Social War
How it Began
Gaius Marius began to make reforms to the army, making him more powerful, and making soldiers more willing to give their full loyalty to Marius as their commander. In light of this, the Senate became worried that they would lose influence over political decisions, and opposed Marius. Eventually, Sulla, another military commander, supported the conservative members of the Senate.
91 BC
When the government took the reins over Marius, a new reformer, Marcus Livius Drusus, made his entrance. He desired to please everybody, but eventually pleased nobody, and all the laws he proposed were declared null and void. He was soon denounced as a traitor by the senate, and abandoned by his people. He was unfortunately murdered by an unknown assassin.
90 BC
The death of Drusus triggered the Italian to revolt, and the war that followed was the Social War. The former purpose of the allies was to obtain the Roman franchise. Now, the allies wanted to create an equal Italian nation. A new state was created and modeled after the Rome government, there was a senate of five hundred members, two consuls, and other magistrates. Rome was soon threatened with destruction by their own subjects. Patriotism revived, and the parties ceased for a brief time, bringing Marius to return a legate in the Roman army, and as a result, a hundred thousand men went to field.
89 BC
New commanders, and preparations were made. Marius was not continued in his command, and was basically replaced by Sulla, who was once his subordinate, and Marius grew jealous towards Sulla.