The Julian Paradox Movie

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Essay written by Kurt Otto Peterson.

Essay

Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix Dictator

Born...138BCE
Died....78BCE

Sulla was a Patrician of the gens Cornelius but his branch of the family was well and truly down on its fortune in his day and he may well have done all sorts of unsavoury things in order to survive in Rome's stews, including murder. It was rumoured at the time that he murdered his stepmother or lover or both in order to get their wealth thus enabling him to qualify for Senatorial standing and his chance at the political ladder, the Cursus Honorium.

By marrying the younger sister of Marius' wife Julia, he not only became related to the Julian's of the branch Caesar, but also the great Gaius Marius. He began to get noticed.

He served with Marius as Quaestor at an age when he should have been trying for the Preatorship but it would seem that he was a fast learner and it wasn't long before he became a Legatus ( a colonel or perhaps brigadier general).

In Numidia (north Africa), acting under Marius' orders, he captured King Jugurtha , no mean feat as Jugurtha was a very wily commander who knew the country and had the support of his people, or most of them anyway.

A deal was struck and then Sulla struck and Jugurtha was in chains and on his way to Rome effectively ending the war in Numidia.

This was done as per Marius' orders so Marius got and took the credit as he was entitled to do.
It is said that later in life Sulla was resented not getting the credit himself and that was one of the reasons the two men became such deadly enemies.

It's possible but I think Sulla was enough of a soldier to know that the credit went to the right man. He would have liked the credit but I think he knew well enough that there would be plenty more opportunities for credit gathering and they would come soon enough.

He served with Marius again, this time against the Teutonic and Cimbric Germans who, despite their great size and great numbers were defeated by the relatively small Roman force against them.

They fought together in the Social War against a number of Italian allied nations but Marius suffered a stroke and Sulla now assumed command.

He brought the war to a bloody conclusion by slaughtering six thousand Samnite P O W's within sight of the Roman Senate house.

He was just as ruthless on the political battlefield.

As Consul he did what he could to undo the damage he felt Marius had done to Rome's conservative political system.

Also as Consul, he was entitled to command the armies of Rome against Mithridates of Pontus. However a now recovered Marius wanted it for himself and by using what amounted to a loophole in Rome's unwritten laws, he had Sulla, the lawful Consul stripped of his command and took it on himself.
Sulla concluded a hasty peace with the Pontic king and returned to Italy.

There he set a precedent. He became the first Roman General to march on his own city and cross the sacred boundary with his army. He probably felt justified in doing so because his dignitas had been so seriously damaged and he most likely believed he was simply getting justice for himself and his men.

I think that he knew all too well that when Rome was his he would have himself 'legally' appointed Dictator for an indefinite period time. By doing this he became the absolute Master of Rome.

However, on becoming dictator he found that Rome was broke, so he decided that the only way to fill the treasury quickly enough would be to put up proscription lists. Any man who found his name on one of these lists could be killed on sight, no questions asked and then collect a reward.

The dead man was usually a wealthy political opponent, but when they became scarce the net became wider.The treasury filled up quickly thanks to the confiscation and subsequent sale of property and artworks to the highest bidder.

Even the Great Caesar found his name on the list.

Sulla all but wiped out political opposition in Rome and then set himself to legislating all the power of the people out of existence.

His reign of terror lasted six years and even by Roman standards his ruthlessness and ambition were staggering.

He could be both merciful or pitiless to an enemy in the political arena as he was to the young Caesar, and on the battlefield.

He resigned his office as he had promised to do when he completed his program of legislation after six years. Such was the fear he instilled in people that he could go without bodyguards anywhere in Rome as a private citizen and not fear for his life.

He died one year later in 78BCE.

Most of his reforms were repealed after his death and the old system gradually came back into existence.

Many Roman aristocrats and the wealthy had very elaborate tombs for their ashes when they died.
Their full names would be carved on them, as well as the offices they held, any heroic deeds they might have done, battles won and so on.

Sulla chose his own epitaph, it read;

SULLA

NO BETTER FRIEND

NO WORSE ENEMY

That about sums him up.