Editing Lucius Cornelius Cinna (section)

==== Expulsion ====
Cinna's first act as consul was to have a plebeian tribune prosecute Sulla, possibly for his killing of Sulpicius, who when killed had been a serving and sacrosanct plebeian tribune.{{sfn|Lovano|2002|p=32}} This was meant to stop Sulla from leaving Italy at the head of an army, strip him of his ''[[imperium]]'', and deprive him of his Mithridatic command. It was, however, unenforceable: Sulla ignored the tribunician summons and departed with his army for Greece.{{sfn|Seager|1992|p=174}}

According to Appian, Cinna accepted bribes to support the equal enrolment of the new Italian citizens into the thirty-five tribes. Bribed or not, Cinna declared publicly his support for such enrolment, which brought him immediately into conflict with his co-consul Octavius. Both Cinna and Octavius' partisans quickly armed themselves. Attempts by Cinna to promulgate legislation to distribute the new citizens into the tribes were met by tribunician vetoes backed by Octavius, leading to a riot against the tribunes. A ''[[senatus consultum ultimum]]'' then may have been moved against the rioters; Octavius quickly executed it, taking his hastily armed supporters down the ''[[via Sacra]]'' and killing the rioters.{{sfn|Seager|1992|p=174}}

Cinna was unharmed and left the city with some of his major supporters, including [[Quintus Sertorius]], Gaius Milonius, [[Marcus Marius Gratidianus]], and six of the ten tribunes of the plebs. After his departure for Italian towns to raise men and money, the Senate illegally and unconstitutionally stripped Cinna of his consulship and declared him a public enemy (''[[hostis]]''), electing [[Lucius Cornelius Merula (consul 87 BC)|Lucius Cornelius Merula]] (also the [[flamen Dialis]]) in his place.<ref>The Senate did not have power to remove a consul. [[Velleius Paterculus]] and [[Cicero]] both so commented. {{harvnb|Lovano|2002|p=35}}.</ref> Due to Merula's priestly duties and [[taboo]]s, Octavius served as ''de facto'' sole consul.{{sfn|Seager|1992|pp=174–75}}