle, the King, Mithridates VI of Pontus, who had invaded Asia Minor during all the chaos in Italy. This was a very lucrative and much sort after post

Marius elected leader of Pontic expedition

88 BCE

However, once Sulla left, some of his enemies, lead by Publius Sulpicius Rufus, a radical tribune, called an assembly and elected Marius (who had no official military role) leader of the expedition.

Sulla turns round and marches on Rome

88 BCE

In response to Marius and Rufus' treachery Sulla turned his legions round and marched on Rome. This was unprecedented in Roman history. No Roman army had ever marched on the capital before. This set a dangerous tone for the future. Marius raised a small army from his former veterans but was crushed by Sulla, barely escaping on multiple occasions. He fled to Africa. Sulla then sentenced to death 12 senators, including Rufus and Marius and Rufus was executed. This was not popular with the senate.

Octavius and Cinna elected consuls

87 BCE

In 87BCE a sullen, Octavius, and a Marian Lucius Cornelius Cinna (a relative of Sulla) were elected consul. Sulla let this happen to show good faith towers the republic. He then went east with his legions. However, the two factions soon were fighting over Italian voting rights and Cinna was forced to flee Rome

Marius returns to Rome

87 BCE

After Cinna was driven out, Marius returned to support him. His men, along with some legions raised by the consul, marched on Rome. Cinna promised not to kill anyone if the Romans surrendered, but once the gates were opened Marius' men proceeded to massacre the leading supporters of Sulla, including the consul Octvianus, and displayed their heads in the forum. He and Marius then ran as he only candidates for consul the next year and Marius achieved his exceptional seventeenths consulship.

Sulla sacks Athens

87 BCE

Sulla set up massive siege works around Mithridates' foothold in Greece, Athens. Sulla put the city to a 9 month siege, while his optimises allies arrived, feeling the chaos in Rome. He then brutally sacked the centre of culture. He then finally destroyed the Pontic army in Greece at the battle of Chaeronea

Marius died

86 BCE

Marius then died only seventeen days into his last consulship

Sulla defeats Mithridates and Fimbria

85 BCE

Sulla followed up his victories in 87BCE with another in 86BCE. he was reinforced by troops sent from Cinna's Rome, however they only offered support as long as there was another enemy to fight. They were under the command of Fimbria. Because these losses basically destroyed Pontus' ability to fight and because he wanted to return to Rome, Sulla offered easy terms to Mithridates. After he accepted, Sulla marched on Fimbria's camp. Fimbria committed suicide and his men joined Sulla's army

Cinna stoned to death

84 BCE

Cinna, after hearing of Sulla's victory, tried to march to Illyria to reinforce the province. However, during the difficult march over the mountains, his men had enough and stoned him to death.

Sulla's second march on Rome

83 BCE

Sulla then marched again on Rome. he defeated the two Marian consuls who opposed him, causing many who hadn't chosen a side to join him. This included Pompeius Starbo (father of Popeius Magnus) who was a consul in the social war and the governor of Africa, Metellus, Marius' old enemy. An army lead by Metellus and Pompei's son were attacked by Lucius Cornelius Scipio Asiaticus, the remaining Marian consul, but defeated his force. Marians purged the senate in revenge.

Sulla won the battle of the Colline Gate

82 BCE

After pushing back Marian forces all year Sulla won a final victory at the battle of the Colline Gate, outside Rome. Marius' son was killed and Sulla was at last sole master of Rome

Sulla became dictator for life

81 BCE

Sulla was elected dictator for life by the assemblies. He began proscription lists, lists of those sentenced to death for supporting Marius. Some 9000 people were killed including 1500 nobiles. Julius Caesar reportedly barley escaped with his life, with Sulla supposedly remarking that in caesar he saw "many a Marius".He also increased the senate from 300 to 600. Finally the conservative Sulla broke the power of the Tribunate by giving the senate power over what the assemblies discussed.

The dictatorship of Sulla

Period: 81 BCE to 79 BCE

Sulla inacetì numerous policies to increase the power of the optimates in the senate, destroyed the power of the tribunate and proscribed to death and seized the property of over 9000 citizens.

Sulla retires from being Dictator

79 BCE

Sulla retired from public life to write his memoirs

Sulla Died

78 BCE