Lucius Cornelius Cinna facts for kids

Lucius Cornelius Cinna (born before 130 BC – died early 84 BC) was an important Roman politician and soldier. He was elected as a consul (a top leader) four times in a row. This was unusual for the Roman Republic.

Cinna became famous when he stood against Sulla, another powerful Roman leader. Sulla had marched his army into Rome in 88 BC. Cinna was elected consul in 87 BC. He then fought a civil war against his fellow consul, Gnaeus Octavius. After winning, Cinna and his friend Gaius Marius took control. They removed their political enemies from power. For the next three years, Cinna was the main leader in Rome. He served as consul every year.

Cinna's strong leadership set a new example for future powerful figures in Rome. From 85 BC to 84 BC, he got ready for another civil war. This time, he was preparing to fight Sulla, who was returning from a war in the East. But in early 84 BC, while trying to move his army across the sea at Ancona, his soldiers rebelled. Cinna was killed by his own troops.

Early Life and Family

Cinna was born into a noble Roman family sometime before 130 BC. His family was called the Cornelii Cinnae. They were not very famous before him.

He married a woman named Annia. They had three children: two daughters and a son also named Lucius Cornelius Cinna. His oldest daughter, Cornelia, married Julius Caesar, who later became a famous dictator. This marriage probably happened around 86 BC. His younger daughter married another Roman, Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus. Cinna's son had to run away after Sulla won the civil war. He later returned to Rome and became a praetor (a high-ranking official) in 44 BC.

Before 90 BC, Cinna likely served as a praetor. He also fought in the Social War. This was a war between Rome and its Italian allies. Cinna was probably a military leader during this war. Not much else is known about his early life before he became consul.

First Consulship: 87 BC

Choosing New Leaders

In 88 BC, Rome faced two big issues. The first was about the Italian allies. During the Social War, Rome had given most Italian allies Roman citizenship. A politician named Publius Sulpicius Rufus wanted to give these new citizens full voting rights. Other politicians disagreed. They wanted to limit the new citizens' power.

The second issue was about who would lead the Roman army. Mithridates VI Eupator, a powerful king, had attacked a Roman province. The general who led the war against him would gain much wealth and glory.

Sulpicius tried to give the army command to an older general, Gaius Marius. This was in exchange for Marius's help with the Italian citizens' voting rights. But the current consul, Lucius Cornelius Sulla, was supposed to lead that army. Sulla was angry. He marched his army into Rome. This was a shocking event. Sulla canceled Sulpicius's laws and forced Sulpicius and Marius to leave Rome. Sulla said he was protecting the state. His actions made many Romans very upset.

Cinna Becomes Consul

Cinna wanted to hold Sulla responsible for marching on Rome. He promised to put Sulla on trial after his term as consul ended. Sulla did not want Cinna to win. He supported another candidate. But the Roman people, still angry about Sulla's actions, chose Cinna. They elected him and Gnaeus Octavius as consuls for 87 BC. Cinna and Octavius might have been friends at this time.

Before the results were official, Sulla made Cinna and Octavius swear an oath. They promised not to undo Sulla's laws. Octavius took the oath seriously, but Cinna did not.

Conflict with Octavius

Cinna's first action as consul was to try and stop Sulla. He wanted to remove Sulla from his army command. But Sulla ignored this and left Italy for Greece with his army.

Cinna then publicly supported giving the new Italian citizens full voting rights. This immediately caused a conflict with his fellow consul, Octavius. Both Cinna and Octavius gathered their supporters. When Cinna tried to pass a law about the citizens, other officials blocked it. This led to a riot. Octavius quickly used his power to stop the riot, and people were killed.

Cinna was not hurt. He left Rome with his supporters, including Quintus Sertorius. The Senate then did something illegal. They removed Cinna from his consulship and declared him an enemy of the state. They chose another man, Lucius Cornelius Merula, to be consul instead.

Marching on Rome

Cinna went to Italian towns. He told the armies and people there that he had been unfairly treated. He said the Senate had taken away his power, which was given to him by the people. The soldiers supported him and swore loyalty. Cinna also told the Italian towns that he was attacked because he supported them.

Meanwhile, Gaius Marius, who Sulla had exiled, returned to Italy. He joined Cinna. Cinna recognized Marius as a proconsul (a military leader). Marius gathered about 6,000 men and joined Cinna's army. The Senate ordered Pompey Strabo, another general, to defend Rome. Pompey Strabo camped outside the city but waited to see which side to join.

Cinna's forces then surrounded Rome. Cinna led the main attack. Marius and Sertorius led other groups. Pompey Strabo eventually sided with Octavius. The Senate also asked Quintus Caecilius Metellus Pius, who was fighting the Samnites, to make peace and return to defend Rome.

When Metellus tried to make peace with the Samnites, they asked for many things, including full citizenship. Metellus and the Senate refused. But Cinna and Marius agreed to all the Samnites' demands. This made the Samnites their allies.

