[History] Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus

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Author: PyrrhusIV
Original Thread: Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus

Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus

Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus

Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus (From here on, referred to by the name Pompey) was the Son of Gnaeus Pompeius Strabo (Strabo meaning cross eyed), and was born in the year 106, six years before Gaius Julius Caesar, and right when Gaius Marius was making his big debut in the Roman World. Unlike most roman senators, his family, although rich, was not part of the ancient families that had been at the founding, on the contrary, his family hailed from the Italian Region of Picenum.

At the young age of 17 (89 b.c) he joined his father, recently elected consul, in the Social War , until 87 b.c , when Strabo died. This placed Pompeius at the head of a vast family fortune, and seriously upped his social position in Rome. In 83 B.C, when Sulla was returning from Greece to fight the aristocratic party (Sulla had been fighting a back and forth war vs Pontus, but was successful) who was led by Gaius Marius, Pompey raised 3 legions from Picenum to help Sulla.

Pompeius showed excellent tactical skill vs his Aristocratic rivals, and managed to link up with Sulla, who, jokingly, saluted him with the title of Imperator although Sulla was later named dictator. After a very successful Italian campaign, Sulla sent Pompeius, now his most trusted General, to regain sicily from the Marians. Within one year the whole island was subdued. Africa was his next target, and also within a year he was able to subdue the marians in Africa, and the Numidians.

Once again, his troops proclaimed him Imperator and he gained the nickname adulescentulus carnifex , meaning teenage butcher, roughly. Sulla also addressed him on his return to rome as Magnus ("The Great ") it would be awhile before he adopted this into his name.

Pompey demanded a Triumph for his victories, at first Sulla refused, but when Pompey appeared at the gates of Rome with his army, sulla gave in. Due to some issue's though, Pompeius was never given his triumph.

Later, after surpressing a revolt from a fellow Candidate for Consul, Lepidus, Pompeius asked to go to Hispania with proconsular imperium, which the senate initially refused. Even when Pompey didnt disband his legions, they didnt budge. Finally, when it became apparent that Quintus Sertorius was winning the spanish campaign, Pompey was allowed to go to Hispania.

It took 5 years for Pompey to defeat Sertorius, which was only achieved when Sertorius was murdered. We must not forgot however, the tactical genius of Sertorius, who was called the New Hannibal, by his troops. Sertorius had been raging a guerilla war ever since the defeat of Marius, personally he is one of my favourite generals.

One of his more despicable acts was catching 5,000 of Spartacus's troops, after they had been defeated by Crassus, and killing all of them. Pompey took the credit for the victory, even though it was rightfully won by Crassus.

Pompey on December 31, 71 BC, entered the city of Rome in his triumphal coach, a simple eques, celebrating his second extralegal triumph for the victories in Hispania. In 71 BC, at only 35 years of age (see cursus honorum), Pompey was elected Consul for the first time, serving in 70 BC as partner of Crassus, with the overwhelming support of the Roman population.

In a change of spirit, in that same year Pompeius broke with the aristocracy, his long-time rivals, and became the popular hero of Rome (70 B.C). He gave power back to the Tribunes, a power taken away originally by the now deceased Sulla. The Lex Aurelia in which helped reform the system of choosing judices. In both of these actions, Pompey was supported by the young and ambitious Gaius Julius Caesar.

The Campaign versus the Pirates

The situation with rome and it's navy was never a good one. Save the luck of the Punic Wars, Rome rarely had success in the water. It was not remotely close to being a seafaring nation. Infact, Cato wrote in his memoirs how he would rather of traveled to Carthage on foot, had it been possible.

The pirates of the Sea quickly took advantage of this weakness. Roman military and especially trading vessels were commonly destroyed or captured by Pirates. Julius Caesar himself was captured by pirates at one point! The Roman economy suffered immensly from these raids.

Therefore, In 67 BC, two years after his consulship, Pompey was nominated commander of a special naval task force to campaign against the pirates that controlled the Mediterranean. This command, like everything else in Pompey's life, was surrounded with polemic. The conservative faction of the Senate was most suspicious of his intentions and afraid of his power. The Optimates tried every means possible to avoid it. Significantly, Caesar was again one of a handful of senators who supported Pompey's command from the start. The nomination was then proposed by the Tribune of the Plebs Aulus Gabinius who proposed the Lex Gabinia, giving Pompey command in the war against the Mediterranean pirates, with extensive powers that gave him absolute control over the sea and the coasts for 50 miles inland, setting him above every military leader in the East. This bill was opposed by the aristocracy with the utmost vehemence, but was carried.


