Sulla and the proscriptions Lucius Cornelius Sulla was consul in 88 BC (and again in 80 BC) and dictator from 82 to 79 BC. Regardless, if he had immediate plans for a consulship, they were forced into the background at the outbreak of war. In this first video of a 2-part tutorial, we will discuss primary sources. His enemy, Lucius Cornelius Cinna, was elected consul for 87BC in place of his candidate;[83] his nephew was rejected as plebeian tribune while Marius' nephew was successful. "[156], He was said to have a duality between being charming, easily approachable, and able to joke and cavort with the most simple of people, while also assuming a stern demeanor when he was leading armies and as dictator. [127] In the north at the same time, Norbanus was defeated and fled for Rhodes, where he eventually committed suicide. Sulla would ratify Mithridates' position in Pontus and have him declared a Roman ally. [141][140][142][143][144] Accounts were also written that he had an infestation of worms, caused by the ulcers, which led to his death. [54] Various proposals to give the allies Roman citizenship over the decades had failed for various reasons, just as the allies also "became progressively more aware of the need to cease to be subjects and to share in the exercise of imperial power" by acquiring that citizenship. He used his powers to purge his opponents, and reform Roman constitutional laws, to restore the primacy of the Senate and limit the power of the tribunes of the plebs. [113], Sulla crossed the Adriatic for Brundisium in spring of 83BC with five legions of Mithridatic veterans, capturing Brundisium without a fight. Marius (C. Marius) - Roman consul, seven times from 107 B.C. On each line there is a link to the page where the name can be found. With the capture and execution of Carbo, who had fled Sicily for Egypt, both consuls for 82BC were now dead. Pompey was then dispatched to recover Sicily. Click the title for location and availability information. [93] News of these conquests reached Rome in the autumn of 89BC, leading the Senate and people to declare war; actual preparations for war were, however, delayed: after Sulla was given the command, it took him some eighteen months to organise five legions before setting off; Rome was also severely strained financially. He was saved through the efforts of his relatives, many of whom were Sulla's supporters, but Sulla noted in his memoirs that he regretted sparing Caesar's life, because of the young man's notorious ambition. Sulla played an important role in the long political struggle between the optimates and populares factions at Rome. Wikipedia entry. Also useful for understanding Sulla's career are the article by E. Baddian . 82 BC. The constitutional reforms of Sulla were a series of laws enacted by the Roman dictator Lucius Cornelius Sulla between 82 and 80 BC, reforming the Constitution of the Roman Republic in a revolutionary way.. Killing Cluentius before the city's walls, Sulla then invested the town and for his efforts was awarded a grass crown, the highest Roman military honour. Modern sources have been somewhat less damning, as the Mithridatic campaigns later showed that no quick victory over Pontus was possible as long as Mithridates survived. [65] This had been preceded by the lex Julia, passed by Lucius Julius Caesar in October 90BC, which had granted citizenship to those allies who remained loyal. [34] The publicity attracted by this feat boosted Sulla's political career. He can hardly have been in any doubt. [25] After the war started, several Roman commanders were bribed (Bestia and Spurius), and one (Aulus Postumius Albinus) was defeated. Sulla, meanwhile, had to allow matters to unfold beyond his control. Sulla hurried in full force towards Rome and there fought the Battle of the Colline Gate on the afternoon of 1 November 82BC. Thus, Sulla was presented with a choice. Even those whom Sulla had quarrelled with (including Publius Cornelius Cethegus, whom Sulla had outlawed in 88 BC) defected to join his side. [76] Without troops defending Rome itself, Sulla entered the city; once there, however, his men were pelted with stones from the rooftops by common people. This, of course, made him very popular with the poorer citizens. Campaigning on his military record, the people were unwilling to hear tales of military bravado from a mere junior officer after two triumphs. His primary duty was the defeat of Mithridates and the re-establishment of Roman power in the east. With military and diplomatic victory, his political fortunes seemed positive. Sulla's law waived the sponsio, allowing such cases to be heard without it. The veto power of the tribunes and their legislating authority were soon reinstated, ironically during the consulships of Pompey and Crassus.