The hypothesis of this report is that the military reforms instituted by Gaius Marius ultimately paved the way for the fall of the Roman Republic.
The reforms instituted by Marius were designed as a way to strengthen the Republic by professionalizing the Roman military, but instead resulted in long term political consequences that contributed to the decline of the Republic and the creation of the Empire. In this report, the decline of the republic specifically refers to the loss of the Senate’s authority over Rome’s generals.
From 112 – 106 BC, a Numidian king called Jurgurtha was engaged in a war with Rome due to an attempt to seize power from his half-brother, Adherbal. The Romans arrived due to the request of Adherbal, and the potential of profit, a claim pressed by the equites, with the aim of dividing the country between the brothers, and Marius found himself under the command of Quintus Caecilius Metellus, who he was under patronage of. When Mettelus scornfully refused Marius’ request to return to be allowed to return to Rome in an attempt of gaining Consulship in 108, Marius intrigued to get the African command transferred upon himself by stating that “Mettelus was prolonging the war on purpose” (William G. Sinnigen, p. 131), after which Mettelus allowed him to return to Rome to gain the Consulship in 107.
After becoming Consul in 107, he was then given the African command the following year, and before he let Rome he was ordered by the senate to raise a new army in an attempt to make him unpopular with the people due to the senate’s negative opinion of him.
After receiving this order he created the foremost of his Reforms, described by Sallust as “he himself in the meantime enrolled soldiers, not according to the cl...
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... middle men between the troops and the Senate, and were looked on by their soldiers as looking out for their best interests. The soldiers relied on their general to give them what they needed, be it arms and armour, pay or land to retire on, and in return the generals wanted loyalty from their troops. As the legions were firmly in control of their generals, they were content to become a threat to the Republic and willing to become akin to private armies, following Generals such as Sulla to march on Rome or other generals.
The continued fighting resulting from these bonds between the generals and the armies, who used them as political tools, which ultimately weakened the republic.
Marius set the stage for ambitious generals to use their soldiers to help advance their own political careers, but Marius did not use his soldiers to help him gain his seven consulships.
From ages past, the actions of conquerors, kings and tyrants had brought the Roman Republic to a stance that opposed any idea of a singular leader, of a single man that held total power over the entirety of the state. Their rejection of the various ruthless Etruscan rulers that had previously dictated them brought the Republic to existence in 509 BC , and as a republic their prominence throughout the provinces of the world exponentially expanded. Throughout these years, the traditions of the Romans changed to varying degrees, most noticeably as a result of the cultural influence that its subject nations had upon the republic, as well as the ever-changing nature of Roman society in relation to then-current events. However, it was not until the rise of Augustus, the first of a long line of succeeding emperors, that many core aspects of the Republic were greatly changed. These were collectively known as the “Augustan Reforms”, and consisted of largely a variety of revisions to the social, religious, political, legal and administrative aspects of the republic’s infrastructure. Through Augustus, who revelled in the old traditional ways of the past, the immoral, unrestraint society that Rome was gradually falling to being was converted to a society where infidelities and corruption was harshly looked upon and judged. The Roman historian Suetonius states, “He corrected many ill practices, which, to the detriment of the public, had either survived the licentious habits of the late civil wars, or else originated in the long peace” . Through Augustus and his reforms, the Republic was transformed into an Empire, and through this transformation, Rome experienced one of its greatest and stabl...
The creation of the body which allowed the tribunes to check the consul. The ending of the chapter goes on to explain how Coriolanus, who had been driven into exile and had been made general of the Volsci, had led a hostile army nearly to Rome, and when the envoys who had been sent to him at first, and how his mother Veturia and his wife Volumnia persuaded him to withdraw. This chapter also showcases how Spurius Cassius, the ex-consul, charged with aspiring to be king, was condemned and put to death. Lastly, When Appius Claudius the consul had sustained a defeat at the hands of the
He strived to create a military image for himself and this was achieved through his conquest of Britain. He personally led his Roman armies to land in Britain, despite his physical disabilities. This act gained him popularity and support from the military. He reorganised the names of the auxiliary troops, and he also changed their terms of service, and made it so that any auxiliary soldier was entitled to Roman citizenship. Claudius gained support from the military and strived to also gain the support of the Julian’s. He did this by publicly announcing Augustus as his role model and also by executing Caligula’s assassin. This did gain him the support of the Julian’s but it also made the Praetorian Guard angry. The Praetorian Guard were the Roman troops whose job it is to protect the Roman emperors. They were upset that Claudius executed Caligula’s assassin without consulting them first. However, Claudius was able to buy back their loyalty and support by providing the Guard with a generous bonus of 15 000 - 20 000 sesterces. By doing this he established a precedent. However, although Claudius had the support of many, but he struggled to gain the support of the Senate. The Senate were a danger to Claudius and he refused to enter the house of the Senate during the first thirty days of his reign. By removing and abolishing treason trials, and Caligula’s tax reforms, he sought to gain their support.
