Many regard Sulla as the savior of the Roman republic. However, that is incorrect. Before his reign, Sulla marched his Army on Rome itself twice and established himself as a dictator, and in so doing challenged Roman Mos Maiorum. As dictator, Sulla gained control through a reign of terror that had not existed in Rome since the time of the kings. Despite his attempts to dissuade the Roman citizens otherwise, Sulla was not acting in the interest of the republic and caused more harm than good. Rome was slowly progressing and giving the poorer classes more clout in their government until Sulla erased over 50 years of violent reforms working toward that end. By killing Roman citizens that do not agree with him, limiting public office, and disregarding Rome’s lower class and allies; Sulla demonstrates that the Roman people are not in his interest.
Immediately upon becoming dictator, Sulla began a process of eliminating those who did not agree with him. Proscriptions, Sulla’s “hit-list” of those with whom he didn’t agree, were ordered, and these allowed any Roman citizen to murder anyone on the list. It is one thing to disagree, but to take that disagreement to the level of violence ordered by Sulla was as destabilizing as any reform brought about by the Gracchi. Sulla killed 90 senators, fifteen consuls, and 2,600 Equites that did not agree with him, as in the example of Quintus Lucretius Ofella he states, “Understand this, my friends, and hear it from my own lips: I killed Lucretius because he would not obey me.” While confiscating the land owned by the deceased would serve as a boon to the Ager Publicus, stealing this land from families whose only crime was disagreement. Sulla was a tyrant and acted outside the law by executing those with whom he disagreed without trial.
Sulla also limited power from other public offices by making sweeping changes to the office of Tribune. After Sulla was through, plebeian Tribunes were no longer able to hold any further office. Limiting the Tribunate was perhaps a response to his feud with Marius as the Roman savior Gaius Marius had held the office of Tribune before becoming Consul an unprecedented seven times. Additionally, in another slight to the great Marius, Sulla restored the law prescribing a ten-year gap between consulships. Sulla did enlarge the Senate to 600 members, accomplishing this by appointing his fellow Optimates within the Equites. Additionally, his reforms required all Tribunes to present their proposals to this Senate before submitting them to vote from the Concilicum Plebis. Benevolently, he allowed the Tribunes to retain their veto power. If an assembly of the people wants a man re-elected, then there is no reason to deny those wishes.
Furthermore, Sulla disregarded the needs of Rome’s lower-class citizens by abolishing the grain distributions and also marginalized allies by settling his veterans in their territory. Sulla did not care about the common man, but instead looked to increase the power of the already powerful. While yes, the grain ration is an expensive undertaking for the Roman state, it is also a necessary endeavor to ensure our own people do not starve. Furthermore, confiscating land from such trusted allies as those in Etruria, Umbria, Latium, and Campania only to settle his veterans on their property did little to engender them to the state of Rome. In reality, settling his own private army in such proximity to Rome is quite alarming, as it seems to be staging a force of experienced soldiers within easy reach to remind Romans to behave appropriately. Perhaps if the neighbors in these lands were treated as equal citizens, there would be no fear of uprising and therefore no need for military veterans to settle in their regions.
Thankfully, Sulla resigned from his authoritarian powers at the end of 81 BC. Being voted consul for the next year was a likely result of fear among voters. Strangely, retired after his consulship taking no further interest in public life and remained at his villa until his death in 78 BC. He had an opportunity to control Rome for a long time through single-ruler tyranny. Sulla was very efficient in making Rome in his image, and the hope is that this is not a precedent and no others follow his example or we may see Rome return to an undesired monarchy. Sulla’s and the people’s vision for the Roman republic are very different, and fortunately, his reforms can be changed through the work of the people: for the good of the Senatus Populusque Romanus.