[150]. Sulla's military coup was enabled by Marius's military reforms, that bound the army's loyalty with the general rather than to the Roman Republic, and permanently destabilized the Roman power structure. "[132] The majority of the proscribed had not been enemies of Sulla, but instead were killed for their property, which was confiscated and auctioned off. Shortly before Sulla's first consulship, the Romans fought the bloody Social War against their . Source: Ammianus Marcellinus, History, XIV.16: "The Luxury of the Rich in Rome," c. 400 A.D. In an harangue to the people, he said, with reference to these measures, that he had proscribed all he could think of, and as to those who now escaped his memory, he would proscribe them at some future time. Secondary sources are a step removed from primary sources. Continuing towards Scipio's position at Teanum Sidicinum, Sulla negotiated and was almost able to convince Scipio to defect. The Samnite and anti-Sullan commanders were then hunted down as "for all intents and purposes the civil war in Italy was over". [66] Buttressed by success against Rome's traditional enemies, the Samnites, and general Roman victory across Italy, Sulla stood for and was elected easily to the consulship of 88BC; his colleague would be Quintus Pompeius Rufus. These marriages helped build political alliances with the influential Caecilii Metelli and the Pompeys. By the end of the war, the SSA had conscripted over 2.8 million American men. Pompey ambushed eight legions sent to relieve Praeneste but an uprising from the Samnites and the Lucanians forced Sulla to deploy south as they moved also to relieve Praeneste or join with Carbo in the north. [126] Sulla's specific movements are very vaguely described in Appian, but he was successful in preventing the Italians from relieving Praeneste or joining with Carbo. [122] Marius, buttressed by Samnite support, fought a long and hard battle with Sulla at Sacriportus that resulted in defeat when five of his cohorts defected. This unusual appointment (used hitherto only in times of extreme danger to the city, such as during the Second Punic War, and then only for 6-month periods) represented an exception to Rome's policy of not giving total power to a single individual. [63] All of these victories would have been won before the consular elections in October 89. [6] He also disbanded his legions and, through these gestures, attempted to show the re-establishment of normal consular government. He won the first large-scale civil war in Roman history and became the first man of the Republic to seize power through force. 9, The Last Age of the Roman Republic, 146-43 BC. Here are the names and relevant periods for some of the main ancient Latin and Greek sources for Roman history. His execution in AD 62 on the orders of emperor Nero made him the last of the Cornelii Sullae. At the start of his second consulship in 80BC with Metellus Pius, Sulla resigned his dictatorship. This mixture was later referred to by Machiavelli in his description of the ideal characteristics of a ruler. [72] Sulpicius' attempts to push through the Italian legislation again brought him into violent urban conflict, although he "offered nothing to the urban plebs so it continued to resist him". A gifted and innovative general, he achieved numerous successes in wars against foreign and domestic opponents. This also removed the need for the censor to draw up a list of senators, since more than enough former magistrates were always available to fill the Senate. Sulla had officially been declared an outlaw and in the eyes of the Cinnan regime, Flaccus was to take command of an army without a legal commander. Publius Cornelius Rufinus, one of Sulla's ancestors and also the last member of his family to be consul, was banished from the Senate after having been caught possessing more than 10 pounds of silver plate. He might have been disinherited, though it was "more likely" that his father simply had nothing to bequeath. To further solidify the prestige and authority of the Senate, Sulla transferred the control of the courts from the equites, who had held control since the Gracchi reforms, to the senators. Sulla also wanted to reduce the risk that a future general might attempt to seize power, as he himself had done. Reason #4: studying primary sources helps students become better citizens. [50][51], In 94BC, Sulla repulsed the forces of Tigranes the Great of Armenia from Cappadocia. There, while giving a speech, he had three or four thousand Samnite prisoners butchered, to the shock of the attending senators. At the meeting, he took the seat between the Parthian ambassador, Orobazus, and Ariobarzanes, seeking to gain psychological advantage over the Partian envoy by portraying the Parthians and the Cappadocians as equals with Rome as superior. "[157] This duality, or inconsistency, made him very unpredictable and "at the slightest pretext, he might have a man crucified, but, on another occasion, would