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Pompey the Great
106BC-49BC
An extra ordinary rise
Sources of Power
‘The glory of men’s ancestors is….like a shining light on their descendents which
Allows neither their virtues nor their vices to be hidden” Sallust
Learnt by
His
fathers
mistakes
Confident
Military
experience
Wealth
Land
Inherited
veteran
Soldiers
Pompey
Family
legacy
Clientale
Marriages Ambitious
PLUTARCH 139-141
ATTRIBUTES
RESOURCEFUL
OPPORTUNISTIC
IMPUDENT/BOLD
FORTUNATE
COERCIVE
“ He asked Sulla to bear in
mind the fact that more
people worshipped the
rising sun than the setting
sun…”
Plutarch
Marriage-an extension of amicitae
Antistia
Daughter
Of his
lawyer
Julia,
daughter of
Caesar
PLUTARCH 142-
Aemilia Scaura
Step daughter
Of Sulla
Mucia Tertia,
Daughter of
Pontifex
maximus
Cornelia,
Daughter of Crassus,
Brought
Wealth,Metelli
connections
Raised his own ‘private’ army
to aid Sulla at 23, gained
propraetorian imperium and
first triumph.
“That someone of extreme youthfulness,
who held no public office, should raise an
army in a time of national crisis was
innovation. Yet that is what Pompeius did.”
Cicero.
PLUTARCH 143-145
Pro
Praetorian
Command
Against Lepidus
Pro
Consular
Command
Against
Sertorius
LEX MANILIA
Make war on
own initiative
Extended Power
Senate
Empowers
Pompey
LEX GABINIA
Imperium
infinitum
To eliminate
piracy
Second Triumph
for
Assisting
Crassus in
Slave revolt
First Consulship
7 years to young
No qualifying
magistracies
PLUTARCH 145-167
Granted propraetorian command
against Lepidus.
Given proconsular command
against Sertorius.
“it was totally unprecedented when two
eminent and gallant consuls were
available, for a Roman knight to be sent
out with consular powers…all the same he
was sent.” Cicero.
Elected to consulship and
given second triumph by threat
of force.
He was “elected to a consulship actually
before he had the legal right to hold any
office at all.” Cicero.
Refused to take a provincial command
after his year as consul.
Pompey and Crassus as Consuls
70BC
The changes made to the Sullan constitution in
70BC weakened the Senates position;
Power of the tribunes were restored
The courts were reconstituted so that the Senate
had only one third of the places
Power of the censor was revived. Sixty four
senators were removed and new ones from the
equestrian order were admitted
Citizenship granted to wider areas of Italy which
meant that there were masses of new voters not
bound by previous patron client obligations
PLUTARCH 157-159
The Lex Gabinia and Lex Manilia were laws giving power to
Pompey. Unlike his previous commands awarded by the
Senate, these were despite the opposition of the Senate
proposed by tribunes and passed by the people.
Caesar
speaks
For it
Roscius
tries to speak
But is
Drowned out
Lex Gabinia
Use of force
Consul
attacked
Catulus
opposes it
Cicero
Speaking for
The interests
Of the
equites
Catulus
Opposes
it
Lex
Manilia
Aristocrats
Thought it
amounted
To
tyranny
“THEIR HEARTS
FAILED THEM,
SO FRIGHTENED
WERE
THEY OF
THE PEOPLE”
‘ So Pompey, who was not even in Rome at the time, was vested with
powers almost as great as those which Sulla had exercised after he
had conquered the city by force of arms”.
Pompey makes Enemies
According to Plutarch Lucullus accuses
Pompey of “ ….following his usual custom
of settling down, like some crazed carrion
bird, on the bodies that had been killed by
others and tearing to pieces the scattered
remains of wars.”
To what and whom is Lucullus referring ?
Cicero on Pompey’s Command
Read Cicero’s speech and discuss
Cicero’s view of Pompey. Consider a
variety of possible reasons for Cicero
supporting the Lex Manilia
To what extent does Cicero’s support of
an unconstitutional command undermine
the Cursus Honorum ?
