Sulla and Mithridates
Marius vs. Sulla, 88
- Sulla was Marius' quaestor in Numidia
- Marius embittered
- Resents:
- Sulla's attempt to claim glory of ending war with Jugurtha
- Lack of respect in senate
- Shabby treatment during Social War
- Sulla wins consulship for 88
- Receives command in looming war in East against Mithridates
- Dispute over enrollment of allies in tribes
- Tribune seeks Marius' aid for enrollment scheme
- Distribute new citizens in old tribes rather than segregate them in a few new ones
- Marius to receive command in East
- Sulla marches with troops on Rome
- Senatorial officers don't cooperate
- Troops stick with their general
- Tribune killed, Marius flees
- Sulla leaves for East in spring of 87
Civil War, 87
- Bellum Octavianum
- Dispute among consuls of 87
- L. Cornelius Cinna opposes laws passed by Sulla
- Cn.Octavius supports Sulla's measures
- Octavius drives Cinna out of Rome
- Armies raised by Cinna, Marius and others capture Rome
- Cn. Pompeius Strabo cos. 89 plays both sides
- Instigates mutiny among his troops when Q. Pompeius Rufus cos. 88 tries to assume command
- Strabo dies of plague, which allows Marians to take Rome
- Octavius and a few senior senators killed
- Marius consul for 86, dies soon after taking up office
- Cinna controls Rome
- What to do about Sulla?
First Mithridatic War
- Conflict b/w Bithynia (Roman ally) and Pontus
- Mithridates king of Pontus
- Eastern Asia Minor plus Caucasus region and Crimea
- War provoked by Roman envoy in 90
- Asia Minor quickly overrun by Mithridates
- No Roman garrison
- Some Greek cities disloyal
- Mithrdiates orders massacre of Roman residents (80,000)
- Mithridatic forces in Greece and Macedonia by 88
- Sulla finally crosses over to Greece in 87
- Captures Athens
- Defeats Mithridates' forces twice in 86
- L. Valerius Flaccus cos. 86 brings army from Italy
- Avoids Sulla, marches on Asia Minor
- Killed in mutiny instigated by subordinate C. Fimbria
- Flaccus unpopular for restraining troops from plundering
- Troops willing to kill commander for plunder
- Sulla refuses to cooperate with Fimbria
- Fimbria's army abandons him
- Peace of Dardanus
- Mithridates keeps kingdom
- Supplies Sulla for impending civil war
- Sulla lets troops extort wealth from disloyal cities in Asia
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