How did Gaius Marius and Lucius Cornelius Cinna capture Rome in 87 BCE?

In 87 BCE, the capture of Rome by Gaius Marius and Lucius Cornelius Cinna was the culmination of a violent political struggle. After Lucius Cornelius Cinna was dismissed from his position as consul due to civil disorder, he began gathering an army to challenge the status quo.12

Gaius Marius, who had previously been exiled following Lucius Cornelius Sulla’s march on Rome, returned to Italy and landed in Etruria. He raised his own military force and proceeded to sack the port city of Ostia. Marius then joined his forces with those of Cinna, and together they marched on Rome to seize control of the city.21

Following their successful capture of the capital, both men were elected consuls for 86 BCE. Their victory was immediately followed by a period of brutal proscriptions, during which Marius ordered the execution of several prominent figures he deemed to have been ungrateful or treacherous toward him.2