One of Rome's military leaders then betrayed the city. He opened a gate, and Cinna and Marius's forces tried to enter. But Pompey Strabo's army stopped them. Pompey Strabo died soon after, possibly from a disease. Cinna's army then cut off Rome's food supply. The Senate sent people to Cinna to make a deal. Cinna demanded to be called consul again. The Senate agreed after Merula, the replacement consul, stepped down.

Removing Political Opponents

Cinna promised not to kill anyone on purpose. But his ally Marius stood silently behind him. Cinna then entered Rome. He passed a law that allowed Marius and other exiles to return. A group of Cinna's soldiers found Consul Octavius and killed him. This was the first time a consul's head was shown as a prize to another Roman.

Cinna and Marius then began to remove some of their political opponents. Several important Romans were killed without a trial. These killings were mainly aimed at Marius's personal enemies. They did not target the victims' families. Later writers said that Cinna and Marius caused widespread killing and destruction in Rome for five days. However, these stories are likely exaggerated by Sulla's supporters to make Cinna look bad. Other sources from the time suggest that Cinna and Marius only targeted specific political enemies and did not harm all of Rome's citizens.

Cinna's Rule

After returning to Rome, Cinna took strong actions against Sulla. Sulla was declared an enemy of the state. His property was taken, his house was destroyed, and his laws were canceled. Sulla's wife and children had to flee Rome to be safe with Sulla's army in Greece.

In late 87 BC, Cinna made sure he and Marius were elected consuls for 86 BC. Marius died just 13 days into his seventh consulship, possibly from pneumonia. Cinna then chose Lucius Valerius Flaccus to be the new consul. In 86 BC, a count of citizens was done. Even though Cinna supported the new Italian citizens, most of them were not yet officially registered. Flaccus also passed a law that reduced all outstanding debts by three-quarters.

Later in 86 BC, Flaccus went to Greece to take command of an army. Sulla was officially an outlaw, so his command was open. But Flaccus was soon killed by one of his own officers, Gaius Flavius Fimbria. Fimbria then took command of the army.

For 85 BC, Cinna chose Gnaeus Papirius Carbo as his fellow consul. Sulla made peace with King Mithridates. Many people thought this peace was too generous. It seemed Sulla wanted to finish that war quickly so he could return to Italy and fight his enemies there. Cinna and Carbo immediately began preparing for war. They gathered money and supplies from all over Italy. They also recruited soldiers. They warned people that Sulla would undo the Italian citizens' rights if he won. These warnings seemed real because of Sulla's past actions.

In late 85 BC, Sulla sent a letter to the Senate in Rome. He listed his achievements in the war and complained about Cinna's government. He promised to get revenge on his enemies. He also said he would not take away the Italian citizens' rights. The Senate sent people to Sulla to try and make peace. They also told Cinna and Carbo to stop preparing for war. Cinna and Carbo agreed but ignored the Senate and kept recruiting. Cinna's plan was to take his army to Greece and fight Sulla there.

Cinna and Carbo continued as consuls for 84 BC. Early that year, Cinna began to send his soldiers across the sea to Greece. The first group of ships made it safely. But the second group ran into a storm. Some ships sank, and many soldiers left. They said they did not want to fight other Romans. The remaining soldiers waiting to leave at Ancona refused to get on the ships. When Cinna tried to make them obey, they rebelled and killed him.

After Cinna's death, his fellow consul Carbo was called back to Rome to hold new elections. But after two attempts, bad signs were seen, and the elections were put off. Carbo remained consul alone for the rest of the year.

The Senate's messengers brought news of Cinna's death to Sulla. Sulla then refused the Senate's peace offers. He would not disband his army. He demanded that the Senate give him back his legal status, property, and offices. Sulla's refusal was not well received. Eventually, Sulla invaded Italy in 83 BC. This started a civil war, which Sulla won the next year.

What We Know About Cinna

It is hard to know exactly what Cinna's time in power was like. This is because most of the information we have comes from Sulla's side, after Sulla won the civil war. Cinna and his group were the first to use military force to gain political control. Their methods did not follow the old rules of the Roman Republic. This set a pattern that was later followed by Sulla, Caesar, and Octavian.

Because Cinna's rule was short and not fully documented, it is hard to fully understand his politics or personality. Earlier ideas that Cinna was just a follower of Marius are now mostly rejected. Cinna was good at using popular arguments to gain support. But he did not seem to have solutions for Rome's deeper problems.

His support for Italian citizens' rights was likely for his own benefit. He did not fully follow through on his promises to the Italians once he was in power. After the first wave of killings with Marius in 86 BC, there were no more illegal persecutions. Politics during his rule were fairly traditional. The consul and the Senate often acted independently. While some people might have been upset that Cinna was consul every year, most Roman politicians were not personally threatened during his time in power.

See also

In Spanish: Lucio Cornelio Cinna para niños