Masanissa was Jugurtha's grand father and a great Numidian king. He became the king of Numidia because of the great help he had been to Rome in a war that they had been greatly challenged in. As a reward for being so brave and helpful in the war the Roman king gave Masanissa a land that Rome had claimed after the war was over. Rome was very thankful to Masanissa and as a result Rome and Numidia would for many years be allies. Before Masanissa died he had three sons Mastanabal, Gulussa and Micipsa. Mastanabal and Gulussa were both in line to be the next king but they died of disease before they could take over leaving Micipsa to finally take over the throne. Before Mastanabal died though he had an illegitimate son (Jugurtha) who therefore was not allowed to become king. When Micipsa became king he also had two children Aderhbal and Hiempsal but he took Jugurtha in and raised him in the kingdom just as if he were Micipsaís own son. The difference was though that Jugurtha was not to be in Micipsa's will as an heir to the throne.
As Jugurtha grew it became evident that he was very strong but extremely smart as well he also had a lust for the military. Jugurtha was always very modest about he abilities and in the beginning Micipsa was happy for him. But, when he began to show up Micipsaís own sons and when it was evident that the people of Rome loved him Micipsa had to do something for fear of his own son being rejected by Numidia when it was his turn to be king. He thought about having his nephew assassinated but decided against it because the people of Numidia loved him to much for that to work. So he decided to send him to war for the romans in the Numantian war hoping that the dangerous of war would send him to perish. He facilely agreed because his thirst for war was great. In Numantia Jugurtha proved himself a great worrier and the other soldiers tried to emulate him. He helped the romans to victory with his fearlessness and intelligence. He studied the Numantians in battle and learned their fighting style once he knew it he found holes in it and was eventually able to defeat his enemies. He was dismissed and sent back home with a letter from Publius Scipio to Micipsa exclaiming how great of a worrier he was and how much he helped the Romans in this war. He also proclaimed that the help that Numidia gave the Romans made the two empires friendship even greater. At this Micipsa gave up on trying to get rid of Jugurtha. Jugurtha had then earned the respect of Micipsa and Micipsa than wasted no time in naming him in his will as heir just as one of his own sons.
One day, some years later when Micipsa was frail and dying Micipsa called a sort of meeting in which wanted to talk to Jugurtha in front of family and friends. In his ìspeechî he discussed Jugurthaís achievements and proclaimed how noteworthy, respectable, and intelligent he was. Micipsa talked about how he the Numidian kingdom with glory and strengthened the relationship between the Romans and the Numidians. He also told Jugurtha to stand by his brothers and his brothers not to envy or disrespect him. A few days later in 118 Micipsa died with a magnificent obsequy. After his death Jugurtha and his brothers did not get along. The youngest and very arrogant brother Hiempsal who had always envied and disliked Jugurtha got on Jugurthaís bad side. From than on Jugurtha and Hiempsal began to try to come up with schemes to get the better of each other.
The three princes could not agree on who should be king and ended up deciding to split the kingdom and wealth in three ways. They were to meet to split the treasury first each of the princes stationed himself close to the treasury waiting for the day to discuss their plans. Hiempsal by coincidence took asylum in the house of one of Jugurthaís best friends domicile. Jugurtha used this to hi advantage and made plans to kill Hiempsal. His friend went there during the day and told Hiempsal that he was there to check the grounds but in fact made a duplicate of the house key. That night Jugurtha used the key to get into Hiempsalís house. With an army of men and in a mad search and frenzy (in which most of Hiempsalís servants were killed) Hiempsal was found hiding in a maids quarters (for he had little knowledge of the house and could not find a better place) and beheaded there on the spot. The news of the gruesome murder spread throughout Numidia most people because of this sided with Adherbal but almost all of the military men sided with Jugurtha.
After the split Adherbal realizing tat he had more people to his side of Numidia immediately and foolishly declared war on Jugurtha's Numidia. Jugurtha won the war quickly and easily and Adherbal who had already told the Roman leaders about his brothers horrifying assassination fled to Rome. Jugurtha had become the ruler of all of Numidia.
