This page is mostly based on Erich S.Gruen`s excellent book, The Last Generation of The Roman Republic. So if you have that book, this page wont be of much use for you, or to anyone who has great knowledge about the politics in this period. I am just writing this to my own amusement (don`t I have something better to do? NO, actually I don`t). So here is some comments about the consuls.
80 B.C: L.Cornelius Sulla & Q.Caecilius Metellus Pius
First Sulla. His consulship was natural because he had just won the first
civil war and was the dictator, and nominated the consuls. So Sulla was
the political leader of the optimates and whole Rome at that time. He was
the most powerfull man ever in Roman politics. He was from somewhat
inferior line of the ancient patrician gens, cornelii, and was the first
person to bring that family into glory (or to infame).
Sulla`s partner was Metellus Pius, excellent soldier and the second most
prominent politician at that time, after Sulla. This was a natural pair.
Metelli were not patricians, but they were the most prominent gens of the
time, and approximately between 120-110 bc. the Metelli had practically
dominated the politics, maybe even longer. Pius was the son of a good
soldier, Metellus Numidicus, and he himself turned out to be even better.
The civil war had prevented Metellus Pius running (and
getting elected) for consulship in 87 bc, and now his claim could no
longer be refused. He had brought his own army in 82 bc to support Sulla
and he was dictators ally, not subordinate. Metellus Pius was the heart
and core of the optimate party.
79 B.C: P.Servilius Vatia Isauricus & Appius Claudius Pulcher
Both of the consuls were patricians, which is usually seen as the result
of the Sullan pro-patricians policy. He tried to revive old families.
Sulla was still alive when they were nominated, so it is supposed that
they were his candidates. Both were Sulla`s supporters, and at least
Servilius Vatia had been in his army during the civil war, and is usually
labelled as one of the "Sulla`s generals". The Servilii were one of the
old patrician gentes, but the Vatia branch had not achieved consulship
ever before. Three reasons explain why now a Servilius Vatia became a
consul. Sulla`s support of course. Vatia was his man. Secondly Vatia seems
to have been a good character, with old roman virtues. And thirdly, he had
connection to Metelli. His father had married Metella, a sister of one of
the six Metelli cousins who had dominated the politics in those times.
Surely it is not just a coincidence that Metellus Pius was the consul a
year before. So Vatia was the candidate of both Sullan`s and
Metelli.
Appius Claudius Pulcher was the leader of one of the most powerfull
patrician families. This and his Sullan connections easily explain his
consulship. He is not so well known character. How ever he also has a
connection to the Metelli. Pulcher was married to Metella, a daughter of
Metellus Balearicus, who was consul in 123 bc. This is quite remarkable.
Sulla too was married in one time to Metella, cousin of Metellus Pius. So
all the four consuls so far have connections to gens Metelli.
78 B.C: M.Aemilius Lepidus & Q.Lutatius Catulus
Again both consuls were supporters of Sulla, though Sulla had supported
Catulus but Lepidus for the consulship. Before they entered their office
Sulla died. Lepidus was from one of the most important patrician gentes,
Aemilii. He got his consulship because he was Aemilius, and because he had
Sullan connections. During his consulhip Lepidus started to support a
rebellion in Etruria, pratically jumped into the populares party and
fought against the senate and Sullan system. He was conquered by his
collegue Catulus and Pompeius Magnus, and lost his life.
If Lepidus was rash and untrustworthy for the Sullan regime, Catulus was
the excact opposite. He was from an old plebeijian noble family which had
not seen a consul for about 150 years before his father, who was born a
Julius Caesar and used name Lutatius Catulus Caesar. So an alliance with
Julii brought the Lutatii back to the top. Younger Catulus was the image
of integrity. For the optimates he was the ideal choice for consul, as he
was the strongest supporter of optimate party, senate supremacy and Sullan
system. He had not been in the army of Sulla, but was his political
supporter.
77 B.C: Mam.Aemilius Lepidus Livianus & D.Junius Brutus
Again two supporters of Sulla. Lepidus Livianus was adopted to Lepidi, and
was actually the brother of M.Livius Drusus, the liberal tribune of the
plebs who was murdered in 91 bc. for trying to enfrancise the italian
allies. Lepidus didn`t share his brothers liberalism, though. He was
deeply consevative and supporter of senate supremace and Sullan system.
His collegue was apparently much alike Lepidus. Both were what might be
describet as nonenties who had right political alliancea and who were from
the right families. Junii were one of the oldest and influential
plebeijian families. Their consulship was uneventful and conservative.
76 B.C: G.Scribonius Curio & Gn.Octavius:
If last years consuls wre dull, Scribonius Curio was everything but that.
He was one of the best orators in his time, and had been a friend with
Livius Drusus. He was exciled during the civil war and joined Sulla. Curio
might be called one of "Sulla`s generals", for he lead troops during the
war and was experienced commander. Scribonii were old respectable
praetorian family with no consuls before Curio. How ever he can`t exactly
be called novus homo for his family had been part of the establishment for
a long time. He became consul with his Sullan support and because of his
own considerable ability.
Gn.Octavius came from a respectable plebeijian family with at least two
previous consuls. He was pretty much a nonenty with right connections
towards the Sullan party. It is not known if he had been in Sulla`s army,
but he was in the party anyway. So two more Sullan consuls for this year.
75 B.C: G.Aurelius Cotta & L.Octavius
If Scribonius Curio in last year
was good consul Gaius Aurelius Cotta was excellent. He was head of the
powerfull plebeijian gens of Aurelii Cotti. Several Aurelii had been
consuls before him. Gaius Cotta had been a friend and ally of Marcus
Livius Drusus in 91 b.c. He had been exciled, as well as Curio, and went
to join Sulla. Under Sulla he commanded troops. Gaius Cotta was in the
core of Sullan party. He also had important connections to popular party.
