There once was a man named Gaius Marius. Gaius was a strong and brave soldier and a skillful general, popular with his troops, but he showed little interest in politics and was not a good public speaker.

As an equestrian, he lacked the education in Greek normal to the upper classes. He was superstitious and overwhelmingly ambitious. Because he failed to force the aristocracy to accept him, despite his great military success, he suffered from an inferiority complex. This may explain why he was such a cruel person.

After defeating Jugurtha in pitched battle, at the end of 108, he returned to Rome so that he could run for the consulship. Marius was elected on the equestrian and popular vote and appointed by a popular bill to replace Metellus at once in the African command.

http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Sallust/Bellum_Jugurthinum/3*.html#97 "LacusCurtius • Sallust - The War With Jugurtha." LacusCurtius • Sallust - The War With Jugurtha. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 May 2016.

Marius had always had equestrian support, not only because his origins lay in that class but also because wars were bad for trade, and Marius had brought serious wars to an end. The Roman populace liked him because he was not an aristocrat.

By the year 100, Gaius Marius was starting to fall from power. Marius had already violated the law by granting citizenship on the battlefield to two Camertes who fought under him against the Cimbri in 101.

Saturnius and Gauis Marius were falling apart because of the new colonial settlements and how much power Saturninus had over them. Marius believed that Saturninus was stealing some of his thunder, and Saturninus’ lawlessness had reached a pitch that no self-respecting consul could tolerate.

At the tribunician elections of 99, Saturninus and Glaucia were captured on the Capitol and imprisoned in the Senate house; then a mob stripped off the roof and stoned them to death. Although this was no responsibility of Marius, he was smeared as a man who betrayed not only his enemies but also his friends.

Marius went to the east in 99. He was elected to a priesthood, but wisely withdrew his candidature for the censorship of 97.

After a series of near catastrophes, Marius escaped safely to Africa. In 87, when Sulla was fighting in Greece, disorder in Rome led to the consul being dismissed.

Marius landed in Etruria, raised an army, sacked Ostia, and, by joining forces with Cinna, captured Rome; both Marius and Cinna were elected consuls for 86, Marius for the seventh time.

However, shortly after in the same year, Gaius Marius died from Pleurisy, extreme inflammation of the tissue that lines the lungs and the chest cavity.