After Jugurtha had had the time to reflect on how he had gotten into his current position he began to be afraid of how the roman people would react. Jugurtha thought that the only way to escape the consequences of what he had done was to bribe the leaders of Rome with he new found riches corrupting them. Few days had passed before he sent some ambassadors with an abundance of gold and riches from his on kingdom to Rome. The riches went to the king and also to all of his associates and the people who had a lot of power in the senate. This changed the minds of all of these important people in Rome theyíre bitter resentment toward Jugurtha was changed to favour and good will. When the ambassadors were confident that they had succeeded in changing the minds of the important romans who had received gifts a day for disputing was scheduled.
Adherbal tried to sway the opinions of the roman people in a long speech proclaiming that his family had always been a staunch ally to Rome when they were in need of help. Masanissa had helped Rome in a brutal war to drive out Syphax and the Carthaginians. He also said that no man should be able to increase his dominions by way of brutal murders like what he had done to Hiempsal. He said that he was driven away from his own kingdom and had narrowly escaped his own cruel murder at the hands of Jugurtha. He said that though the romans had gained a friendship with Jugurtha they did not know what it really meant to have that bond and that it was worth little. Finally reiterating the fact that since the roman people gave Numidia to Masanissa it was still truly under their ownership and that it was right to do him a favour by helping him stop Jugurtha from destroying of Numidia by killing his own brothers and therefore committing a criminal act to obtain the full kingdom of Numidia.
After Adherbal had finished his speech Jugurtha made a brief reply in which he again told the romans that Hiempsal had been killed by the Numidians because of his cruelty and saying that Adherbal was guilty of aggression and only complaining because he was not able to beat Jugurthaís own army when he in the first place had attacked. Jugurtha than asked the romans not to let anyone convince them that he was not the same loyally that had once before proved to be.
The roman senate came the conclusion that the Numidian kingdom should be again divide into to parts one ruled by Adherbal the other by Jugurtha. It was supposed to be divided evenly but Adherbal had obviously gotten the better half for though Jugurthaís part was more fertile more populated Adherbalís part had may harbours and buildings.
After the partition of the kingdom Jugurtha found that he had nothing left to fear from the roman senate and that the greedy but important people who he had bribed had promised to be faithful to him and not to help Adherbal. He then wasted no time in invading Adherbalís kingdom he set fire to buildings took many prisoners and made many cavalry raids. He then retreated thinking that Adherbal definitely attack him giving Jugurtha a reason for an all out war. But the meek and peace loving Adherbal realized that he was no match for Jugurtha and his large army he again went to Rome seeking help. This did not stop Jugurtha though, because he sought to be ruler of all Numidia and because he was confident that the important people who he had bribed would not side with Adherbal. He took the field commanding a large army. They again invaded Adherbalís kingdom laying waste to the country side as the marched. Upon this Adherbal had no other choices it was either flee his kingdom or try to defend it with arms.
Reluctantly Adherbal gathered an army and made his way toward Jugurthaís fleet. Both armies set up camp in the city of Cirta in the early mourning while Adherbal and his troops were still half asleep Jugurtha and his troops attacked. Jugurtha routed Adherbal and his troops Adherbal fled with some horses and horsemen and if it hadnít been for a large group of Italian civilians who kept Jugurtha out it would have been the end of Adherbal.
The roman senate upon hearing of the fighting between the two kings expressed their wish to see that the two kings stopped fighting. Jugurtha said that for him there was nothing more important than the wishes of the roman senate. Jugurtha though did not do as the senate had asked and instead surrounded the city of Cirta in a thirst for Adherbalís blood. Adherbal was able though to send a letter to the roman senate asking them to get him out of the city alive for Jugurtha had disobeyed the wishes of the senate and Adherbal had always been a friend to the roman senate. It was proposed in the senate that an army be sent down to Africa to get Adherbal out, but the powerful people in the senate who always sided with Jugurtha on account of his bribe were able to prevent the decree from going into action. The senate did however send a letter to Jugurtha asking to appear immediately in front of them. Jugurtha went for fear of angering Scaurus head of the roman senate. But not before making an attempt to break into Cirta.
