Pompey

Pompey
source
Name	Pompey
Caption	Bust of Pompey, Glyptothek, Munich
Birth date	29 September 106 BC
Death date	28 September 48 BC
Death place	Near Pelusium, Ptolemaic Kingdom
Occupation	Military commander, statesman
Office	Consul of the Roman Republic (70, 55, 52 BC)
Spouse	Antistia, Aemilia Scaura, Mucia Tertia, Julia, Cornelia Metella
Children	Gnaeus Pompeius, Sextus Pompeius, Pompeia Magna

Pompey. Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, known as Pompey the Great, was a leading military commander and statesman of the late Roman Republic. His extraordinary early career and immense popularity earned him command against major threats, including the Mediterranean pirates and Mithridates VI of Pontus. His complex political alliance and subsequent rivalry with Julius Caesar culminated in a civil war that ended with his defeat and assassination, a pivotal event in the Republic's fall.

Early life and career

Born into a senatorial family, he first gained military experience under his father, Gnaeus Pompeius Strabo, during the Social War. Following his father's death, Pompey raised a private army to support Sulla in the civil war against the Marians, earning the nickname *adulescentulus carnifex* ("teenage butcher") for his ruthless actions. As a result of his loyalty, Sulla sent him to defeat Marian forces in Sicily and the Roman province of Africa, after which he was hailed as *Imperator* by his troops. Despite lacking the traditional political career path, his military success forced the Senate to grant him a triumph and the cognomen *Magnus* ("the Great"), a title he embraced. His next major command was against the rebel general Quintus Sertorius in Hispania, a protracted and difficult campaign that ended with Sertorius's assassination. Upon returning to Italy, he aided Marcus Licinius Crassus in crushing the slave rebellion led by Spartacus, though he claimed disproportionate credit for the victory.

First Triumvirate and later career

Frustrated by senatorial opposition to securing land for his veterans, Pompey formed a powerful but unofficial political alliance in 60 BC with Julius Caesar and Marcus Licinius Crassus, known as the First Triumvirate. This coalition dominated Roman politics, with Caesar using it to secure the consulship and a proconsular command in Gaul. Pompey solidified the alliance by marrying Caesar's daughter, Julia. During this period, he enjoyed great popularity in Rome, celebrating a spectacular third triumph for his victories in the East and dedicating the grand Theatre of Pompey. The death of Julia and Crassus's defeat and death at the Battle of Carrhae severely weakened the Triumvirate's bonds. Increasingly aligning with the conservative Optimates faction in the Senate, Pompey was granted sole consulship in 52 BC to restore order after the Clodius riots, a move that further strained his relationship with Caesar.

Civil war and death

The final break occurred when the Senate, encouraged by Pompey, ordered Caesar to disband his army and return to Rome. Caesar's subsequent crossing of the Rubicon River in 49 BC began a civil war. Pompey, commanding the senatorial forces, decided to abandon Italy and regroup his legions in Greece, a strategy criticized by some allies. The two generals met at the decisive Battle of Pharsalus in August 48 BC, where Caesar's veteran troops routed Pompey's larger but less experienced army. Defeated, Pompey fled to Egypt, seeking refuge with the young king Ptolemy XIII Theos Philopator. Hoping to gain Caesar's favor, Ptolemy's advisors, including the eunuch Pothinus and the general Achillas, arranged for Pompey to be murdered as he disembarked near Pelusium. He was assassinated by former comrades, Lucius Septimius and Achillas, an event witnessed by his wife Cornelia Metella from their ship. His head was presented to Caesar, who reportedly wept at the sight of his former son-in-law and rival.

Legacy and historical assessment

Pompey's legacy is that of a brilliant military organizer and a charismatic leader whose ambition ultimately contributed to the Republic's destruction. His early commands against the Cilician pirates and Mithridates VI of Pontus reorganized the Eastern provinces and brought immense wealth and prestige to Rome. Figures like Cicero initially saw him as a defender of the republican constitution, but his willingness to bypass traditional norms for power set dangerous precedents. His defeat at Pharsalus marked the end of effective senatorial resistance to Caesar's rise. Later, his sons, Gnaeus and Sextus, continued the fight against the Second Triumvirate. Historians from Plutarch to modern scholars debate whether he was a conservative stalwart or a key agent in the Republic's fall, a man whose immense *dignitas* could not tolerate an equal, leading to the fatal conflict with Caesar.

Category:Roman Republic generals Category:Ancient Roman consuls Category:106 BC births Category:48 BC deaths