10 facts about pompey

Pompey the Great (September 29, BCE–September 28, 48 BCE) was one of the main Roman military leaders and statesmen during the final decades of the Roman Republic. He made a political alliance with Julius Caesar, married his daughter, and then fought against him for control of the empire.

A skilled warrior, Pompey became known as Pompey the Great.

Early Life

Unlike Caesar, whose Roman heritage was long and illustrious, Pompey came from a non-Latin family in Picenum (in northern Italy), with money. His father, Gnaeus Pompeius Strabo, was a member of the Roman Senate.

At 23, following in his father's footsteps, Pompey entered the political scene by raising troops to help Roman general Sulla liberate Rome from the Marians.

Marius and Sulla had been at odds ever since Marius took credit for a victory in Africa that his subordinate Sulla had engineered.

Lucius cornelius sulla

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Marcus licinius crassus

Their struggles led to many Roman deaths and unthinkable violations of Roman law, such as bringing an army into the city itself. Pompey was a Sullan and a supporter of the conservative Optimates. A novus homo, or "new man," Marius was Julius Caesar's uncle and a supporter of the populist group known as the Populares.

Pompey fought Marius' men in Sicily and Africa. For his bravery in battle, he was given the title Pompey the Great (Pompeius Magnus).

Sertorian War and Third Mithridatic War

Civil war continued in Rome when Quintus Sertorius, one of the Populares, launched an attack against the Sullans in the Western Roman Empire.

Gnaeus pompeius magnus biography books pdf

Pompey was a military and political leader of the late Roman Republic. Pompey's immense success as a general while still very young enabled him to advance directly to his first consulship without meeting the normal requirements for office. His success as a military commander in Sulla's Second Civil War resulted in Sulla bestowing the nickname Magnus, "the Great", upon him. He was consul three times and celebrated three triumphs. Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus's photo gallery.

Pompey was sent to assist the Sullans in the fighting, which lasted from 80 BCE to 72 BCE. Pompey was a skilled strategist; he used his forces to draw out the enemy and attack them when they least suspected it. In 71 BCE, he helped Roman leaders suppress the uprising by enslaved people led by Spartacus, and he later played a role in the defeat of the pirate menace.

When he invaded the country of Pontus, in Asia Minor, in 66 BCE, Mithridates, who had long been a thorn in Rome's side, fled to the Crimea where he arranged for his own death. This meant the Mithridatic wars were finally over; Pompey could take credit for another victory.

Gaius julius caesar The book under review is the newly revised and expanded edition. The main text has been largely reproduced unchanged apart from some minor corrections and revisions. But some new parts supplement the original book. To make the access to the historical context easier for a general reader an introductory chapter on the essential Roman politics dating from the Gracchi to Sulla has been added pp. An afterword was also added in which some of the scholarly literature on Pompeius since is being discussed pp.

On behalf of Rome, Pompey also took control of Syria in 64 BCE​ and captured Jerusalem. When he returned to Rome in 61 BCE, he held a triumphal celebration.

The First Triumvirate

Along with Marcus Licinius Crassus and Julius Caesar, Pompey formed what is known as the First Triumvirate, which became the dominating force in Roman politics.

Together, these three rulers were able to seize power from some of the Optimates and resist the power of the Roman nobles in the Senate. Like Pompey, Caesar was a skilled and highly respected military leader; Crassus was the wealthiest man in the Roman Empire.

The alliances between the three men, however, were personal, tenuous, and short-lived.

Crassus was not happy that Pompey had taken credit for overcoming the Spartans, but with Caesar mediating, he agreed to the arrangement for political ends. When Pompey's wife Julia (Caesar's daughter) died, one of the main links broke. Crassus, a less capable military leader than the other two, was killed in military action in Parthia.

Gnaeus pompeius magnus biography books in order He made a political alliance with Julius Caesar, married his daughter, and then fought against him for control of the empire. A skilled warrior, Pompey became known as Pompey the Great. Unlike Caesar, whose Roman heritage was long and illustrious, Pompey came from a non-Latin family in Picenum in northern Italy , with money. At 23, following in his father's footsteps, Pompey entered the political scene by raising troops to help Roman general Sulla liberate Rome from the Marians. Marius and Sulla had been at odds ever since Marius took credit for a victory in Africa that his subordinate Sulla had engineered.

Civil War

After the dissolution of the First Triumvirate, tensions began to escalate between Pompey and Caesar. Some Roman leaders, including those who had previously resisted the authority of Pompey and Caesar, decided to back Pompey in an election for consul, fearing that the failure to do so would create a power vacuum in Rome.

Pompey then married Cornelia, the daughter of the Roman consul Metellus Scipio. For a time, Pompey controlled much of the Roman Empire while Caesar continued his campaigns abroad.

In 51 BCE, Pompey made moves to relieve Caesar of his command. He promised to give up his own armies as well; however, some scholars claim that this was merely a ploy to hurt public opinion of Caesar, who no one expected would surrender his forces.

Gnaeus pompeius magnus biography books He played a significant role in the transformation of Rome from republic to empire. A member of the senatorial nobility, Pompey entered into a military career while still young. He rose to prominence serving Sulla as a commander in the civil war of 83—81 BC. Pompey's success as a general while young enabled him to advance directly to his first consulship without following the traditional cursus honorum the required steps to advance in a political career. He was elected as consul on three occasions 70, 55, 52 BC.

Negotiations continued unsuccessfully for some time, with neither commander willing to make military concessions, and eventually the conflict turned into outright war. The Great Roman Civil War—also known as Caesar's Civil War—lasted four years, from 49 to 45 BCE. It came to an end with Caesar's decisive victory at the Battle of Munda.

Death

Pompey and Caesar first faced each other as enemy commanders after Caesar, defying orders from Rome, crossed the Rubicon. Caesar was the victor of the battle at Pharsalus in Greece, where he was outnumbered by Pompey's forces. After the defeat, Pompey fled to Egypt, where he was killed and his head cut off so that it could be sent to Caesar.

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Legacy

Even though he turned against Caesar, Pompey was widely admired by his countrymen for his role in the conquest of various territories. He was especially admired by the nobles, and statues of him were placed in Rome as a tribute to his military and political accomplishments. His image was printed on silver coins in 40 BCE.

Pompey has been depicted in a number of films and television series, including "Julius Caesar," "Rome," "Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of an Empire," and "Spartacus: War of the Damned."

Sources

• Fields, Nic. "Warlords of Republican Rome: Caesar versus Pompey." Casemate,
• Gillespie, William Ernest.

  "Caesar, Cicero and Pompey: the Roman Civil War."

• Morrell, Kit. "Pompey, Cato, and the Governance of the Roman Empire." Oxford University Press,
• Seager, Robin. "Pompey, a Political Biography." University of California Press,