make light of the most appalling crimes; or he might happily forgive the most unpardonable offenses, and then punish trivial, insignificant misdemeanors with death and confiscation of property. [109] When Flaccus' consular army marched through Macedonia towards Thrace, his command was usurped by his legate Gaius Flavius Fimbria, who had Flaccus killed before chasing Mithridates with his army into Asia itself. The breakdown allowed Sulla to play the aggrieved party and place blame on his enemies for any further bloodshed. The Library of Congress Teacher's page provides tools and guides for using primary sources in research, focusing of the unique materials in the Library's digital collections. Primary sources in history are often created by people who witnessed, participated in, or were otherwise close to a particular event. Moreover, the people knew that Sulla was friends with Bocchus, a rich foreign monarch, and rejected his standing for the praetorship to induce him to spend money on games. A primary source (also called original . [118], For 82BC, the consular elections returned Gnaeus Papirius Carbo, in his third consulship, with the younger Gaius Marius, the son of the seven-time consul, who was then twenty-six. The historian Sallust fleshes out this character sketch of Sulla: He was well versed both in Greek and Roman literature, and had a truly remarkable mind. Tools for primary source analysis. [24] Keaveney 2005, pp. Primary Sources Sallust. Editor: Paul Halsall. Social War, also called Italic War, or Marsic War, (90-89 bc), rebellion waged by ancient Rome's Italian allies (socii) who, denied the Roman franchise, fought for independence. Hind 1992, p.150 dismisses claims in Plutarch and Vellius Paterclus of Athens being forced to cooperate with Mithridates as "very hollow" and "apologia". [124] The purge did little to strengthen resolve and when Sulla arrived at Rome, the city opened its gates and his opponents fled. For instance, Da Vinci's Mona Lisa is a primary source because it is the most famous art piece during the Renaissance period. Historians to Sulla's dictatorship such as Livy (From the Founding of the City) and Appian (Roman History, especially the section regarding the Civil Wars) include additional details of Marius' life during the Social War while other sources list brief statements of note. [27], When Marius took over the war, he entrusted Sulla to organise cavalry forces in Italy needed to pursue the mobile Numidians into the desert. [105] Sulla moved to intercept Flaccus' army in Thessaly, but turned around when Pontic forces reoccupied Boetia. No action was taken against the troops nor action taken to relieve Pompey Strabo of command. Through Sulla's reforms to the Plebeian Council, tribunes lost the power to initiate legislation. [26] Sulla was assigned by lot to his staff. [60], The next year, 89BC, Sulla served as legate under the consul Lucius Porcius Cato. . It was not until he was in his very late forties and almost past the age . [13][14][15] Sulla's family thereafter did not reach the highest offices of the state until Sulla himself. Sarah Cooper teaches 8th grade U.S. history and is assistant head for academic life at Flintridge Preparatory School in La Canada, Calif. Sarah is the . Copyright statement. [99], Discovering a weak point in the walls and popular discontent with the Athenian tyrant Aristion, Sulla stormed and captured Athens (except the Acropolis) on 1 March 86BC. [125], Carbo, who had suffered defeats by Metellus Pius and Pompey, attempted to redeploy so to relieve his co-consul Marius at Praeneste. 45-120 CE) was a Platonist philosopher, best known to the general public as author of his "Parallel Lives" of paired Greek and Roman statesmen and military leaders.He was a voluminous writer, author also of a collection of "Moralia" or "Ethical Essays," mostly in dialogue format, many of them devoted to philosophical topics, not at all . While Sulla's laws such as those concerning qualification for admittance to the Senate, reform of the legal system and regulations of governorships remained on Rome's statutes long into the principate, much of his legislation was repealed less than a decade after his death. Sulla marched to Praeneste and forced its siege to a close, with the younger Marius dead from suicide before its surrender. Archelaus then hid in the nearby marshes before escaping to Chalcis. 