SULLA
WHAT IS SAID ABOUT HIM?
Plutarch, Life of Sulla (31): ~ Quote from Metellus on Proscriptions ~
' "We are not asking you," he said, "to pardon those whom you have decided to kill; all we ask is that you should free from suspense those whom you have decided not to kill" '
Velleius Paterculus: ~ on Tribunes ~
'Anyone of reputation or birth shunned the office thereafter'
'He left the tribunican power a shadow without substance'
Plutarch, Life of Sulla (33): ~ on Imperium ~ (81 BC)
'A decree was passed giving him immunity for all his past acts, while for the future he was to have the power of life and death, the power to confiscate property, to found colonies, to found new cities or to demolish existing ones, to take away or bestow kingdoms at his pleasure'
WHAT WERE HIS MOST IMPORTANT ACHIEVEMENTS?
o Cursus Honorum
- redraft of the lex Villia Annalis (senator could not hold same office twice in 10 years)
o Senatorial
- enlarged the membership by 300 (mainly equites)
- senate approval needed before laws were shown to plebs
o Proconsular
- senate appointed provincial commands
- lex de Maiestate (illegal for a proconsul to leave their command without permission)
o Tribunes
- sanctioned by the senate
- right to veto was limited
- no longer held further political office
o Dictatorship
- up to 4000 of his political enemies were deemed as 'outlaws' via his proscriptions
o Plebs
- abolished cheap grain distributions (first introduced by Gaius Gracchus, 123, & re-established later by Clodius, 58)
HOW SIGNIFICANT WAS HE?
o Sets the precedent for others to march on Rome / strive for dictatorship
o Puts fear into the minds of the senate of consequences of too much power for individuals
o Increased the power of the aristocracy and drowned out the voice of the people
o Kickstarted Pompey's rise to power by addressing him as 'Gnaius Pompeius Magnus' (the cognomen 'Magnus' meaning 'the Great') & granted him first Triumph (81 BC - Pompey was only 24/25)
WHAT ARE SOME OTHER QUOTES ABOUT HIM?
~ quotes to be added as and when I find them in my study notes ~
Plutarch, Life of Sulla (31):
'The city was filled with murder and there was no counting the executions or setting a limit to them'
Plutarch, Life of Sulla (34):
'he showed so much more confidence in his good fortune than in his own powers that, in spite of the great numbers of people who had been killed by him and the great changes and innovations which he had made in the constitution, he laid down his dictatorship and gave back to the people the right of electing consuls'
WHAT ARE THE MAIN FACTS ABOUT SULLA AND HIS CAREER?
o cica. 138 BC: Sulla was born into an old, but recently undistinguished, patrician family
o 107-105 BC: Marius' Quaestor in Numidia
o 104-103 BC: Serves under Marius in the German Wars
o 97 BC: Praetor
o 96-92 BC: Governor of Cilicia
o 91-88 BC: Social War
- Sulla distinguishes himself as a commander on the southern front
o 88 BC: Consulship with Q. Pompeius Rufus
- Sulla was given command against Mithridates but a tribune, P. Sulpicius Rufus, suggests Marius for the role instead
- Sulla takes great offence at this and marches on Rome, resulting in Rufus' death & Marius' outlawing
o 87 BC: Sulla goes East
o 85 BC: Peace terms agreed with Mithridates after the 1st Mithridatic War lasting 3 years
o 84 BC: Rebels against Rome after hearing of Cinna's death
o 83 BC: Sulla returns to Italy and is joined by Crassus and Pompey
o 82 BC: Sulla declares war on Rome
- consul Carbo defeated in the North & flees to Africa
- consul Gaius Marius Junior defeated in the South & commits suicide
- Sulla enters Rome and is declared dictator
o 81 BC: Sulla is dictator
- proscriptions are instated
- reforms of the Republic
- Sulla resigns his dictatorship at the end of the year
o 80 BC: Sulla elected as consul with Metellus Pius
o 79-78 BC: Retires
- writes 22 books of his memoirs
- dies (probably of phthiriasis)
WHAT IS SAID ABOUT HIM?
