[10] Caesar now had three veteran legions and fifty-three cohorts of recruits at Corfinium. War and military glory were an essential part of the Roman aristocratic ethos and, hence, of Roman political life. Thus, on the advice of his councillors, Pompey decided to engineer a decisive battle. Furious at having lost his chance at glory, Sulla marshaled his forces and led them in a march on Rome. Pompey fled to Egypt and was killed upon arrival. After the show of strength, Pharnaces drew back to pacify his new conquests. Roman Civil War, 68 - 69 A.D. Offended, the Senate demanded for him to disband his army immediately, or he would be declared an enemy of the people. Of course you do- all good generals want to prepare for what is most likely the biggest challenge of the entire game- Roman on Roman. At Nicopolis Pharnaces had defeated what little Roman opposition the governor of Asia, Gnaeus Domitius Calvinus, could muster. [citation needed]. Vitellius was marched half-naked through the city and murdered, and Vespasian was proclaimed the new Caesar. The armies in Judea had declared their general Vespasian to be emperor, and in the autumn of A.D. 69, they marched on Rome and crushed Vitellius’ defenders in a bloody battle at Cremona. Following this, Antony and Caesar's adopted son Octavius would fight yet another civil war against remnants of the Optimates and Liberatores faction, ultimately resulting in the establishment of the Roman Empire. It was to no avail since Caesar quickly routed Pharnaces at the Battle of Zela (modern Zile in Turkey) with just a small detachment of cavalry. Vowing, “The die is cast,” he rallied his men, crossed the Rubicon into Italy and ignited a civil war. Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa was the Roman general who led Octavian's 400 ships and 19,000 men. He and Pompey had, along with Marcus Licinius Crassus, established the First Triumvirate, through which they shared power over Rome. When Octavian persuaded the Senate to declare war on Cleopatra, the stage was set for a winner-takes-all fight for Rome. On 7 January the Senate passed the consultum ultimum (declaring a state of emergency) and charged the consuls, praetors, tribunes and proconsuls with the defence of the state. Diocletian’s Tetrarchy made Rome more easily governable in the short term, but having multiple emperors was also a recipe for civil war. Most were embarrassed by their role in the mutiny in Caesar's presence. The Roman Civil Wars. They then joined Caesar, who had assembled his army, which he asked for military support against the Senate. His reign marked a new chapter in Roman history—he was the first emperor to convert to Christianity—but the stability was only temporary. Eventually, in March 49 BC, Pompey escaped and fled by sea to Epirus, leaving Caesar in complete command of Italy.[11]. Assorted References. After defeating the last of Pompey’s allies in North Africa and Spain, he returned to Rome and was appointed dictator for life in early 44 B.C. The war was a four-year-long politico-military struggle, fought in Italy, Illyria, Greece, Egypt, Africa, and Hispania. Welcome to the Roman Civil War. The duo had once been allies as part of the Second Triumvirate, but by 32 B.C., they had fallen out over their mutual ambition and Antony’s scandalous relationship with the Egyptian Queen Cleopatra. These internal conflicts that tortured the last century of the Roman Republic lasted from 88 BC to 28 AD and led directly (some would say inevitably) to the institution of of unchallengable authority in one man, or if not in one, in a Triuvirate. Augustus’ prosperous reign marked the beginning of the Julio-Claudian Dynasty, which lasted nearly a century. The war lasted for four years until Caesar finally defeated Pompey and became Dictator of Rome. September 28, Caesar learned that Pompey was assassinated. In December of 50 BC, Caesar wrote to the Senate that he agreed to resign his military command if Pompey followed suit. A blood-soaked struggle erupted between the plebian “Populares” faction and Sulla’s upper class “Optimates,” and Marius emerged from hiding, reclaimed the city and ruled it as a tyrant. Moreover, Caesar loyalists, the tribunes Mark Antony and Quintus Cassius Longinus, vetoed the bill and were quickly expelled from the Senate. The coup couldn’t have come at a worse time. Twice a week we compile our most fascinating features and deliver them straight to you. The legions were waiting for their discharges and the bonus pay that Caesar had promised them before the Battle of Pharsalus. Over the next 35 years, the Roman throne was claimed by a merry-go-round of several dozen usurpers and generals, nearly all of whom were eventually killed in battles with their rivals or assassinated by their own men. He said that he would pay them the money that he owed them after he won the North African campaign with other legions. [9] By January 17 Caesar had taken the next three towns along the Flaminian Way, and that Marcus Anthonius (Mark Anthony) had taken Arretium and controlled the Cassian Way. Domitius after being isolated and trapped near Corfinium, was forced to surrender his army of thirty-one cohorts (about three legions) following a brief siege. The conspirators who stabbed Julius Caesar may have believed they were saving the Roman Republic, but their actions inadvertently brought about its complete collapse. A secondary reason for Caesar's immediate desire for another consulship was that Caesar's 'imperium' or safety from prosecution was set to expire and his enemies in Rome had senatorial prosecutions awaiting him upon retirement as governor of Illyricum and Gaul. Cicero later characterised Pompey's "outward