213/23 P.Cornelius Sulla is chosen to be Flamen Dialis. Lucius Cornelius Sulla (l. 138 - 78 BCE) enacted his constitutional reforms (81 BCE) as dictator to strengthen the Roman Senate's power. under Gaius Marius in the wars against the Numidian rebel Jugurtha. Sulla then increased the number of magistrates elected in any given year, and required that all newly elected quaestores gain automatic membership in the Senate. The source types commonly used in academic writing include: Academic journals. Sulla's descendants continued to be prominent in Roman politics into the imperial period. The faculty and students of the Hanover College History Department initiated the Hanover Historical Texts Project in 1995, at a time when few primary sources were available outside of published anthologies. You can use the following terms to search HOLLIS for primary sources:. In the natural and social sciences, primary sources are often empirical studies . In 46 BC Julius Caesar appointed him governor of the province of Africa. [23] The means by which Sulla attained the fortune which later would enable him to ascend the ladder of Roman politics are not clear; Plutarch refers to two inheritances, one from his stepmother (who loved him dearly) and the other from his mistress Nicopolis. Find these with these special Subject terms. Sulla (P. Cornelius Sulla) - Roman praetor, 212 B.C. Biography Roman military commander and dictator of the Roman republic (81-80 BC). The collection is particularly strong in the subject areas of education, psychology, American history, sociology, religion, and science and technology. The circumstances of his relative poverty as a young man left him removed from his patrician brethren, enabling him to consort with revelers and experience the baser side of human nature. [19] Plutarch mentions that during his last marriage to Valeria, he still kept company with "actresses, musicians, and dancers, drinking with them on couches night and day.[20]. [52] He may have stayed in the east until 92BC, when he returned to Rome. Tweet. The interest rates were also to be agreed between both parties at the time that the loan was made, and should stand for the whole term of the debt, without further increase. Examples of tertiary sources include encyclopedias and dictionaries, chronologies, almanacs, directories, indexes, and bibliographies. Throughout the research process, you'll likely use various types of sources. Examples include interview transcripts, statistical data, and works of art. As Sulla viewed the office, the tribunate was especially dangerous, and his intention was to not only deprive the Tribunate of power, but also of prestige (Sulla himself had been officially deprived of his eastern command through the underhanded activities of a tribune). He was then assigned by lot to serve under the consul Gaius Marius. While Sulla was moving in the south, Scipio fought Pompey in Picenum but was defeated when his troops again deserted. Revised on November 11, 2022. 719-549-2333. [91], During close of the Social War, in 89BC, Mithridates VI Eupator of Pontus invaded Roman Asia. [109] Faced with Fimbria's army in Asia, Lucullus' fleet off the coast, and internal unrest, Mithridates eventually met with Sulla at Dardanus in autumn 85BC and accepted the terms negotiated by Archelaus. The Acropolis was then besieged. [49] At this meeting, Sulla was told by a Chaldean seer that he would die at the height of his fame and fortune. He attempted to mitigate this by passing laws to limit the actions of generals in their provinces, and although these laws remained in effect well into the imperial period, they did not prevent determined generals, such as Pompey and Julius Caesar, from using their armies for personal ambition against the Senate, a danger of which Sulla was intimately aware. Student Engagement: Primary source materials "help spark students . This distinction is important because it will affect how you understand these sources. They are original research, thinking, or discovery on a topic or event, and are written or created by people who actually experienced the event . 106/10 The quaestor L.Sulla arrives at Marius' camp with reinforcements from The next year, 96BC, he assigned "probably pro consule as was customary" to Cilicia in Asia Minor. He had one child from this union, before his first wife's death. Cinna violently quarrelled with his co-consul, Gnaeus Octavius. At the same time, the younger Marius sent word to assemble the Senate and purge it of suspected Sullan sympathisers: the urban praetor Lucius Junius Brutus Damasippus then had four prominent men killed at the ensuing meeting. Roman military leaders. [115] Sulla, buoyed by his previous looting in Asia, was able to advance quickly and largely without the ransacking of the Italian countryside. Or he could attempt to reverse it and regain his command. Website. Although he was able to regain the command, his political setup in Rome collapsed almost as soon as he left Italy, and the war would . However, his candidature was dealt a blow when he was brought up on charges of extorting Ariobarzanes. The Steamboat Adventure. Proscribing or outlawing every one of those whom he perceived to have acted against the best interests of the Republic while he was in the east, Sulla ordered some 1,500 nobles (i.e.
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