While these problems existed to a greater of lesser degree, since the end of the 2nd century, their effects were accelerated by the reforms of the emperors Constantine and Diocletian. These reforms changed Roman life as well as the face of the Roman army, moving it away from its classical infantry-based structure to a more cavalry-based system. The army was reorganized into lightly armed troops called "limitanei" who defended the border, and large mobile armies composed of troops called "comitatenses". The border troops were given land to live on around forts they protected. This structure led to farming becoming the job of the border troops so that they could feed as well as protect those on the frontier. Over time, this in turn led to out of date weaponry and neglect in training. The weakness of these troops meant that more mobile troops were needed to compensate, and an easily penetrable border as a result of the weakness led to the need for highly efficient mobile armies. Since the cavalry were the most mobile unit of the army, they began to be the favored military unit. With forces strung along the border and concentrated large mobile armies, an increased number of recruits were required; however, land owners were reluctant to let themselves or their kin be recruited because that left less workers for their farms. At the same time, the division of the empire into outer imperial provinces and inner provinces controlled by the Senate had its own effect. Since the armies largely remained in the outer imperial provinces, the people of the inner provinces were out of touch with the army and were no longer attracted to service, again reducing the available pool of recruits. One reason that many avoided Army service was because Roman citizenship was now offered freely, where in prior times military service had been a path to citizenship. The result was less manpower available for Rome. The Roman army was left with no choice but to recruit barbarians, who could in this way both find employment where they had no skills, and hope to obtain Roman citizenship.
According to, Franco Cavazzi, a current accredited unprejudiced Roman Historian, Sulla’s first major achievement was becoming Marius’s Lieutenant. Marius was not a Roman nor patrician but still managed to be elected 7 times, he lead the army to many victories and was well recognised for them. (Gill, N.S. 2014) (Cavazzi, F. 2002) It was during Sulla’s service under Marius’s command in the military, that many of Sulla’s character traits were cultivated that contributed to the way he ruled.
1. In my nineteenth year, on my own initiative and at my own expense, I raised an army with which I set free the state, which was oppressed by the domination of a faction. For that reason, the senate enrolled me in its order by laudatory resolutions, when Gaius Pansa and Aulus Hirtius were consuls (43 B.C.E.), assigning me the place of a consul in the giving of opinions, and gave me the imperium. With me as propraetor, it ordered me, together with the consuls, to take care lest any detriment befall the state. But the people made me consul in the same year, when the consuls each perished in battle, and they made me a triumvir for the settling of the state.
With the problems starting with the dissolution of the first triumvirate and the actions of Julius Caesar, it seemed almost inevitable that the Republic would become an Empire. With the death of the true republican, Cicero, and many not remembering what the republic was like, giving power to the capable and honorable man seemed as if the best answer. Furthermore, if the Rome continue to remain a Republic the Senate could not have maintained the success or power that the Empire held. The ambition of one man made it easy to continue the growth whereas, many of the policies and disputes the country faced had face might have taken to long or complicated had the republic
At an early age, Tiberius was given military command and in his first campaign he won great renown with his troops and the Senate. He followed this up with another victory in Pannonia and for his efforts he received a triumph in Rome, the single greatest honor any general could receive. Augustus granted him the powers of a Tribune. Tiberius cared greatly for the welfare of his soldiers and they responded with respect and deep ...
The strength of the Roman military was the string that held the Roman Empire together for as long as it lasted. The military was made up of strictly disciplined men whom were ready and willing to serve their emperor.
... His reforms, as far-reaching as they initially were, were short lived, and were annulled soon after his retirement. He thought that the People, meeting in the Concilium Plebis, were an unrepresentative and irresponsible body unworthy to govern, but he largely failed to infuse a new sense of responsibility to the Senate (Appian in Williams, p.149). Above all, arrangements to control the advancement of men through the Cursus Honorum –the threat from which his own career had so nakedly demonstrated – were clearly inadequate against men of determined ambition (Massie, p. 176). In final analysis, Sulla’s actions as a politician and a military leader, while occasionally bringing him prestige - dignatas, were major factors leading to the subsequent weakening of the Republic.
This new Republican government, which was administered by the consuls, was not the easiest to transform. Because of the expansion in Italy, the government began to initiate political institutions. These institutions enforced laws and provided authority which were very similar to imperium. “The Romans had a clear concept of executive authority, embodied in their word imperium, or “the right to command” (Spielvogel 117). Since the Romans were very sensible in their actions, they made and implemented them only as needed. The most essential positions held were the few elected magistrates and the two consuls who were “chosen annually, administered the government and led the Roman army into battle” (Spielvogel 117). If the consul was otherwise occupied, either a dictator or praetor would assume responsibility for the time being.
3)Gwynn, David M. The Roman Republic: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2012. Print.
Ultimately, the Roman Republic’s downfall lay in its lack of major wars or other crises, which led to a void of honor and leadership. War united all of Rome’s people, and provided the challenge to its leaders to develop honor and leadership by their causes and actions. The lack of war allowed the Roman Republic to stagnate and become self-indulgent. By the end of the Punic Wars, which combined these elements, Rome was sure to fail. Without a common thread uniting its society, the Roman Republic unraveled because it had nothing left holding it together.
During his early adult live, he worked as a personal aide for Marcus Thermus, who at that time was the governor of the Asian Province. He was then later sent to King called Bithynia by Thermus, to fetch a fleet. And was later suspected of having a false deal with the king of Bithynia. In his early political life he served for Serviliys Isaricus in Cilicia. His exposure to the military made him popular and made him...
Unfortunately, he is not allowed to have any important positions in the military, but that keeps him safe from the front lines. Corinthus has told me the military is incredibly well organized and this contributes to their success. There organization is kept by having specific groups within the military. The structure of the army starts with a tent group which consisted of 8 soldiers. Then, a century combines 10 tent groups which then has 80 soldiers. Century’s are commanded by a centurion. Then there are Cohorts which usually combine 6 Cohorts and 480 infantry. Finally, Legions consist of 10 Cohorts and they are the largest group in the Roman Military. The system used is very complicated and groups often have a different number of soldiers depending on the rank or experience of each soldier. For example, Cohort 1 had the most respected and elite troops, but Cohort II was usually the newer and weaker troops. This organization is a huge factor to the Roman expansion success and although Corinthus does not fall in any of these groups he is always excited to tell me about the work they’re