sign of weakness" as allowing Caesar's consolidation of power. It was a controversial move—no general had ever entered the city under arms—but Sulla soon swept aside Marius’ supporters and forced his rival to flee to Africa. [6] The changes to Roman government concomitant to the war mostly eliminated the political traditions of the Roman Republic (509–27 BC) and led to the Roman Empire (27 BC–AD 476). So you are playing a Roman, eh? The game is strategic in scale, with units representing legions, fleets and allied units on both sides. Throughout the Great Roman Civil War's early stages, Caesar frequently proposed to Pompey for both generals to sheathe their swords. during the Roman civil war between Octavian and Mark Antony. Despite having seized power in brutal fashion, he proved a capable leader and went on to preside over a period of relative stability in Rome. Pompey fled to Egypt, where he was murdered by an officer of King Ptolemy XIII. Afterwards pacifying Roman Hispania. The Great Roman Civil War (49–45 BC), also known as Caesar's Civil War, was one of the last politico-military conflicts in the Roman Republic before the establishment of the Roman Empire. In Battle of Pharsalus. Only a few decades after his death, Rome was once again split into eastern and western empires. After several months, Caesar finally arrived to address the legions in person. The... World Heritage Encyclopedia, the aggregation of the largest online encyclopedias available, and the most definitive collection ever assembled. At first, recognising the threat, he made offers of submission with the sole object of gaining time until Caesar's attention fell elsewhere. Within a week of passing the consultum ultimum (declaring a state of emergency and outlawing Caesar) news reached Rome that Caesar had crossed the Rubicon (10 January) and had taken the Italian town of Ariminum (12 January). Caesar's Civil War (49 - 45 BC) This war is also called the Great Roman Civil War. Rome was already straining under the weight of increased raids by barbarian tribes, and the sudden political instability launched a period of civil war that nearly brought the Empire to its knees. He and Cato committed suicide shortly after the battle. Caesar pursued Pompey to Brundisium, expecting restoration of their alliance of ten years earlier. He asked the troops what they wanted with his cold voice. It began as a series of political and military confrontations, between Julius Caesar (100–44 BC), his political supporters (broadly known as Populares), and his legions, against the Optimates (or Boni), the politically conservative and socially traditionalist faction of the Roman Senate,[3] who were supported by Pompey (106–48 BC) and his legions.[4]. He ended a long cycle of internal conflict in the Roman world, a territory that Julius Caesar had realised was too big to be ruled by its old institutions. It began as a series of political and military confrontations, between Julius Caesar (100–44 BC), his political supporters (broadly known as Populares), and his legions, against the Optimates (or Boni), the politically conservative and socially traditionalist faction of the Roman Senate, who were supported by Pompey (106–48 BC) and his legions. The first contender was Galba, the aging governor of Spain, whom the senate had proclaimed emperor shortly before Nero’s death. News has reached Britain that Emperor Nero have been ousted and had committed suicide. The Senate, fearful of Caesar, reduced the number of legions he had,[5] then demanded that he relinquish command of his army. Scipio was defeated in 46 BC at the Battle of Thapsus in North Africa. Perhaps as a result of Ptolemy's role in Pompey's murder, Caesar sided with Cleopatra and is reported to have wept at the sight of Pompey's head, which was offered to him by Ptolemy's chamberlain, Pothinus, as a gift. At one point, no fewer than six men claimed the rank of “Augustus.” The scheming finally erupted into outright war in 312, when the Emperor Constantine invaded Italy via the Alps and killed Maxentius at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge. It had never occurred to them that Caesar did not need them. In 50 BC, at the expiry of his proconsular term, the Pompey-led Senate ordered Caesar's return to Rome and the disbanding of his army and forbade his standing for election in absentia for a second consulship. As Caesar progressed southwards, Pompey retreated towards Brundisium, initially ordering Domitius (engaged in raising troops in Etruria) to stop Caesar's movement on Rome from the direction of the Adriatic seaboard. Nevertheless, the extremely-rapid approach of Caesar in person forced Pharnaces to turn his attention back to the Romans. The historical records differ about the decisive comment Caesar that made on crossing the Rubicon: one report is Alea iacta est (usually translated as "The die is cast"). As the battle turned against him, he abandoned part of his fleet and fled with Cleopatra to Alexandria. Mark Antony commanded 290 ships and 22,000 men. Civil war between factions of the Roman Republic from 49 to 45 BC, March on Rome and the early Hispanian campaign, Later campaign in Africa and the war on Cato, Longhurst (2016) "Caesar's Crossing of the Adriatic Countered by a Winter Blockade During the Roman Civil War", https://www.thoughtco.com/ancient-roman-history-optimates-119359, https://www.unrv.com/julius-caesar/crossing-the-rubicon.php, "C. Julius Caesar, Commentaries on the Civil War, CAESar's COMMENTARIES OF THE CIVIL WAR. And experienced Commanders and allies the popular assemblies had, along with Marcus Licinius Crassus, established the first was! 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