The war between Julius Caesar and Pompey the Great, was one of the

biggest power struggles in Roman history. This is shown through the lead-up to
the war, the many gruesome battles, and the result of the war.
Pompey the Great was born on September 29, 106 BC. He started in the
Roman Military as a low ranking general, and as his rank began to grow, so did
his fame. Because of the fame and success that Pompey had discovered, the
Roman people decided that he would be best fit to fight off the pirates.1The
pirates were a group of people that rampage throughout the Roman Empire. These
pirates were so successful because they had built over a thousand fast sailing
ships, they would use these boats to help them seize and rob trading vessels, then
kill everyone on board.2 Pompeys plan was to evenly divide the 14 legions he
was given, into 14 different districts of Rome.3 With his own fleet, he sailed as far
as the Strait of Gibraltar, and then he turned back towards Italy. On the way he
chased the pirate vessels before him as he met them, until they were stopped and
seized by some of the thirteen fleets that were stationed there. The pirates were
thus caught in a trap. Thousands of the pirates were killed in battle, and the
remainder eventually surrendered to Rome. Pompey had been able to clear the

Roman seas of the pirates in only three months.4 Pompey was praised for his
success and was moved from the pirates, to be commander of the battle against
King Mithridates. The King had been constantly attacking Roman provinces in
Asia, and the Romans had resolved to punish him. But the king was a powerful
man, and was able to win many battles against the Romans, so they sent Pompey
into Asia. Pompey stayed in Asia for years, even after he had defeated King
Mithridates. And while he was there, he conquered a large number of countries
and placed Roman governors in charge of each of them. When he finally returned
to Rome, he brought with him the kings and princes of the countries he had
conquered, along with all the gold and silver.5
Just like Pompey, Caesar was a general in the Roman army that slowly
worked his way up through the ranks. At the time of Caesar attempting to rise to
power, Pompey was one of the two consuls. Caesar used his large influence in
Rome to attempt to take over control of Pompeys spot. He did this by relating
and helping the common people of Rome, while Pompey more enjoyed the
presence of the rich. Once he had gained enough power, him Pompey and Crassus

decided to rule the country as a triumvirate (When three different people rule the
country.) 6
Caesar then decided that he wanted more land to rule, so the senate gave
him Illycrum and Cisalpine Gaul, along with three whole legions for him to
command. After he had received his land, the general of Transalpine Gaul died,
and Pompey convinced the Senate that they should give it to Caesar, along with
the fourth legion.7 Caesar launched an attack against Switzerland, the Germanic
tribes, the Gaelic and Belgian tribes in the area that is now known as France.
One of Caesars most famous victories came when he was determined to
defeat a Germanic tribe that had gotten into the habit of attacking Roman forces in
that area. To get to the tribes home they had to cross a river, which was easy for a
small tribe, but for a large army like Caesar was commanding, he had to build a
bridge. Caesar and his men worked with great efficiency, and within 10 days,
Caesar had wiped out an entire forest, and built a bridge across the large river that
was in the way. 8

Once Caesar had finished conquering the area of Gaul and France, he
decided that he would like to be the ruler of Rome, but he didnt want to leave
Gaul, so he attempted to convince the Senate that he should rule as one of the
Consuls from Gaul.9 This scared the Senate because Roman law had always stated
that before being consul, the person had to give up their land and legions. Pompey
used this to his advantage, and got the Senate to call Caesar Public enemy #1, and
was banned from Rome. When Caesar heard of what Pompey had done, he
decided that he would march through Rome and defeat Pompey.
Caesar and his legions eventually reached the Rubicon River, which was
officially the barrier between Gaul and Rome. According to Roman law, no man
was allowed to bring their legions into Rome, and Caesar was still banished from
Rome. This meant that once Caesar crossed the river, he would be in an all-out
war with Pompey. After many days pondering by the river, he said his famous
quote, The die has been cast. This was the official start of the Civil War. 10

After 19 years of battle, Caesar had destroyed almost all of Pompeys

army, and Pompey fled to Egypt.10 After his arrival in Egypt, Pompeys fate was
decided by the counselors of King Ptolemy. While Pompey waited offshore, they
argued the cost of offering him refuge with Caesar, who was already on his way to
Egypt. Plutarch decided that Cornelia should watch from the shore, but as
Pompey stood up to leave the trireme, he was stabbed to death by Achillas,
Septimius, and Silvius.
After defeating Pompey, Caesar returned to Rome determined to be the
leader, so the people elected him consul. After his term as consul expired, the
Senate decided to appoint him as dictator. He was only able to be dictator for a
small time, as a large group of Caesars closest friends decided that it would be in
the best interest of Rome if Caesar was gone. So they decided it was better for
them to assassinate him. 11
The war between Caesar and Pompey lasted for 19 years, and was one of
the greatest power struggles that occurred in Roman history. It shows that control
and power will break up even the best of friends.