His cousin was married to G.Julius Caesar, and their son was dictator
Caesar. G.Cotta was the person who saved Caesar`s life when Sulla wanted
him dead. During his consulship he made a tribunian reform, which faced
fierce opposition from the optimates. Cotta was a liberal like his friend
M.Livius Drusus.
L.Octavius was the cousin of last years consul. He was apparently as much
a nonenty as his relative, and a member of the Sullan party. Sulla and his
party were in dept to the Octavii for past services, so they were made
consuls.
74 B.C: L.Licinius Lucullus & M.Aurelius Cotta
Lucius Licinius Lucullus was Sulla`s most trusted lieutenant and one of
his best generals. Lucullus was the core of the Sullan party. He was also
big supporter of hellenistic culture. Lucullus was also one of those
numerous politicians connected to Metelli. His mother was Metella.
Together with Lutatius Catulus and Hortensius Hortalus Lucullus formed the
core of the optimate party. Together they fought to save the system Sulla
had created. Power of the senate over people was their watchword. During
his consulship Lucullus tried to get the command over a war fought against
Mithridates of Pontos. He formed an alliance with another consul, Marcus
Cotta, and they together were made commanders in the war. Lucullus was
highly succesfull but finally his command was taken over by Pompeius
Magnus, and this turned the optimates against Pompeius.
M.Aurelius Cotta was a younger brother of Gaius Aurelius Cotta, and was
elected thanks to his older brothers support. He apparently was not as
influential or capable as his brother. What was his policy, we do not
know, but he too had old links to Sulla, in who`s army he had been. Cotta
managed to get the command of Cilicia against Mithridates. There he was
highly unsuccesfull, and also dishonest. When M.Cotta returned to Rome he
was accused and driven into exile.
73 B.C: M.Terentius Varro Lucullus & G.Cassius Longinus.
M.Lucullus was the inseparable brother of L.Lucullus, who was adpoted into
gens Terentius Varro. The brothers were did everything together, so it was
fitting that Marcus was a consul right after his brother. Younger Lucullus
was also one of Sulla`s officers and member of the party. So he was again
a optimate and Sullan consul. And of course he had the same link to
Metelli as his brother had.
Cassius Longinus is a rare consul in 70s. No Sullan links can be traced,
and he also had no known link to the Metelli. He however was from a
respected and powerfull old plebeijian family, with several consular
ancestors. So the election of Cassius Longinus was no surprise. Each
generation of the family always became consuls. His political alliance is
impossible to say for sure, but we can suppose that he was at least
friendly towards the optimates.
72 B.C: Gn.Cornelius Lentulus Clodianus & L.Gellius Poplicola.
Lentulus Clodianus was from an ancient patrician gens. Traditionally
Cornelius Scipio`s had been the most powerfull branch of the cornelii, but
now Lentuli took the position. The family of Clodianus had recenly formed
an alliance with plebeijian family of Claudius Marcellus. This is from
where the name Clodianus came. With two powerfull families behind him the
consulship of Lentulus Clodianus was a certainty. He also had a link with
Sulla, though what kind is not certain.
Gellius Poplicola was a novus homo, which makes his election strange. He
was quite old, and apparently a good speaker. He has no known Sullan
connections, but instead close relationship with Pompeius Magnus. During
Civil War Poplicola had served under Pompeius Strabo, who was father of
Magnus. He also supported Pompeius during his consulship. So clearly
Poplicola was elected through the support of Pompeius. His ancestry must
been senatorial, how ever, because Cicero didn`t count him as a new man.
The consuls of this year were censors in 70 bc, and with senatorial
support
sacked many senators from the senate, among them Lentulus Sura, the consul
of next year and a cousin of Clodianus.
71 B.C: P.Cornelius Lentulus Sura & Gn.Aufidius Orestes.
Lentulus Sura was from powerfull gens Cornelii, just like last years consul. Some
sort of link to Sulla is alleged, but not decisively proven. How ever his ancestry
alone practically guaranteed Sura a consulship. Sura was sacked from the senate next
year by his own cousin, who as a censor cleaned the senate from corrupted
elements. Sura managed to return to senate, took part to the conspiracy of Catilina
and was executed.
Aufidius is a somewhat mystery figure, of who only little is known. There had never
been other Aufidius in the consulship, but he is not a novus homo. Name Orestes is
here important. Aufidius is in fact Aurelius Orestes who had been adopted to
Aufidii. And there had been three previous Aurelius Orestes`s in the consulship. So
we don`t know who Aufidius really was or had he any links to Sulla or to Metelli,
but at least he came from old and respected consular family.
70 B.C: M.Licinius Crassus & Gn.Pompeius Magnus.
If the consuls of previous years were a bit nonenties, in this years they were as
important persons as someone can be. There isn`t any reason to talk much about
them. Both came from consular families, though Crassus from much older one. Both had
important parents. They both joined Sulla during Civil War, recruiting a private
armies to join his cause. Pompeius had then married to Sulla`s family. Both had
recently won important wars, Pompeius (and Metellus Pius) against Sertorius and
Crassus against Spartacus. Both were in Italy with their armies, waiting for
triumfs. Often it has been thought that Crassus and Pompeius made a military coup,
forcing the senate to make them consuls by threatening with their armies. As a
consuls they then brought down the political system created by Sulla. This how ever
is not true. Both were members of Sulla`n party, and supported it. Whole party was
anxious to make the reforms that consuls then made, or f not anxious at least did
not resist. Crassus and Pompeius were from important families with good
connections. They were also war heroes and had close connections to Sulla and
Metelli. Their consulships were self-evident. They most certainly had no need to
make a coup.