how successful were the reforms of gaius marius
How successful were the reforms of Gaius Marius? Gaius Marius was the son of peasants, and had an upbringing that Plutarch describes as “rough and unrefined. ... Marius introduced military reforms in an attempt to make his army a much more formidable fighting force, which not only strengthened the Roman military, but had long reaching effect on Roman society and politics. Marius’ military reforms aimed to make the Roman army more powerful and efficient. ... By introducing improvements in equipment and training and by fostering a high esprit de corps in both legions and cohorts, Marius did much to increase the fighting efficiency of the armies. ” In his fifth consulship in 101, Marius defeated the Cimbri and the Teutons. Through crushing defeats of the enemies at the battle of Aix in 102 and Campi Raudi in 101, Marius successfully eradicated this threat to Rome. Following Marius’ victory, “the leading men of the state, whom for some time had been full of spite towards him as a new man elevated to such high honours, were admitting that the state had been saved by him. ” Marius’ victories against the Teutoni and the Cimbri proved that he had strengthened the military power of Rome significantly, and for a time, Rome’s northern frontier was secure, with all threats staunchly defeated by “Marius’ Mules.” Upon his return to Rome following the victories, Marius was awarded the title “Third Founder of the City”, after Romulus and Camillus. This clearly highlights the resounding success of his military reforms- the Roman army under Marius was winning battles it had struggled with for years. Following his victories over the Cimbri and the Teutons, Marius introduced further military reform to Rome.