What did Lucius Sulla accomplish?

Answer 1

Lucius Cornelius Sulla was a Roman statesman and military commander who fought a civil war against Gaius Marius, another statesman and military leader. Sulla belonged to the optimates, a conservative political faction which supported tradition and the privileges of the aristocracy. Gaius Marius belonged to the populares, a political faction which championed reforms to address the plight of the poor. Sulla won the civil war and was appointed dictator. This was an extraordinary office of state which had extraordinary powers and was appointed in times of emergency by a senatorial decree which established the mandate of the dictator. The term of this office was normally 6 months, but Sulla was appointed for one year. His mandate was to make new laws and to reform the constitution.

Some of his measures were designed to strengthen the power of the senate and the senator, the aristocracy and the conservative forces and to weaken the power of the plebeian tribunes, the representatives of the poor. He also persecuted his political opponents. He had an estimated 9,000 people executed or murdered and confiscated their property.

In his constitutional reforms Sulla:

• increased the number of elected officers of state

• gave the quaestors (treasurers and junior officers of state)) automatic membership in the senate on expiry of their office

• the two measures above enabled him to double the size of the senate from 300 to 600 (previously only former higher officers of state, consuls. praetors and censors had automatic membership in the senate). Sulla also built a new senate house, the Curia Cornelia.

• ended one of the roles of the censors, the drawing up of a list of men eligible to membership of the senate

• decreed that consuls and praetors were to serve as governors of the provinces for a year when they left office.

• transferred the hearing of appeal cases from the assembly of the soldiers and the assembly of the tribes to a new jury courts (the quaestiones perpetuae). These juries were controlled by the patricians.

• institutionalised the cursus honorum, the career path for public office, and set minimum ages for access to each of the offices of state.

• Reaffirmed the law that forbade re-election of the officers of state for ten years

Sulla also weakened the power of the plebeian tribunes, he:

• made reforms of the plebeian council that deprived the plebeian tribunes of the power to propose legislation to this council. Previously the plebeian tribunes presented bills to this council, and if approved, they became laws. This weakened

greatly

the plebeian tribunes.

some of Sulla's reforms were repealed after he retired from politics.

Answer 2

The Roman general and dictator was the first man to use the army to establish a personal autocracy on Rome. He became a very skilled and powerful military leader. He won The Jurgurthine War.