Gaius Marius

Gaius Marius PDF Author: Marc Hyden
Publisher: Pen and Sword
ISBN: 1526702355
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 402

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Book Description
“Shows Marius the man, warts and all . . . an excellent biography . . . a very good breakdown of Roman politics, and a civics course in ancient Rome.”— A Wargamers Needful Things Gaius Marius was one of the most remarkable and significant figures of the late Roman Republic. At a time when power tended to be restricted to a clique of influential families, he rose from relatively humble origins to attain the top office of consul. He even went on to hold the post an unprecedented seven times. His political career flourished but was primarily built on military success. First serving in the Numantine War in Spain, he later rose to high command and brought a long-running war in North Africa to a successful conclusion, bringing the Numidian King Jurgurtha back in chains. His return was timely as northern barbarian tribes threatened Italy and had previously defeated several Roman armies. Marius reformed and retrained the Republic’s forces and decisively defeated the invaders that had easily overpowered his predecessors. Marius’s subsequent career was primarily that of an elder statesman, but it was dominated by his rivalry with his erstwhile subordinate, Sulla, which ultimately led to the latter’s bloody coup. Marius, once hailed as the savior of Rome, eventually became a desperate fugitive, literally fleeing for his life from his pursuers. However, after several harrowing brushes with death, Marius seized an opportunity to return to Rome and mete out justice to his enemies, which tarnished his once-enviable reputation. “The best extant account of Gaius Marius’ leading role in the history of late Roman Republic. It is required reading for those interested in the period and highly recommended for the general reader.”—HistoryNet

Gaius Marius

Gaius Marius PDF Author: Marc Hyden
Publisher: Pen and Sword
ISBN: 1526702355
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 402

Get Book Here

Book Description
“Shows Marius the man, warts and all . . . an excellent biography . . . a very good breakdown of Roman politics, and a civics course in ancient Rome.”— A Wargamers Needful Things Gaius Marius was one of the most remarkable and significant figures of the late Roman Republic. At a time when power tended to be restricted to a clique of influential families, he rose from relatively humble origins to attain the top office of consul. He even went on to hold the post an unprecedented seven times. His political career flourished but was primarily built on military success. First serving in the Numantine War in Spain, he later rose to high command and brought a long-running war in North Africa to a successful conclusion, bringing the Numidian King Jurgurtha back in chains. His return was timely as northern barbarian tribes threatened Italy and had previously defeated several Roman armies. Marius reformed and retrained the Republic’s forces and decisively defeated the invaders that had easily overpowered his predecessors. Marius’s subsequent career was primarily that of an elder statesman, but it was dominated by his rivalry with his erstwhile subordinate, Sulla, which ultimately led to the latter’s bloody coup. Marius, once hailed as the savior of Rome, eventually became a desperate fugitive, literally fleeing for his life from his pursuers. However, after several harrowing brushes with death, Marius seized an opportunity to return to Rome and mete out justice to his enemies, which tarnished his once-enviable reputation. “The best extant account of Gaius Marius’ leading role in the history of late Roman Republic. It is required reading for those interested in the period and highly recommended for the general reader.”—HistoryNet

On the Wings of Eagles

On the Wings of Eagles PDF Author: Christopher Anthony Matthew
Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing
ISBN: 1443818135
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 120

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Book Description
Gaius Marius (157-86B) was one of the most innovative and influential commanders of antiquity. With Marius in command of its legions, Rome prevailed on the battlefields of North Africa and defeated a two-pronged invasion of the Italian peninsula by 300,000 migrating Germanic tribesmen. The reason for this success was a series of five ground-breaking reforms through which Marius dramatically altered the demographics, recruitment, training and operation of the Roman army. In effect, Marius’ reforms changed the Roman military from a service of short-term militia into a professional standing army. This allowed Rome to use the military as an effective tool for military expansion and internal security and laid the foundations for the role of the Roman army for centuries to come. Many of these reforms, however, came at a cost to the stability of the state. This book charts the military implications of Marius’ reforms: what they were, why they were made, how they were made, and how they altered the functionality of the Roman military.

