The Roman Military Reforms institued by Gaius Marius

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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... ... middle of paper ... ... 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.

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