Who carries the blame; Manilius, Pompey,
Cicero, the Senate as a whole ?
Voted by people for lex Gabinia
(pirates) and lex Manilia
(Mithridates)
Imperium infinitum for 3 years.
Pirates - powers over the whole
Mediterranean and 50 miles inland,
unlimited funds, men and ships.
Mithridates - permission to make war or
peace on his own initiative.
Takes command of all forces under
Lucullus as well as his own existing army
•The Ascendancy of Pompey
•In 74 BC the King of Bythinia had died, leaving the country to Rome.
However the King of Pontus ,MithridatesVI,fearing the encroachment
of Rome, had invaded Asia Minor for the third time, thus beginning
The Third Mithridatic War.
•The command against him had been given to Lucullus and he had
immediately turned the tide against the King of Pontus.
•In 73BC he invaded Pontus and destroyed the country’s army at
Cabria. Mithridates was forced to flee to Armenia
•Lucullus then attacked Armenia and by 68BC had conquered most of
it, when he was faced with a mutiny of his own soldiers who refused to
go on. He was gradually pushed back by Mithridates.
•In 66BC the lex Manilia deprived him of his command and
transferred to Pompey, who with an army of 50,000 men destroyed the
last forces of resistance. Appian tells us “Never did any man before
Pompey set forth with so great authority conferred upon him by the
Romans”. Mithtridates committed suicide and the war was at an end.
•Pompey then conquered Armenia, Syria and Judaea.
•Although Pompey was a competent soldier, his military
achievements in the East were based on the hard work already done
by Lucullus. Plutarch states “So with much less difficulty than could
have been expected, Pompey had put the finishing touches to his
great actions.” In the settlement of the East , however, Pompey’s
skill as an organizer, administrator and diplomat were revealed.
•He established two new Provinces Bithynia/Pontus and Syria and
enlarged Cilicia, creating an almost continuous ring around the
coastline from the southern shores of the Black Sea to Palestine.
•He united the area under Roman rule and fostered the growth
of Hellenistic cities. They were administered by local authorities
and had considerable autonomy
•In order to protect these Roman provinces from future threats from
the powerful kingdom of Parthia, Pompey organized and promoted
a large number of Client States, which were independent but
maintained friendly relations with Rome
Pompey in the East“the wealth that accrued to the conqueror was sufficient to make him the
richest man in Rome….and had acquired clientale on a scale hitherto
unwitnessed” Seager
Consolidation of the provinces of Pontus, Syria, Asia and Bithynia
• Pompey’s Eastern settlement consolidated Rome’s empire and
added 480 million sesterces in war spoils to the Roman
treasury. It raised Rome’s annual revenue from tribute by
70 percent.
• Pompey became a patron for the provincials in their dealings
with Rome and he increased his clientale which was to prove
vital for his role in the civil war
• Although Pompey was the preeminent man in Rome, he
wanted and needed the backing of the optimates in order to
gain land for his veterans and to have his innumerable
arrangements in the east ratified. To allay fears, Pompey had
disbanded his army to prove to the optimates that he had no
intention of overthrowing the government, but the Senate
mood was still hostile.
Pompey had alienated Metellus Celer, the consul
designate for 60BC, by divorcing his wife Mucia.
Pompey hoped to marry into the family of Cato, who
was the optimates spokesman ,however Cato had
refused, according to Plutarch, he thought “ it was a
form of bribery and the whole scheme an attempt to
corrupt him”.
• Lucullus who had been treated badly by Pompey in
Asia, was encouraged to take a more active part in
politics now that Pompey was back in Rome, and he
began by attacking Pompey’s arrangements in the
East.
Appointed controller of the corn
supply for five years.
He was in total control of “all ports and
trading centres, with authority to arrange
the distribution of foodstuffs” Plutarch.
