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
  • "War of Octavius"
• 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
  • Chaeronea
  • Oropus
• 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