Plutarch, Life of Sulla (31): ~ Quote from Metellus on Proscriptions ~
' "We are not asking you," he said, "to pardon those whom you have decided to kill; all we ask is that you should free from suspense those whom you have decided not to kill" '
Velleius Paterculus: ~ on Tribunes ~
'Anyone of reputation or birth shunned the office thereafter'
'He left the tribunican power a shadow without substance'
Plutarch, Life of Sulla (33): ~ on Imperium ~ (81 BC)
'A decree was passed giving him immunity for all his past acts, while for the future he was to have the power of life and death, the power to confiscate property, to found colonies, to found new cities or to demolish existing ones, to take away or bestow kingdoms at his pleasure'
WHAT WERE HIS MOST IMPORTANT ACHIEVEMENTS?
o Cursus Honorum
- redraft of the lex Villia Annalis (senator could not hold same office twice in 10 years)
o Senatorial
- enlarged the membership by 300 (mainly equites)
- senate approval needed before laws were shown to plebs
o Proconsular
- senate appointed provincial commands
- lex de Maiestate (illegal for a proconsul to leave their command without permission)
o Tribunes
- sanctioned by the senate
- right to veto was limited
- no longer held further political office
o Dictatorship
- up to 4000 of his political enemies were deemed as 'outlaws' via his proscriptions
o Plebs
- abolished cheap grain distributions (first introduced by Gaius Gracchus, 123, & re-established later by Clodius, 58)
HOW SIGNIFICANT WAS HE?
o Sets the precedent for others to march on Rome / strive for dictatorship
o Puts fear into the minds of the senate of consequences of too much power for individuals
o Increased the power of the aristocracy and drowned out the voice of the people
o Kickstarted Pompey's rise to power by addressing him as 'Gnaius Pompeius Magnus' (the cognomen 'Magnus' meaning 'the Great') & granted him first Triumph (81 BC - Pompey was only 24/25)
WHAT ARE SOME OTHER QUOTES ABOUT HIM?
~ quotes to be added as and when I find them in my study notes ~
Plutarch, Life of Sulla (31):
'The city was filled with murder and there was no counting the executions or setting a limit to them'
Plutarch, Life of Sulla (34):
'he showed so much more confidence in his good fortune than in his own powers that, in spite of the great numbers of people who had been killed by him and the great changes and innovations which he had made in the constitution, he laid down his dictatorship and gave back to the people the right of electing consuls'
WHAT ARE THE MAIN FACTS ABOUT SULLA AND HIS CAREER?
o cica. 138 BC: Sulla was born into an old, but recently undistinguished, patrician family
o 107-105 BC: Marius' Quaestor in Numidia
o 104-103 BC: Serves under Marius in the German Wars
o 97 BC: Praetor
o 96-92 BC: Governor of Cilicia
o 91-88 BC: Social War
- Sulla distinguishes himself as a commander on the southern front
o 88 BC: Consulship with Q. Pompeius Rufus
- Sulla was given command against Mithridates but a tribune, P. Sulpicius Rufus, suggests Marius for the role instead
- Sulla takes great offence at this and marches on Rome, resulting in Rufus' death & Marius' outlawing
o 87 BC: Sulla goes East
o 85 BC: Peace terms agreed with Mithridates after the 1st Mithridatic War lasting 3 years
o 84 BC: Rebels against Rome after hearing of Cinna's death
o 83 BC: Sulla returns to Italy and is joined by Crassus and Pompey
o 82 BC: Sulla declares war on Rome
- consul Carbo defeated in the North & flees to Africa
- consul Gaius Marius Junior defeated in the South & commits suicide
- Sulla enters Rome and is declared dictator
o 81 BC: Sulla is dictator
- proscriptions are instated
- reforms of the Republic
- Sulla resigns his dictatorship at the end of the year
o 80 BC: Sulla elected as consul with Metellus Pius
o 79-78 BC: Retires
- writes 22 books of his memoirs
- dies (probably of phthiriasis)
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