Sulla

  • Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix (138-78 BCE) was a Roman General and Statesman.
  • He was made Dictator and Consul of Rome.

Social War

  • Between 91-88 BCE during the Social War against the Socii, Sulla was one of the two most powerful Generals in Rome.
  • Sulla was a General in the army of the south under the Consul Lucius Julius Caesar.
  • Meanwhile, Marius was a General in the army of the north under the Consul Publius Rutilius Lupus.

Civil War

  • After the Social War Sulla became allied to the Optimates in opposition to Marius.
  • In 88 BCE Sulla was appointed Consul with Quintus Pompeius Rufus.
  • During 88 BCE Sulla was making preparations to take an army to Greece to fight Mithridates VI of Pontus.
  • However, Marius persuaded the Tribune Publius Sulpicius Rufus to subvert the Roman Senate and disqualify Sulla from commanding the Army. Riots in the Roman Senate followed, but Sulpicius was protected by a bodyguard of Gladiators.
  • Sulla had to flee Rome and went to join his army.

Sulla’s First march on Rome

  • He then took six of the Legions, veterans of the Social War and marched on Rome.
  • He crossed the Pomerium, breaking Roman Law, something no General had ever dared do before in Roman history, laying a precedent for Julius Caesar.
  • To oppose him, Marius had organised an army of Gladiators, but these were overwhelmed by the Legions. Marius and his supporters escaped and had to flee to Africa.
  • Sulla declared them ‘Hostes’, Public Enemies of the State, and proceeded to Greece to fight Mithridates.

First Mithridatic War

  • Between 89-85 BCE the First Mithridatic War took place between Mithradates VI of Pontus and the Roman Republic.
  • Mithridates VI began by occupying Asia Minor and entering Greece.
  • In 87 BCE Rome immediately declared War and sent Sulla with an army to defeat Mithridates in Greece.
  • Between 87-86 BCE Sulla besieged and occupied Athens, who had sided with Mithridates. The General opposing Sulla was Archelaos. Sulla then conducted several Battles against him.
  • In 86 BCE at the Battle of Chaeronea, Sulla defeated a Pontic army of 120,000, although he was outnumbered by three to one, by using a system of trenches and Palisades which the Enemy was unable to climb over, and behind which he kept his Artillery.
  • In 86 BCE at the Battle of Orchomenos, Sulla defeated another Pontic army of 150,000, this time he was outnumbered by five to one. He succeeded in defeating the enemy again by a similarly ingenious system of Trenches and Dykes, making it very difficult for the enemy to attack his defensive lines.
  • In 85 BCE, the Commander of the second Roman army, Flaccus, was toppled by his General Fimbria. Fimbria then proceeded to methodically retake the coastal cities of Asia Minor from Mithridates. Meanwhile, Sulla used his Roman Fleet to retake the Greek Islands in the Aegean from Mithridates.
  • However, Sulla concluded a Peace Treaty with Mithridates, reducing him to King of Pontus only, and making him a Roman Client Kingdom. Mithridates was obliged to provide Tribute of 2,000 to 3,000 Gold Talents and a Fleet of 70 vessels.
  • Sulla then crossed into Asia, to confront Fimbra, but Fimbra’s army changed sides and joined Sulla and Fimbra committed suicide.

Sulla’s Second march on Rome

  • By 83 BCE Sulla was now free to confront his enemies at Rome. He prepared 5 Legions, and crossed with his Fleet from Patrae to Brindisi and Taranto unopposed.
  • The Two Consuls at Rome raised an army to oppose Sulla.
  • Sulla then proceeded to defeat them in a series of Battles.
  • In November 82 BCE, Sulla’s Army defeated the armies of Roman Republic at the Battle of the Colline Gate, helped by Crassus which ended the Civil War.

Dictator

  • In 82 BCE Sulla was made Dictator by the Roman Senate. However, not for the usual six months as had always been the case, but for an indefinite period. This was the beginning of the end for the Roman Republic. It set the precedent for Julius Caesar, thirty years later in 49 BCE, to become Dictator for life.
  • Sulla instituted a mass Proscription against over 1,500 members of the Roman Upper Classes. Julius Caesar was on the list, but escaped from Rome.

Constitutional Reforms

  • Sulla introduced a series of sweeping reforms, some of which were dropped by his successors, others which lasted long into the Principate.
  • Sulla doubled the number of Senators from 300 to 600.

Consul

  • In 81 BCE Sulla resigned as Dictator and re-established government by Consul.
  • In 80 BCE he was elected Consul along with Metellus Pius.
  • After being made Consul he retired and wrote his memoirs.

Death and Funeral

  • In 78 BEC Sulla died in retirement and his Funeral, held in the Forum Romanum, was the biggest Funeral Rome had ever witnessed.

Sources

 

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