95 Coss. L. Licinius Crassus, Q. Mucius Scaevola
Feared riots: brought law to expel Italian agitators from city
91 M. Livius Drusus, son of senatorial tribune of 122
Proposed giving franchise to Italians
His proposal was unpopular; the people and senate
were against him
Drusus gave up his proposal
But he was murdered anyhow
90 Death of Drusus was the last straw for Italians, especially
those in Samnium & Picenum
(The hills in central Italy were the main
center of the uprising)
The disaffected Italians established a federal state
Equipped a large army of about 100,000
Minted nationalistic coinage
Romans gave command to consuls of 90, who were not especially able,
but had good people on their staffs:
North: Cos. P. Rutilius Lupus, with
Legates Marius and Cn. Pompeius Strabo
South: Cos. L. Iulius Caesar, with Legates
Sulla and T. Didius
Revolt was in central and later southern Italy (S. Campania, Lucania,
Apulia)
Loyal areas were Latium, N. Campania; Etruria, Umbria
Lex Iulia, proposed by consul L. Caesar, granted citizenship for loyal
Italian towns
Also included were individuals in army at discretion of generals
War in the North: Pompeius set up siege of Asculum in Picenum
Rutilius got himself killed so Marius took over and did well
War in the South: Better success for the rebels
89 Coss. Pompeius Strabo and L. Porcius Cato
War in the North: Cato got himself killed
Pompeius took Asculum, also had a large victory in the field
The revolt was dying out
War in the South: Sulla in command, took offensive and put an end to
troubles
88 Sulla consul; a small center of rebellion remained in Samnium
Romans finally (as usual) gave in the point:
89 Two laws passed to supplement Lex Iulia
Lex Plautia-Papiria = citizenship for individuals who came to Rome
to register
Lex Pompeia: on Cisalpine Gaul
Citizenship given to Latin colonies, Latin rights to rest
88 Mithridates defeated Roman and allied forces in Asia, took
it over
"No Taxes" his platform: he was welcomed by Roman subjects
Arranged massacre of all resident Italians in the area, women
and children included (perhaps 80,000)
Crossed over to liberate Greece, at invitation of Athens
Senate gave Sulla (cos. 88) command vs. Mithridates
But Sulla had a few problems at home
Tribune P. Sulpicius Rufus wanted to help Italians, who at first were
not enrolled in all 35 tribes
Sulpicius' allies were the people, the Equites, and Marius
To pay off Marius, proposed to give him the eastern
command, forced the issue with armed supporters
Sulla hid in Marius' house (he denies this in his
memoirs), then went to army
Sulpicius' laws passed, but army (not, however, the officers)
stood by Sulla
Sulla led six legions to Rome and captured it
- Officers deserted in disgust -
Marius escaped to Africa
Sulpicius was hunted down and killed, although still a tribune in office
Coss for 87: Cn. Octavius (optimate), L. Cornelius Cinna (popularis)
Cinna swore not to interfere with Sulla's arrangements
87 Sulla left for east, landed in Greece; Cinna broke his oath
Cinna raised the Italian measure again
Octavius drove Cinna out of Rome and the senate declared him
a public enemy
Marius returned from Africa; he and Cinna gathered supporters
Marius and Cinna took over Rome at end of year, killed political
opponents, including Octavius
Marius in particular very bitter, therefore very brutal
86 Marius and Cinna coss; Marius soon died
Sulla exiled, his laws repealed
Cinna happier because the old man's death was timely
Cinna settled down to government:
1. law to relieve debt: suffect cos. L. Valerius Flaccus
2. stabilization of coinage
3. enroll new citizens properly
Meanwhile, Sulla captured Athens; reprisals were bloody
Sulla also defeated Mithridates' army twice in Boeotia, at Chaeronea
and Orchomenus
Senate (1) sent out a new army to Asia vs. Mithridates under Flaccus
(2) sent orders to Sulla
(a) cooperate with Flaccus
or (b) fight the enemy first (which he did)
85 Flaccus' lieutenant C. Flavius Fimbria did him in
Fimbria's army didn't want to fight Sulla's, and deserted to
Sulla; Fimbria committed suicide
Sulla made peace with Mithridates
Mithridates gave up 70 ships, Asia Minor, 2000 talents
Sulla "settled" with the province:
Taxed cities formerly free if they had revolted;
made them pay a large indemnity
Senate offered Sulla amnesty
84 Sulla left for home
Cinna recruited an army, wanted to train it with an Illyrian campaign
Soldiers were worried about Italy, rioted, Cinna killed
Sulla was ready to return with amnesty for himself and other
exiles
When he learnt of Cinna's death, he determined instead
upon attack
83 Roman government broke down
Every opportunist decided to join Sulla, e.g.:
Cn. Pompeius in Picenum, Q. Metellus Pius in Africa, M. Licinius Crassus
in Spain
- All with troops -
"Home government" joined by Samnites, Etruscans, others in Central
Italy
Sulla's various forces eventually overwhelmed opposition
82 1 November: Battle of Colline Gate, which Sulla almost lost
Sulla still needed to recover Africa, Sicily, Spain for his
own men
Pompey got the first two, and a triumph, and surname
Magnus
Meanwhile Sulla got even
Proscription lists: some senators on the lists but mainly equites
Equites proscribed particularly for their money
Sulla also took revenge on parts of Italy that had opposed him:
He needed land for his veterans (120,000)
Major social and economic upheaval resulted
Sulla was named dictator legibus scribundis et rei publicae constituendae
Details of Sulla's settlement
When he was finished, he resigned his office, died of natural causes
a year later
Sulla often regarded as champion of Optimates, but he never had much
to do with them - or anyone- until late in career
And many of the old guard stuck with Cinna!
Sulla was on his own side
When it came to reforming, the Senate was marginally better than the
people
- if you have to have one or the other -
Tribunes had usually been the ones to employ gangs, or used them first
Using violence or outrageously popular measures to gain popular
ground is not conducive to coherent government
Earlier causes of friction still remained
Aims and desires of Senate, Equites, People still pretty well
opposed to one another
Sulla's dictatorship was a model: the senators seemed not to perceive
this (except those who would follow)
His era saw the rise to prominence of some of greatest figures of the
last generation of the Republic:
Both consuls sent to Faesulae in Etruria, where farmers were beating
up on Sullan colonists
Lepidus and Catulus argued; Senate made them promise to avoid civil
war
Lepidus got Transalpine Gaul for his province
He sent M. Junius Brutus to raise troops
77 Early: Lepidus marched on Rome
SCV: Procos. Catulus beat off Lepidus at Milvian Bridge
Senate gave Pompey propraetorian imperium in emergency
Pompey took care of Brutus at Mutina
NB: Giving command to someone with no previous magistracy contrary
to Sullan constitution
Pompey didn't want to disband army, he wanted to go to Spain to help
Metellus
Senate gave in, made him Metellus' proconsular colleague (not
legate)
As Philippus said, "non pro consule sed pro consulibus"
Senators said to be unwilling to go to Spain anyhow