Gaius Marius: The Rise And Fall Of The Roman Republic

Gaius Marius is best known for his great ability to wage war and control the powerful army of Rome. He began his reign of power as a soldier and in 119 BCE he was elected Tribune of the People. He continued to gain more and more power until 115 BCE when he became praetor, one of the two most important people in the government behind the consul. Around this time he also married a woman from the wealthy Julian family, making him a relative of Julius Caesar. In the following years he served in the military in the wars against Jugurtha in Africa. When he returned home to Rome in 108 BCE, he ran for and won consulship in Rome. With his new share of power, he decided to become commander of the armies in Africa at the time, showing just how important

The most revolutionary thing that Gaius Marius did was creating the Marian reforms. These were a series of changes that Marius brought about around 107 BCE after he became consul. The first change he made regarded the census, originally, only land-owning men would be counted during the time of the census which kept track of property and land that men could be taxed on; it also determined who could or could not serve in the army. Marius however, decided that all men, whether they owned land or not, would be accounted for. This change enabled for poor citizens who did not own land to be employed as a soldier using the weapons that Marius required the government provide them. The lower class began to abide by the new system of taking census because becoming a soldier gave them a way to gain status and wealth in society; also, they were promised grants of land from the state after returning from war. This angered many of the wealthier citizens due to the fact that men with very little property now had the same opportunity to make money as the men who owned land and goods which they had to pay taxes on. The second