Pompey the Great - Statesman and General of the Roman Republic

Did you know that Pompey the Great defeated the Cilician pirates in under a year? Hello and welcome to World History Encyclopedia. My name is Kelly and today's video is all about the fascinating Roman general and statesman Pompey the Great. World History Encyclopedia is a non-profit organization and you can find us on Patreon, a brilliant site where you can support our work and receive exclusive benefits in return. Your support helps us create videos twice a week so make sure to check it out via the pop-up in the top corner of the screen or via the Patreon link down below. Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, better known as Pompey the Great, lived between 106 and 48 BCE and was one of the greatest generals and statesmen of the late Roman Republic. His accomplishments are sometimes overshadowed by his younger contemporary Julius Caesar, but in his time Pompey was far more popular, at least initially, and much more powerful. His assassination in Egypt at the end of his civil war with Caesar was a bad end to an illustrious life and has sometimes encouraged the view that Pompey was a famous loser, but this interpretation fails to take into account his many impressive achievements and brilliant military strategies. Did you know that only a small fraction of viewers are subscribers? Be sure to hit that subscribe button so you don't miss out on any of our new videos and to help us create more great history content. Pompey was born on the 29th of September 106 BCE in Piscinum, Italy, to an upper-class family. His father Gnaeus Pompeius Strabo was a senator and a young Pompey was groomed for political life. He was well-educated, fluent in Greek, and held various public offices as a young man in preparation for the consulship. His first military experience was in the Social War of 91 to 87 BCE, during which he served under his father. After his father's death in 87 BCE, Pompey led troops to victory in the First Mithridatic War in Asia Minor and returned in 84 BCE when he backed the dictator Sulla with his legions. He had his father's troops under his command at this time, as well as his own, and was a popular military leader because he was so effective during his campaigns. He swiftly defeated Sulla's political enemies in 82 and 81 BCE and returned Sicily, Spain, and North Africa to Sulla's rule. Although Pompey was not quite eligible yet, he demanded and was given a triumph by Sulla in 81 in recognition of his victories. At this time, he took the epithet Magnus the Great to associate himself with his hero Alexander the Great. It's not clear though whether Pompey gave himself this title or took it after being referred to as the Great by his troops. Between 81 and 71, Pompey put down various rebellions and took credit for ending the revolt of the slave and gladiator Spartacus, known as the Third Servile War in 71, even though this was actually accomplished by the general and statesman Crassus. He was elected consul in 70 BCE along with Crassus and received a second triumph for his victories in Spain. Pompey's victories enriched Rome and he was popular with the people, but he was resented by some of his colleagues for as well as his power and achievements at such a young age. He was only around 36 years old at the time. Still, they recognized his usefulness and sent him to deal with the Cilician pirates in 67 BCE. The pirates of Cilicia, who were a loose band of thieves from all over the Mediterranean, had been harassing Roman trade vessels for years and had become so bold that they had even raided the port city of Ostia outside of Rome itself. Efforts at suppressing them had failed, but Pompey divided the Mediterranean into 13 districts, each patrolled by its own fleet and commander. As the pirates in each district were defeated, the crews were interrogated on the movements, hidden coves, and hideouts of others, and by 66 BCE he had defeated them all, resettling many in The pirates had been used by Mithridates VI of Pontus and Tigranes the Great of Armenia, who were allies in the Third Mithridatic War with Rome, and after they were subdued, Pompey drove his forces against Mithridates, defeating him in 63 BCE after annexing Syria and following the After the fall of the Seleucid Empire in 63 BCE, Pompey added more territories to the Roman Empire. When he returned to Rome in 61, he was celebrated with his third triumph, the largest ever seen in Rome, lasting two days, and was more popular than ever. While Pompey had been doing all of this, the young nobleman Julius Caesar had been Caesar had originally planned on becoming a priest until Sulla's policies redirected him to a life in the military and politics. Caesar had been governor of the province of Spain, and when he returned to Rome in 60 BCE, joined with Pompey and Crassus in what modern historians call the First Triumvirate, an alliance of the three most politically powerful men in Rome, formed to preserve their power against proposed laws by the Senate, which sought to limit them. Pompey had signed certain treaties in consolidating his power in the East, and had promised his veterans land for their services, but the Senate refused to ratify the treaties and denied the land agreements. Crassus was the richest man in Rome, Pompey, the greatest general, and Caesar, their junior, a popular military leader and political figure, who served as a mediator between the other two. Once Caesar was elected consul in 59, he helped pass the ratification of Pompey's treaties and the land agreements. Pompey married Caesar's daughter Julia, and Caesar left for Gaul in 58 BCE. The Senate of Rome opposed the triumvirate for obvious reasons, the most outspoken critic being the senator and writer Cicero, but there wasn't much they could do about it. When elections came up again in 56 BCE, Crassus and Pompey were again elected consuls with Caesar's support, and once in office, they passed laws enlarging their powers. In 54 BCE, Caesar returned to Gaul and Crassus, jealous of his colleagues' military successes, led troops against the Parthians and was killed in 53 BCE. Without the third member of the triumvirate, and with Caesar's victories mounting in Gaul, rivalry between Caesar and Pompey increased, and only became worse after Julia died in childbirth. In 52 BCE, Pompey began enacting laws against Caesar and brought retroactive charges against him for violence allegedly used during his consulship of 59. Caesar fought back using bribes and various kinds of leverage, though still in Gaul, and Pompey retaliated in kind. In 49 BCE, Caesar crossed the Rubicon River into Italy and marched on Rome, starting the civil war with Pompey. Pompey had the full backing of the Senate, and so theoretically more resources than Caesar, but unlike in the days of the triumvirate, needed Senate approval for every suggestion or initiative. He had disbanded his army and so needed new recruits, and this was slowed by Senate infighting and debate. Once he had his troops, they were mostly young and inexperienced, while Caesar was leading veterans of his Gallic wars. Caesar was therefore able to move faster than Pompey, had a better army, though fewer soldiers, and was more flexible in adapting to new situations, as Pompey tried to out-think and out-fight him. After several engagements ranging around the Mediterranean, Caesar defeated Pompey at the Battle of Pharsalus in Greece in 48 BCE. Pompey fled the field and made his way to Pelusium, Egypt, where he was certain he would be welcomed and given sanctuary, as he was close with the members of the royal Ptolemaic house. When he came ashore, however, he was assassinated, because word of his defeat at Pharsalus had already reached Egypt, and the Ptolemies thought it wiser to align themselves with Caesar. Although his life ended in defeat, his legacy as a great general continued. His strategies and accomplishments continue to be admired today, over 2,000 years later after his death. Do you think Pompey the Great was really so great? Let us know what you think in the comments below. If you enjoyed this video, make sure to give it a thumbs up and subscribe to our channel so you don't miss out on our new videos published every single week. 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