This command “made Pompey once again
virtually the master of all Roman
possessions by sea and land.” Plutarch.
Second and third consulships
and Spanish command
Consulships within 3 years of each other.
Spain governed in absentia, given a five
year command instead of the usual one
year.
Given sole consulship by Senate.
Spanish command extended for a further
five years.
Numismatical Evidence of
Pompey’s Power
Theatre of Pompey
Political AlliancesPompey, Caesar and Cicero
changing friends and enemies
Command against Caesar
Proconsular imperium with control over
all military forces in Italy.
“The power and glory he enjoyed had
been earned by state services and
military achievements of the highest
importance and by the most signal
military achievements.” Cicero.
POMPEY: A SWINGING
ROMAN
With Sulla ( Optimate)
With Crassus ( Poulare)
Against pirates &Mithridates ( Optimate,
Senates golden haired boy)
With Caesar ( Populare)
Against Caesar ( Dead Optimate)
UNCONSTITUTIONAL
ASPECTS
Propraetorian command against Marians
and Lepidus.
Proconsular command against Sertorius.
Two ‘illegal’ triumphs.
Too young for first consulship, had never
held any office
Exceptional imperium given in command
against pirates.
Imperium of corn supplier overlapped all
others.
Second consulship gained by
preventing elections.
Five year command of Spain governed
through legates.
Appointed as sole consul, only 3 years
since last consulship, retained
command of Spain
Appointment against Caesar with
imperium over all military forces in Italy.
Significance of Pompey’s Career
TO 60BC
The rise of Pompey ran parallel to the breakdown of the Sullan Constitution because
In Sulla’s lifetime, due to Pompey’s insubordination
After his death, to the revolt of Lepidus and the Senates
nomination of Pompey to proconsular Imperium
To the unleashing of the tribunate and the restoration of
the veto
To the partial restoration of the courts to equite control
To the unprecedented and limitless Imperium, granted
through the Lex Gabinia and Lex Manilia
To the formation of the First Triumvirate, a combined
effort of private influences to secure private ambitions,
against the Senate’s will.
Politically by
undoing
Sullan
legislation
Ultimately by
providing the
Senate with a
possible but
weaker
adversary
against
Caesar
Economically by
his elimination
of piracy and
organization of
the East
Politically by
his disregard
for cursus
honorum
HOW DID
POMPEY
IMPACT ON
THE PERIOD?
Militarily
through his
expansion of
Empire
Politically by his
amicitae with
Caesar
Politically, by
his vacillating
relationship
with the
Senate
More Quotes
The “trouble with Pompeius [was that] he
didn’t want anyone to be his equal in
dignity.” Caesar.
“The abilities of Gnaeus Pompeius are too
vast for any words to do them
justice…Pompeius excels all other
generals we have ever seen or heard of.”
Cicero.
Plutarch Quotes
the ancient biographer Plutarch painted him: the
novus homo son of a much-hated provincial war-lord
who sought redemptive public acclaim, no matter
how undignified his attempts, in any sphere of public
life he could make his mark?
“His pursuit of glory, as they say, always took an
unusual course.”
“Fortune somehow or other managed to give Pompey
a share.”
Pompey “would merely reap the honour of triumph
rather than undertake the difficulties of war.” (On the
Mithridates command)
Modern Perspectives
“Many historians have suggested that Pompey was, in
spite of everything, politically unaware of the fact that the
Optimates, including Cato, were merely using him
against Caesar so that, with Caesar destroyed, they
could then dispose of him.
He was a hero of the Republic, who seemed once to
hold the Roman world in his palm only to be brought low
by his own weak judgment and Caesar's indomitability.
Pompey was idealized as a tragic hero almost
immediately after Pharsalus and his murder: Plutarch
portrayed him as a Roman Alexander the Great, pure of
heart and mind, destroyed by the cynical ambitions of
those around him”
Robin Seager; Pompey, A Political Biography