The pirates were at this time masters of the Mediterranean, and had not only plundered many cities on the coasts of Greece and Asia, but had even made descents upon Italy itself. As soon as Pompey received the command, he began to make his preparations for the war, and completed them by the end of the winter. His plans were crowned with complete success. In forty days he cleared the Western Sea of pirates, and restored communication between Spain, Africa, and Italy. He then followed the main body of the pirates to their strongholds on the coast of Cilicia; and after defeating their fleet, he induced a great part of them, by promises of pardon, to surrender to him. Many of these he settled at Soli, which was henceforward called Pompeiopolis.

Ultimately it took Pompey all of a summer to clear the Mediterranean of the danger of pirates. In three short months (67-66 BC), Pompey's forces had swept the Mediterranean clean of pirates, showing extraordinary precision, discipline, and organizational ability; so that, to adopt the panegyric of Cicero:

"Pompey made his preparations for the war at the end of the winter, entered upon it at the commencement of spring, and finished it in the middle of the summer."

The quickness of the campaign showed that he was as talented general at sea as on land, with strong logistic abilities. Pompey was the hero of the hour. When we are forced to read modern history books, which usually can give us more info about the campaign than a normal writer of the time, we notice one special thing about this campaign. An extraordinary amount of precision and cohesion between his army and navy. If a Pirate stronghold was hit, the army and navy could hit it in such a fashion that sometimes, they would just surrender instead.

Pompey was employed during the remainder of this year and the beginning of the following in visiting the cities of Cilicia and Pamphylia, and providing for the government of the newly-conquered districts. During his absence from Rome (66 B.C), Pompey was nominated to succeed Lucius Licinius Lucullus in the command, take charge of the Third Mithridatic War and fight Mithridates VI of Pontus in the East. The bill conferring upon him this command was proposed by the tribune Gaius Manilius, and was supported by Cicero in an oration which has come down to us (pro Lege Manilia). Like the Gabinian law, it was opposed by the whole weight of the aristocracy, but was carried triumphantly. The power of Mithridates had been broken by previous victories of Luculus, and it was only left to Pompey to bring the war to a conclusion. This command essentially entrusted Pompey with the conquest and reorganization of the entire Eastern Mediterranean. Also, this was the second command that Caesar supported in favor of Pompey.


The approach of Pompey, Mithridates retreated toward Armenia, but he was defeated; and as Tigranes now refused to receive him into his dominions, Mithridates resolved to plunge into the heart of Colchis, and from thence make his way to his own dominions in the Cimmerian Bosporus. Pompey now turned his arms against Tigranes; but the Armenian king submitted to him without a contest, and was allowed to conclude a peace with the republic. In 65 B.C Pompey set out in pursuit of Mithridates, but he met with much opposition from the Iberians and Albanians(Note: Not the ones you think of when hearing of Spain or the Eastern European Country ); and after advancing as far as the River Phasis (now Fax or Rioni River), he resolved to leave these districts. He accordingly retraced his steps, and spent the winter at Pontus, which he made into a Roman province. In 64 B.C he marched into Syria, deposed the king Antiochus XIII Asiaticus, and made that country also a Roman province. In 63 he advanced further south, in order to establish the Roman supremacy in Phoenicia, Coele-Syria, and Palestine. After that he captured Jerusalem. The Jews refused to submit to him, and shut the gates of Jerusalem against him, and it was not till after a siege of three months that the city was taken. Pompey entered the Holy of Holies, the first time that anyone, except the high priest, had dared to penetrate into this sacred spot. It was during the war in Judea that Pompey heard of the death of Mithridates. Isaac Asimov pointed out that his invasion of the Jerusalem Temple marked the turning point in Pompey's career. Before that event, it had all been one brilliant success after another for him. After Jerusalem, his fortune began a steady decline.

With Tigranes as a friend and ally of Rome, the chain of Roman protectorates now extended as far east as the Black Sea and the Caucasus. The amount of tribute and bounty Pompey brought back to Rome was almost incalculable: Plutarch lists 20,000 talents in gold and silver added to the treasury, and the increase in taxes to the public treasury rose from 50 million to 85 million drachmas annually. His administrative brilliance was such that his dispositions endured largely unchanged until the fall of Rome.

To Be continued... Need to go now, will finish this later.

Sources:
The History of Rome by Theodor Mommsen
The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon
Pompey the Great by Robin Seager
Plutarch's Lives by Plutarch
Wikipedia by Wikipedia

His invasion of the Jerusalem Temple marked the turning point in Pompey's career. Before that event, it had all been one brilliant success after another for him. After Jerusalem, his fortune began a steady decline...