Gaius Marius (; 157 BC – January 13, 86 BC) was a
Roman general and . He held the office of
consul an unprecedented seven times during his career. He was also noted for his important
reforms of
Roman armies, authorizing recruitment of landless citizens, eliminating the
manipular military formations, and reorganizing the structure of the legions into separate
cohorts. Marius defeated the invading Germanic tribes (the Teutones, Ambrones, and the Cimbri), for which he was called "the third founder of Rome." His life and career were significant in Rome's transformation from
Republic to
Empire.