Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus (son of Pompey)

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Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus
Denarius of Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus the Younger, 46-45 BC
Personal details
Bornc. 75 BC
Died12 April 45 BC (aged 30)
Lauro, Hispania Ulterior
Cause of deathKilled in battle
NationalityRoman
RelationsPompeia gens
Parent(s) Pompey Magnus and Mucia Tertia
Military service
AllegiancePompey
RankLegatus
Battles/wars

Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus[1][2][3] (ca. 75 BC – 12 April 45 BC)[4] was a Roman politician and general from the late Republic (1st century BC).[5][1]

Biography

Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus was the elder son of

senators. Pompey's army lost the Battle of Pharsalus in 48 BC, and Pompey himself had to run for his life, only to be murdered in Egypt on 29 September the same year.[5]

After the murder, Gnaeus and his brother Sextus joined the resistance against Caesar in the

Africa Province.[4][7] Together with Metellus Scipio, Cato and other senators, they prepared to oppose Caesar and his army to the end.[4][7] Here however Cato chastised Gnaeus, saying his father had achieved much more at his age than Gnaeus had. This prompted Gnaeus to launch a solo attack on Mauretania however he was defeated at the Battle of Ascurum. Gnaeus fled to the Balearic Islands, where he was joined by Sextus following Caesar's defeat of Metellus Scipio and Cato, who subsequently committed suicide, at the Battle of Thapsus in 46 BC. Together with Titus Labienus, former general in Caesar's army, the Pompey brothers crossed over to Hispania (the Iberian Peninsula, comprising modern Spain and Portugal), where they raised yet another army.[7]

Caesar soon followed and, on 17 March 45 BC, the armies met in the Battle of Munda.[5] Both armies were large and led by able generals. The battle was closely fought, but eventually a cavalry charge by Caesar turned events to his side. In the battle and the panicked escape that followed, Titus Labienus and an estimated 30,000 men of the Pompeian side died. Gnaeus and Sextus managed to escape another time but supporters were difficult to find. It was by now clear Caesar had won the civil war. Within a few weeks, Gnaeus Pompeius was cornered and killed by Lucius Caesennius Lento.[5][7]

His younger brother Sextus Pompeius was able to keep one step ahead of his enemies, and survived his brother for another decade by establishing a semi-independent kingdom in Sicily with a powerful naval fleet, becoming so powerful he had to be accommodated by the

Marcus Agrippa who fought the Bellum Siculum
with Sextus who was eventually defeated and executed.

Marriage

Gnaeus Pompeius married Claudia Pulcra, daughter of Appius Claudius Pulcher and sister of Marcus Junius Brutus' first wife, who survived him; they had no children.

References

  1. ^ a b c Miltner, Franz (1950). "RE: Pompey 31" (PNG). In Paly, August; Wissowa, Georg (eds.). Realencyclopädie der classischen Altertumswissenschaft (Pauly–Wissowa) (in German). Vol. XXI.2 (3rd ed.). Stuttgart, Germany. p. 2211.{{cite encyclopedia}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  2. ^ Broughton, Thomas Robert Shannon (1951). The Magistrates of the Roman Republic. Vol. III. Poughkeepsie, New York, United States: American Philological Association. p. 165.
  3. LCCN 77-164450 – via Google Books
    .
  4. ^ a b c Julius Caesar (1959) [40 BC]. "39". De Bello Hispaniensi [On the Spanish war]. Translated by William Alexander McDevitte and W.S. Bohn. Rome, Italy – via Wikisource.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  5. ^
    OCLC 949733733
    .
  6. .
  7. ^ .

Further reading