Gaius Marius

Gaius Marius PDF Author: Richard J. Evans
Publisher: Unisa Press
ISBN: 9780869818503
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 276

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Book Description
Though he may not have realised it, Gaius Marius caused through his political ambition the beginnings of the fall of the Roman Republic. Presenting this view, Evans traces here Marius' rise to pre-eminence, his contribution to legislation and his involvement with other politicians. It was other politicians, this work argues, that emulated or even exceeded a dangerous precedent Marius had set.

The Gabinian Affair

The Gabinian Affair PDF Author: Ray Gleason
Publisher: Morgan James Publishing
ISBN: 1630475564
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 221

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Book Description
A retired Roman soldier looks back on his early life and battlefield adventures fighting under Julius Caesar in this gripping fictional memoir. The Gabinian Affair is a memoir written by a retired Roman soldier, Gaius Marius Insubrecus, who served Caesar during his wars in Gaul. As a youth, Insubrecus is caught between two worlds: the heroic myths of his people, the Gahâél, and the harsh realities of their conqueror, Rome. Insubrecus tries to escape assassins sent after him from Rome by hiding in the Roman army, right at the time that the new governor, Gaius Julius Caesar, launches his legions into Gaul to stop an invasion by a fierce and ruthless tribe called the Helvetii. Insubrecus is plunged into a world of violence, intrigue and betrayal, as he tries to serve his new patron, Caesar, and to stay alive, while pursued by Roman cutthroats and Gallic warriors.

The First Man in Rome

The First Man in Rome PDF Author: Colleen McCullough
Publisher: HarperCollins
ISBN: 0063019795
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 1156

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Book Description
With extraordinary narrative power, New York Times bestselling author Colleen McCullough sweeps the reader into a whirlpool of pageantry and passion, bringing to vivid life the most glorious epoch in human history. When the world cowered before the legions of Rome, two extraordinary men dreamed of personal glory: the military genius and wealthy rural "upstart" Marius, and Sulla, penniless and debauched but of aristocratic birth. Men of exceptional vision, courage, cunning, and ruthless ambition, separately they faced the insurmountable opposition of powerful, vindictive foes. Yet allied they could answer the treachery of rivals, lovers, enemy generals, and senatorial vipers with intricate and merciless machinations of their own—to achieve in the end a bloody and splendid foretold destiny . . . and win the most coveted honor the Republic could bestow.

The Grass Crown

The Grass Crown PDF Author: Colleen McCullough
Publisher: HarperCollins
ISBN: 0063019809
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 1156

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Book Description
New York Times bestselling author Colleen McCullough returns us to an age of magnificent triumphs, volcanic passions, and barbaric cruelties. Throughout the Western world, great kingdoms have fallen and despots lay crushed beneath the heels of Rome's advancing legions. But now internal rebellion threatens the stability of the mighty Republic. An aging, ailing Gaius Marius, heralded conqueror of Germany and Numidia, longs for that which was prophesied many years before: an unprecedented seventh consulship of Rome. It is a prize to be won only through treachery and with blood, pitting Marius against a new generation of assassins, power-seekers, and Senate intriguers—and setting him at odds with the ambitious, tormented Lucius Cornelius Sulla, once Marius's most trusted right-hand man, now his most dangerous rival.

Sulla

Sulla PDF Author: Lynda Telford
Publisher: Pen and Sword
ISBN: 1783030488
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 299

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Book Description
Lucius Cornelius Sulla is one of the central figures of the late Roman Republic. Indeed, he is often considered a major catalyst in the death of the republican system. the ambitious general whose feud with a rival (Marius) led to his marching on Rome with an army at his back, leading to civil war and the terrible internecine bloodletting of the proscriptions. In these things, and in his appropriation of the title of dictator with absolute power, he set a dangerous precedent to be followed by Julius Caesar a generation later. ??Lynda Telford believes Sulla's portrayal as a monstrous, brutal tyrant is unjustified. While accepting that he was responsible for much bloodshed, she contends that he was no more brutal than many of his contemporaries who have received a kinder press. Moreover, even his harshest measures were motivated not by selfish ambition but by genuine desire to do what he believed best for Rome. The author believes the bias of the surviving sources, and modern biographers, has exaggerated the ill-feeling towards Sulla in his lifetime. After all, he voluntarily laid aside dictatorial power and enjoyed a peaceful retirement without fear of assassination. The contrast to Caesar is obvious. ??Lynda Telford gives a long overdue reappraisal of this significant personality, considering such factors as the effect of his disfiguring illness. The portrait that emerges is a subtle and nuanced one; her Sulla is very much a human, not a monster.

