The Civil War in Ancient Rome (83–82 BC)

The conflict flared up primarily due to insoluble contradictions between the two groups rallying around Lucius Cornelius Sulla on the one hand and Gaius Marius the Younger on the other.

The Marians, holding power in an undemocratic way, sought to preserve the existing order. Not one of their reforms is known except the few with which they actually came to power. The main activities of the Marians were the adoption of a bill on the distribution of Italics in all tribes , the removal of Sulla from all posts and the destruction of the opposition through mass terror.

The implementation of the bill on the distribution of Italics to all tribes was, however, the most important political step of the Marians. According to the results of the Allied War , as already noted, the Italians received only formally equal rights with the Romans. In fact, they did not have at least any noticeable influence on the solution of political issues, since they were enlisted exclusively in the last, most numerous tribes. This was probably done by the Roman legislators in order to reassure the Italics by giving them the visible gift of what they fought for. Indeed, the Romans could not have fought on all fronts by military means alone (the Italians surrounded Rome from almost all sides).

However, Mari and Sulpicius soon after the end of the Allied war decided to use the Italics to achieve such political goals as the establishment of their rule in Rome, as well as for the appointment of Mary for the future war with Mithridates .

It is likely that the latter goal was the main one. The Marians, having achieved power, did not make anything other than this belated decision (belated because Sulla had already gone to war). Therefore, their position can be called destructive in relation to the Roman public order.

It is interesting that Maria (unlike his military talents) about his political abilities, his chief biographer Plutarch speaks extremely restrained, rather negatively, calling him "by nature incapable of peaceful civil activity" ^[5] . Having essentially unlimited power, those at the helm of power in Rome could carry out (except terror) any reformist policy, as Sulla who replaced them succeeded most vividly. The Marians certainly did not have a clear plan of action in the event of a plan failure to send Maria as a commander to Asia, which happened. Having achieved power for the sake of fulfilling this goal and missing the real opportunity to really fulfill it, the Marians seemed to have lost all interest in creation and turned to destruction.

At the same time, Sulla did not seek to restore legal authority, but to establish a regime of his personal power. As an excuse, Mari’s infringement of the honor and dignity of Sulla himself was chosen, as well as infringement of the rights of the patriciate as a whole (the latter did take place). In addition, Sulla could not celebrate his well-deserved triumph for the victory over Mithridates, while the Marians ruled in Rome. Not the last place was a personal enmity between Sulla and Mary, which after the death of the latter resulted in a confrontation between the two parties.

Sulla landed in Brundisia in 83 BC. e. . He quickly advanced to Rome, since the Marians were completely unprepared for war. In addition, he several times managed to divide the opponents and even lure whole legions to his side.

To Sulla flocked both representatives of the noble nobility (the so-called optimates ), who saw in Sulla their protector, and those who were displeased from among the Marians (the so-called populations ). In addition, ordinary soldiers often sided with Sulla. This was primarily due to the promise of Sulla to give all who fought on his side land (this promise he subsequently fulfilled). The most famous people who sided with Sulla are Pompey and Crassus . It should not be forgotten that Sulla, although he was a rebel, was nevertheless a pro-consul ^[6] , that is, he was an official.

One of the first battles took place at Canusia in the region of Mount Tifata ^[7] between Guy Norban and Sulla. In the battle, 6,000 Norban soldiers and 70 Sulla soldiers died ^{[8] [9]} .

In the winter of 83/82 BC e. hostilities were not carried out due to adverse weather conditions ^[10] .

In 82 BC e. near Favenia, Guy Norban and Consul Gnei Papyrius Carbon began the battle against Quintus Cecilius Metellus Pius in extremely unfortunate conditions and were defeated. In this battle, Norban killed up to 10,000 soldiers, and another 6,000 fled to the side of the Sullans. ^[11]

As a result of the battle near Cygnia, Mari with a small part of his army was forced to retreat to the fortified city of Preneste . Soon, however, the city was surrounded by Sulla.

After Mari was locked in Prenest , Sulla decided to besiege the city. He knew that there were few loyal soldiers to Mary in the city and they could not lift the siege on their own. The siege of Preneste Sulla entrusted Lucretia to Opella. He dug a moat at some distance around the city and put up a picket fence.

