Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus (106 - 47 BC)
Posted on 04/25/2024 8:59:08 AM PDT by SunkenCiv
...By the age of 17, Pompey was an active participant in his father's campaigns, and was busily building a foundation for his own military career.
Pompey rose to prominence serving Sulla in the first major Roman civil war, defeating the forces of Marius in Africa. For this he earned, or was mocked with, the title Magnus (the Great).
...he coerced a command in Spain against the rebel Sertorius, simply through the fear of his legions... Pompey returned to Rome in triumph.
Upon returning from Spain, Pompey helped mop up the war with the gladiator general Spartacus, claiming much of the credit in the process. He and Marcus Licinius Crassus, who conducted the bulk of the operation against Spartacus, built a dangerous rivalry in the process.
In order to avoid more potential civil disorder, as both men maintained considerable armies, both were elected as Consul for the year 70 BC. In their joint consulship, the two worked together repealing the bulk of Sulla's constitutional reforms, but otherwise had little use for one another...
Both during and after Pompey's consulship, problems in the east were persistent. Piracy and Rome's old enemy, Mithridates, continued to stir up trouble, and the command of Lucius Licinius Lucullus against him garnered little success. By 67 BC, the Senate and the people had had enough, and new initiatives were launched.
...Pompey was also granted unparalled authority in defeating the Cilician pirates who ravaged shipping throughout the Mediterranean...
In 66 BC, despite fierce Senatorial Optimate opposition, the Lex Manilia was passed, granting Pompey unlimited power in the eastern territories. Ironically enough, it was the oration of the lifelong Republican defender Marcus Tullius Cicero, which pushed the proposal into law...
(Excerpt) Read more at unrv.com ...
[snip] In 91 a tribune of the people, M. Livius Drusus, seems to have contemplated the possibility of winning the support of the Italians for the 'Metellan' faction with which he was connected. The Italians had for some time been agitating for Roman citizenship and had already made preparations to demand it by armed force. The failure of his attempt, which would have involved a grant of citizenship to the Italian allies, and his own murder were the sparks which ignited the Social War. His enemies saw an opportunity to attack Drusus' supporters in the courts, and in 90 the tribune Q. Varius had a law passed setting up a court to try people who would be accused of having incited the Italians to revolt. We know of six senators who were prosecuted under this law in 90, all of whom appear to have had connections with the Metelli. The prosecutions met with only moderate success, however, and it appears that by 89 the 'Metellan' faction had reasserted its control. At a time of great crisis this is not surprising, since its members were noted for their traditionalist and aristocratic attitude towards politics and their belief that the dominant group in the Senate should maintain its control over the affairs of the Roman people.
In 90, the first year of the war, some form of compromise seems to have been arrived at in the interests of unity, for it is probably significant that of the two consuls for that year P. Rutulius Lupus was a 'Marian' and L. Julius Caesar a 'Metellan'. Moreover the legates who accompanied the consuls to their military commands seem in all cases to have shared the political sympathies of their respective commanders. [/snip]Pompey the Great: 1 the War-lords of Picenum: Social and Civil War 89–79 | John Leach [PDF]
(from ‘The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance’)
Basically the superficial read is that he was Sulla's man and raised with fewer accomplishments than he claimed, based on that became a big shot in Rome until he got steamrolled by Caesar after they fell out. I feel like there has to be much more to it.
The Leach book is excellent. I found a copy at a garage sale years ago, and, uh, it’s around here somewhere, I plan to reread it this summer.
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