Civil War between Marius and Sulla

B.C. 87 to 82

Populares (party of Maruis) — versus — Optimates (party of Sulla)

Introduction : 

Lists of those who were doomed were hung up in the Forum.

In the final years of the Roman republic, the government was split between two factions, the optimates, or "best men", faction, which championed the traditional organization of Roman government which kept most of the government in the hands of the senate and patricians, and the populares, which used the special rights and powers of the popular assemblies, to enact their own agendas. The populares, were of course, not led by the actual "people", but rather by an aristocratic party that sought power to circumvent the majority of the senate, and in order to win the support of the plebeians, supported popular measures such as land-reform. The division between these two factions had begun in earnest during the era of the Gracchi, two generations earlier, and the contest between them eventually led to the Caesarean Civil War which brought about the fall of the republic. But forty years before their final show-down the parties engaged a terrific frenzy of bloodshed, known as the Civil War of Marius and Sulla. Although Marius himself was already dead before most of the fighting began, the populares party, which had supported Marius, was thereafter known as the "Party of Marius."

Marius was a very successful general, who had defeated the Cimbri, reformed the army, and held the consulship an unprecedented six times. Once he retired from power he was appalled to see his long time rival, Sulla rise to a position of great power. Their rivalry broke out into open hostilities when Sulla was elected consul in 88 B.C. , and was also chosen to lead an army against Mithridates. The populares however, favored Marius to lead the army, and revoked Sulla's commission, so that the leadership of the army became a point of contention between the two political parties, thus turning what had been a political rivalry into a contest of wills between two powerful generals. When the populares faction prevailed, Sulla fled to his army, camped outside the city, and then, for the first time in history, he led a Roman army into the city itself, in gross violation of all principles of government. He was welcomed by the senate however, who considered the election of Marius an illegal act.

Gaius Marius sitting in exile among the ruins of Carthage.

The optimates, now reinforced by the army, declared Marius and his followers public enemies, condemned them to death, and they fled in exile. Sulla then marched to Asia, to fight the First Mithridatic War. Marius spent a year in miserable exile before a chance came to return to Rome. One of his allies, Cinna won a consulship soon after Sulla left the city, and attempted to recall Marius. For this Cinna himself was exiled. When Marius heard of this, he joined his ally and the two raised armies to march against Rome. The fearful Senate had no recourse but to allow them to enter, since they did not have the means to defend the city from such a large force. Cinna and several of the other generals who had led the armies promised moderation, but Marius was too infuriated, and perhaps incapacitated from his sufferings in exile. He did not promise, or exercise moderation, but led a band of murders and ruffians to take revenge on all who had opposed him. The consul was cut down in his consular chair, and his head delivered to his enemies, and allies of the Senators who had opposed Marius were ruthlessly butchered. Eventually even Cinna, Sertorius, and other leaders of the populares became alarmed at the bloodshed. They, themselves, put a stop to much of it by killing many of Marius's ruffians. Marius himself died shortly thereafter, leaving Cinna and his cohorts in control of Rome.

Sulla entering Rome

Many of the senators and optimates fled from Rome during this period, and joined Sulla in his camp in Greece. When Cinna and his colleagues realized that Sulla was intending to march upon Rome they began to raise an army to resist him. They sought alliances with many of the Italian cities who had recently revolted against Rome in the Roman Social War, reminding them that Sulla and his army had opposed their cause. As a result, the populares forces were scattered throughout Rome, and it was the work of some of Sulla's Generals, Pompey, Lucullus, and Metellus Pius, to see that they did not unite effectively.

In early battles, the populares general Norbanus was defeated at Mount Tifata and then Faventia. Sulla's army then marched towards Rome and defeated the populares forces, led by the son of Marius in a large scale battle. From that point, the path to Rome was blocked only by a large army of Samnites, who fought not for the populares, but in order to win the undefended city of Rome for themselves. The largest and bloodiest battle of the war, therefore, was fought outside the city gates after the populares army had already been defeated. The hero of the day was Crassus, who led the right wing, and decisively routed the Samnites. The butchery following the defeat of the Samnites was appalling, even by ancient standards. In the end Sulla took 6,000 prisoners and butchered them all outside the gates of Rome on the day he took possession of the city.

The populares party members inside the city had every reason to be terrified. Sulla had vowed revenge and he took it in horrendous measure. Thousands of his political enemies were murdered without trial or mercy. The proscriptions, or lists of doomed citizens grew daily, and the murders of Sulla far surpassed even those of the blood-thirsty Marius. Sulla was elected dictator and held the position for three years, because no one dared to opposed him. But after three years he wearied of the slaughter and retired to his country house to write his memoirs. The Civil war of Marius and Sulla—probably the most horrific episode in the history of the Roman Republic—was finally over.

	Image Links
Sulla Fights his Way into Rome  in Greatest Nations: Rome	Gaius Marius sitting in exile among the ruins of Carthage  in Story of Rome