The Helvetian Affair

The Helvetian Affair PDF Author: Ray Gleason
Publisher: Morgan James Publishing
ISBN: 1630477036
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 303

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Book Description
The author of The Gabinian Affair continues the memoir of a retired soldier who came of age in the Roman legions of Julius Caesar. “Not lyrical, but accurate, Insubrecus. All these stories and reports of Romans, Belgae, Krauts, and whatnot have become a knot I do not have time to unravel, so I’m just going to slice it open!” Caesar announced. “Tomorrow at dawn, this army marches on the Aeduan capital . . . we march on Bibracte!” With these words, Gaius Julius Caesar sent his army on what most of his officers considered a suicide mission with the Helvetians and their German allies across their line of retreat and the army trapped against the impregnable walls of Bibracte, the fortress-capital of their treacherous Gallic allies, the Aedui. The Helvetian Affair recounts retired Roman soldier Gaius Marius Insubrecus’ coming of age as a Roman soldier in the legionary camps outside the city of Aquileia, and serving his patron, Caesar, as he conducts a lightening campaign to prevent the fierce and ruthless attempt by the Helvetii to conquer Celtic Gaul and threaten the Roman province. The narrative recreates a colorful and culturally complex portrait of ancient northern Italy and the Rhone valley, as Romans, Celts and Germans struggle for supremacy in the hills and dark forests of western Gaul.

Romulus

Romulus PDF Author: Marc Hyden
Publisher: Pen and Sword History
ISBN: 1526783185
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 319

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Book Description
A riveting biography of the legendary founder and first king of Rome. According to legend, Romulus was born to a Vestal Virgin and left for dead as an infant near the Tiber River. His life nearly ended as quickly as it began, but fate had other plans. A humble shepherd rescued the child and helped raise him into manhood. As Romulus grew older, he fearlessly engaged in a series of perilous adventures that ultimately culminated in Rome’s founding, and he became its fabled first king. Establishing a new city had its price, and Romulus was forced to defend the nascent community. As he tirelessly safeguarded Rome, Romulus proved that he was a competent leader and talented general. Yet, he also harbored a dark side, which reared its head in many ways and tainted his legacy, but despite all of his misdeeds, redemption and subsequent triumphs were usually within his grasp. Indeed, he is an example of how greatness is sometimes born of disgrace. Regardless of his foreboding flaws, Rome allegedly existed because of him and became massively successful. As the centuries passed, the Romans never forgot their celebrated founder. This is the story that many ancient Romans believed. Praise for Romulus “Hyden leans into a tone reminiscent of a bard regaling those around a campfire with stories of a hero’s great exploits . . . [He tells] a fascinating origin story.” —Booklist “As inherently fascinating a read as it is an impressive work of meticulous scholarship . . . a truly extraordinary, expressly informative, and highly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, college, and university library Roman History & Culture collections and supplemental curriculum studies reading lists.” —Midwest Book Review

The Swabian Affair

The Swabian Affair PDF Author: Ray Gleason
Publisher: Morgan James Publishing
ISBN: 1683501802
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 291

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Book Description
The author of The Gabinian Affair and The Helvetian Affair continues the fictional memoir of a Roman soldier who served in Julius Caesar’s legion. In the latest installment in the Gaius Marius Chronicle series, Ray Gleason’s protagonist Gaius Marius Insubrecus, a retired Roman soldier, is back with more of his tale to tell. Having served under Caesar during his wars in Gaul, Insubrecus got an inside look at the harsh realities of war at a young age, and these novels tell his tale. The Swabian Affair: Book III of the Gaius Marius Chronicle recreates the world of the late Roman Republic to continue the story of Gaius Marius Insubrecus, a young man caught between two worlds, that of Rome and that of Celtic Gaul, as he tries to navigate through war, treachery and intrigue of Caesar’s campaign against Ariovistus and the Swabians. Fleeing assassins sent after him by the Romans, Insubrecus gets caught up within the Roman army. Trying desperately to blend in and avoid those vying for his life, he only gets further plunged into danger, war, and ultimately despair.