From General to Dictator

Sulla was a cruel and very successful general in the Roman army, who is most famous for the capture of Jugurtha, his campaigns in the First Mithridatic War, and his two marches on Rome. It was after his second march on Rome and his return to Italy that Sulla forced the constitutional changes, which allowed him to be appointed dictator in 82 BC. He was appointed but was never given a time period for which he may rule Rome, an unusual honor normally reserved for leaders in times of war, such as during the Second Punic War. His dictatorship is often seen as setting a precedent for the rule of Julius Caesar. It also marks the beginning of the end of the Roman Republic and foreshadowed the Roman Empire.