Swords Against The Senate: The Rise Of The Roman Army And The Fall Of The Republic

Erik Hildinger

Nov 2008 · Da Capo Press

About this ebook

In the first century B.C., Rome was the ruler of a vast empire. Yet at the heart of the Republic was a fatal flaw: a dangerous hostility between the aristocracy and the plebians, each regarding itself as the foundation of Rome's military power. Turning from their foreign enemies, Romans would soon be fighting Romans.Swords Against the Senate describes the first three decades of Rome's century-long civil war that transformed it from a republic to an imperial autocracy, from the Rome of citizen leaders to the Rome of decadent emperor thugs. As the republic came apart amid turmoil, Gaius Marius, the "people's general," rose to despotic power only to be replaced by the brutal dictator Sulla. The Roman army, once invincible against foreign antagonists, became a tool for the powerful, and the Roman Senate its foe.

About the author

Erik Hildinger has written on ancient and medieval military history for a number of publications. He was a practicing lawyer for many years and now teaches at the University of Michigan. He lives in Ann Arbor.