Caecilii Metelli i Sulla. Sojusznicy czy rywale?
Caecilii Metelli and Sulla. Allies or Rivals?

Summary/Abstract: The aim of the author of the article was to examine the relations between L. Cornelius Sulla and Caecilii Metelli, one of the most eminent Roman aristocratic families in the Roman Republic.The beginning of cooperation between Sulla and the Metelli dates back to the nineties of the 1st Century BC. At the time, the Metelli supported Sulla’s political career, seeing him as a counterweight to the influence of Gaius Marius in the state. The marriage of Sulla and Caecilia Metella was the formal confirmation of the nascent alliance.During the First Civil War (88-82 BC) the Metelli took the side of Sulla. It was particularly visible during the war in Italy in the years 83-82 BC. Metellus Pius, in particular, had a large share in Sulla's victory. He not only had a number of military successes, but also supported Sulla with authority, which increased his popularity.The most controversial is the relationship between Caecilii Metelli and Sula during the dictatorship and just after its end. It seems that the relations of the existing allies then gradually cooled down. The revival of the Republic by Sulla resulted in a return to political strifes in Rome, and the Metellan factio played a major role in them. In the previously consolidated Sulla camp, opposition to Sulla began to arise, and the Metelli became an important part of it. They gradually influenced the weakening of Sulla's power, and Sulla, perhaps discouraged by the increasingly effective opposition, withdrew from politics and from Rome.

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