In the Roman Republic, the Social War ends, successfully putting down rebellion in Italy, and giving free Italians full citizenship. Sulla, a general during the Social War, marched on Rome and won a civil war. The First Mithridatic War occurs from 89-85 BC as Mithridates VI of Pontus attempted to gain control of Anatolia and ancient Greece from the Roman Republic. Sulla was declared an public enemy in the Roman Republic, but he defeats Mithridates VI and gains control of Greece and western Anatolia. The Second Mithridatic War breaks out two years later, after Lucius Licinius Murena, the governor of Roman Asia, clashes with the army of Pontus. Sulla takes control of Rome in 82 BC, and becomes Roman dictator.
Lex Plautia Papiria extends citizenship to all Italians who applied for it within 60 days. The new citizens are enrolled in eight designated tribes, to prevent domination of the assemblies.
Lex Pompeia grants Latin rights to cities in Cisalpine Gaul.
The former Han General-in-Chief Li Guangli, now the son-in-law of Hulugu Chanyu, is arrested and sacrificed to the gods to restore the health of Hulugu's mother.[1]
May – King Mithridates VI of Pontus invades Greece. Defeating the Roman forces four times in succession, he conquers Bithynia, Phrygia, Mysia, Lycia, Pamphylia, Ionia and Cappadocia. The Roman province of Asia is dismantled. On the king's orders, the local authorities in every city of the province round up and put to death all resident Italians in a single day (App.Mith.§§85–91). Plutarch (Sulla 24.4) says that 150,000 are killed, other sources calculate a figure of 80,000 people.[3]
China
Emperor Wu of Han makes preparations for the six-year-old Liu Fuling to be made Crown Prince and establishes Huo Guang as the future regent. The emperor executes Fuling's mother Lady Gouyi so that she cannot dominate the state while Fuling is a child emperor.[4]
Pompey is ordered by Sulla to stamp out Marian rebels in Sicily and Africa, after his campaigns in he gets the insulting nickname of adulescentulus carnifex, the "teenage butcher".
Burebista unifies the Dacian population forming the first (and biggest) unified Dacian Kingdom, on the territory of modern Romania and surroundings. 82 BC is also the starting year of his reign.
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Astronomy
The Aurigid shower parent comet C/1911 N1 (Kiess) returns to the inner solar system and sheds the dust particles that one revolution later cause the 1935, 1986, 1994, and 2007 Aurigid meteor outbursts on Earth.