The Italians heard that the senate was to see Jugurtha and figured that they would take of everything. They told Adherbal to surrender himself to Jugurtha and the senate would make sure that he was not killed. Well they were wrong and the first thing that Jugurtha did was to Torture Adherbal to death. After Adherbalís death Jugurtha sent his son and two close friends to Rome to offer bribes to anyone they encountered. The roman senate opted to send them back to Africa immediately as they had come unless they had come to surrender Jugurtha and his kingdom.
The senate decide to let Lucius Calphurnius Bestia invade Numidia. Taking city by city he began his invasion but a bribe and a warning of an extremely harsh that would lie ahead made Bestia succumb and go back for help. He sought out Scaurus and asked him to help assail Jugurtha but and enormous bribe had already changed Scaurusí mind about the man who he had once loathed (that man being Jugurtha). Now with Scaurus off his back Jugurtha felt that he would be able to personally negotiate with the roman commanders the terms of his surrender. As he surrendered he was to take the oath off immunity in Rome and to Rome, this was in extange for thirty elephants, a number of cattle and horses and a quanity of silver.
It wasnít over yet though I and the people had thought. Numidia was now under Roman rule. Now Rome and Numidia were mad at Jugurtha he had committed many crimes as well as bribed many people. The Romans sent some to get Jugurtha from where had been upon his surrender and brought him peacefully to Rome too testify for his offenses. While there he received much hostility from the Roman people and the powerful people in the senate. While Jugurtha was in Rome under the protection of the Roman senate he got one of his men to kill Massiva. Massiva was also a grandson of Masanissa and son of Jugurthaís fatherís brother who during the time that Jugurtha was fighting to become king of all Numidia had been against him. Jugurtha was informed Massiva had come out of hiding so Jugurtha sent his most loyal follower and soldier to hire an assassin. Jugurtha denied any involvement in the assassination When the people of Rome found out and the assassin was caught. Jugurtha finally received an order from the Roman senate to leave Italy.
Back in Africa the elections for the next king of Numidia were coming up Because there was no one in line of heredity. Albinus who was running in the elections and expected to win did not want any trouble from Jugurtha once he had. He gathered up a bunch of soldiers and was anxious to take the field against Jugurtha. Albinus attacked but to buy time Jugurtha would have his troops retreat almost immediately there upon counter attacking to rally his troops. This left both armies at a stand off and as time passed it was time to go for Albinus to sail to Rome for the elections he left leaving his brother Aulus to hold camp. Jugurtha knowing that Albinus was gone attacked the camp with his troops in the night seizing the camp and holding the troops there in. He made a deal with them instead of killing them he made a treaty. He made them all evacuate Numidia within the next ten days in meeting with Aulus the next mourning. The horrible news of the defeat reached Rome and Albinus, Albinus signed the treaty.
Metellus became the ruler of Numidia and began a war with Jugurtha immediately, It was now Numidia Rome and the people of Rome versus Jugurtha in the Jugurthian War. Jugurtha lost the first battle against Metellusí troops But still full of defiance he was eager to renew the war. He flooded into Numidia with his troops but one no battles while he was there and doing his best to just pick up roman stragglers. A defeated and tired Man Jugurtha finally surrendered, the Strategy had worked for Mettelus He had lost few men in the whole war. The Romans stripped Jugurtha of his Arms and money but there were still people in Numidia who where loyal to him plotted to give him his lands back and fight for him. They overthrow Mettelus and Jugurtha became king again. But Jugurtha was now paranoid thinking that everyone around was against him. He began to kill everyone who he suspected and was soon left without any friends. Mettelus was still not beaten yet though and he came back to attempt to reclaim his throne, beating Jugurthaís troops first battle. Jugurtha fled with his children and continued to move around evading Mettelus forever paranoid until he died.