The Revolt of Lepidus
Lucius Cornelius Sulla died in 78 BCE, and Rome barely paused before the next crisis. The consul Marcus Aemilius Lepidus mobilised troops in Etruria, where dispossessed Marian veterans were receptive to his promises of land restoration. In 77 BCE he marched his army toward Rome. The senate declared a state of emergency and turned to the young Pompey and the veteran Catulus. The revolt was crushed with surprising speed. Catulus defeated Lepidus at a battle near the Milvian Bridge. Pompey meanwhile cut off the main Lepidan forces in Etruria. Lepidus fled with a remnant to Sardinia, where he died. The revolt demonstrated both the fragility of the Sullan settlement and the military potential of Pompey — who crushed two separate anti-Sullan forces while technically too young even to be a senator.
- Year: 78 BCE
- Category: Political