Marius hoped very much for Carbon and for the large army of Telezin. Awaiting their arrival, he conveyed a message to Rome to his supporter, Praetor Brutus, with an order to crack down on his personal enemies. However, the army of Carbon decreased significantly in several skirmishes with the troops of Sulla, Metella , Pompey and Crassus . Finally, Pompey managed to ambush and put Carbon's soldiers to flight. Frustrated by the constant setbacks, the soldiers rioted, and the soldiers of one of the legions completely went home. Telezin with a large army could not even get closer to Prenest, since the narrow passages on the way there were completely blocked by Sulla. Marius, seeing that the food supplies in Prenest were running out, pulled his troops out of the city gates and tried to break through the fortifications of the besiegers, but failed.

The great success of Sulla was the transition to his side of the commander of Albinovan with a legion of Lukanians. Sulla promised to ensure Albinovan’s safety only if he did something outstanding, so Albinovan called in many unsuspecting Marian warlords and killed them. Having learned about this, one of the leaders of the Marians, Guy Norban , having abandoned the army, fled to Rhodes ^[11] .

The Marians were still trying to drive Sulla out of the narrow passages on the way to Prenest. After Mark Terentius Varron Lucullus inflicted another defeat on the Marian army (the Marians did not win a single serious victory during the whole war), and all the territories north of Rome finally sided with Sulla, Carbon, who was one of the two consuls in the 82nd year before n e. , fled from Italy to Africa, hoping to organize a center of resistance to Sulle there ^[12] .

After this incident, the remaining Marian warlords (Karina, Marcius and Damasippus) last attempted to break through to Prenesta, and when this failed, they joined forces with Telezine and marched on Rome . Sulla, learning about this, quickly took off and also hastened to Rome.

The battle between Sulla on the one hand, and the combined Marian army on the other, took place at the beginning of 82 BC. e. The army of Sulla was inferior in number to the 70 thousandth Marian, but the latter was made up of inexperienced Italians who were not burning with the desire to die in battle. It is also known that many Italians from the Samnite and Luckan tribes took part in the battle on the side of the Marians.

During the battle, Sulla first won the battle on the right flank (he was commanded by Mark Licinius Crassus ), while his left flank was put to flight. The retreating people tried to hide in Rome through the Collins Gate , but the soldiers of Sulla, who were on duty on the walls, closed the gate with the help of a mechanical device. This crippled several dozen soldiers, but made them turn and continue the battle of the rest. The battle lasted the rest of the night, and Sulla won in it.

Appian estimates the total death toll in the battle at 50,000. Another 8,000 captured soldiers, mainly Samnites, Sulla immediately ordered to kill. During the battle, Pontius Telezin and Albin were killed. Two more commanders of the losing army were soon captured and killed, and their heads carried around the walls of the besieged Prenest .

After the heads of these military leaders were shown to the defenders of Preneste , it was clear to the besiegers that the armies of the Marians were defeated, and Sulla was the winner. The inhabitants of Preneste voluntarily surrendered the city to the besieger of Lucretius. Gaius Marius the Younger committed suicide, but his body was found, and soon his head was delivered to Sulla.

After arriving in the city, Sulla destroyed all the military commanders, Maria , and then ordered all the defenders of the city to build in a field without weapons, breaking up into three groups - the Romans, Samnites and Prenestians. Sulla forgave the Romans, ordered everyone else to be cut, but ordered to leave their wives and children. The city of Sulla itself was sacked by soldiers.

“The war destroyed everything. Often in one battle 10,000 to 20,000 people died, and in the vicinity of Rome, 50,000 died on both sides. For each of the survivors, for the cities of Sulla, he did not stop at all cruelties until he declared himself the sole sovereign of the entire Roman state for the period that seemed to him desirable and necessary. " ^[13]

During the hostilities, the Marians were defeated in almost all directions (with the exception of Spain, where Quintus Sertorius continued to resist for a long time, but he fought not for the ideals of the Marian party, but for his own interests; opponents of Sulla also held the provinces of Africa and Sicily). Most cities in Italy submitted to Sulla, who was the undisputed winner. However, some cities on the Apennine Peninsula (Nola, Ezernia, Volaterra) lasted for several more years ^[14] .

The reasons for the victory of Sulla and his associates lie primarily in the weakness of the Marian party, in the absence of its broad support. Only the Samnites and Lukanians were on the side of the Marians to the very end.

Sulla established power over the country during a fierce armed struggle. Subsequently, he established his own sole, unlimited in time dictatorship.