WI: Gaius Marius Lived Longer?

What if Gaius Marius Lived Longer?

If Marius lived longer would he have been able to defeat Sulla?

Marius/Cinna/Sertorius VS Sulla/Pompey/Crassus sounds like an interesting scenario.
 
He was already 70 when he died in early 86 BCE. And he had already lost touch in the years 89/87. A new generation was taking the lead, with Sulla, Pompeius Strabo and Cinna.

It was Marius' late illegal bid for power that triggered the civil war in 88 (same for Pompey in 50/49).

How would Marius have more success than Cinna ? My guess is that he would lose among old citizens the extra support he would have gained (compared to Cinna) among italians.

And he would faced the same disadvantage of being cut from the eastern financial resources, which caused discontent.

The side majority wanted to restore concordia.
 
How would Marius have more success than Cinna ? My guess is that he would lose among old citizens the extra support he would have gained (compared to Cinna) among italians.

Thanks for the reply.:)

Would Marius have more influence with the soldiers? It's hard to imagine Marius meeting a fate similar to Cinna, but maybe he would...
 
When he was defeated at Dyracchium and was forced to retreat, Caesar was about to be killed by one of his soldiers whom he was trying to lead back to fighting in order. His live was saved by a bodyguard who chopped the mutineer's arms off.

So I have no doubt that Marius or anybody else could have been murdered by one of his soldiers.

Many roman citizen soldiers, including loyal supporters, were fed-up fighting on and on and on again and had the feeling of being "cannon fodder" wasted for the sake of nobles' rivalries.

This is why they suite often mutinied, or killed their general or deserted to the winning side or, when the y were on the winning side, slaughtered many of their enemies in order to hasten the end of the civil war. The men wanted to save their lives and the best way to save their lives was ending the civil war quickly.
 
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When he died Marius was already old, ill and likely quite mad so if he live longer Rome will suffer much more than OTL...
 
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