Editing Marcus Licinius Crassus (section)

==Youth and the First Civil War==
After the Marian purges and the subsequent sudden death of [[Gaius Marius]], the surviving consul [[Lucius Cornelius Cinna]] (father-in-law of [[Julius Caesar]]) imposed [[proscription]]s on those surviving Roman senators and equestrians who had supported [[Lucius Cornelius Sulla]] in his 88&nbsp;BC march on Rome and overthrow of the traditional Roman political arrangements.

Cinna's proscription forced Crassus to flee to [[Hispania]].<ref>Plutarch, ''Parallel Lives'', ''Life of Crassus'', 4.1</ref> He stayed in Spain from 87 to 84&nbsp;BC. Here, he recruited 2,500 men (an understrength legion) from his father's clients settled in the area. Crassus used his army to extort money from the local cities to pay for his campaigns, even being accused of sacking Malaca.<ref>Plutarch, ''Parallel Lives'', ''Life of Crassus'', 6.1</ref> After Cinna's death in 84&nbsp;BC, Crassus went to the [[Roman province of Africa]] and joined [[Metellus Pius]], one of Sulla's closest allies, but did not stay there for long because of disagreements with Metellus. He sailed his army to Greece and joined [[Lucius Cornelius Sulla|Sulla]], "with whom he stood in a position of special honor."<ref>Plutarch, ''Parallel Lives'', ''Life of Crassus'', 6.2</ref> During [[Sulla's civil war]], Crassus and [[Pompey]] fought a battle in the plain of Spoletium ([[Spoleto]]), killed about 3,000 of the men of [[Gnaeus Papirius Carbo (consul 85 BC)|Papirius Carbo]], the leader of the Marian forces, and besieged [[Gaius Carrinas (praetor 82 BC)|Carrinas]], a Marian commander.<ref>Appian, ''Bellum Civile'', 1.90.1</ref>

During the decisive [[Battle of the Colline Gate]], Crassus commanded the right flank of Sulla's army. After almost a day of fighting, the battle was going poorly for Sulla; his own center was being pushed back and was on the verge of collapse when he got word from Crassus that he had comprehensively crushed the enemy before him. Crassus wanted to know whether Sulla needed assistance, or whether his men could retire. Sulla told him to advance on the enemy's center, and used the news of Crassus' success to stiffen the resolve of his own troops. By the following morning, the battle was over, and the Sullan army emerged victorious, making Sulla the master of Rome. Sulla's victory, and Crassus' contribution to it, put Crassus in a key position. Sulla was as loyal to his allies as he was cruel towards his enemies, and Crassus had been a very loyal ally.