Sextus Pompeius
Sextus Pompeius Magnus Pius, in English
Sextus Pompey, was a
Roman general from the late
Republic (
1st century BC). He was the last focus of opposition to the
second triumvirate.
Sextus
Pompeius was the youngest son of
Pompey the Great (Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus) by his third wife,
Mucia Tertia. His older brother was
Gnaeus Pompeius, from the same mother. Both boys grew up in the shadow of their father, one of Rome's best generals and originally non-conservative politician who drifted to the more traditional faction when
Julius Caesar became a threat.
When Caesar crossed the
Rubicon in
49 BC, thus starting a civil war, Sextus' older brother Gnaeus followed their father in his escape to the East, as did most of the conservative
senators. Sextus stayed in Rome in the care of his stepmother,
Cornelia Metella. Pompey's army lost the
battle of Pharsalus in
48 BC and Pompey himself had to run for his life. Cornelia and Sextus met him in the island of Mytilene and together they fled to Egypt. On the arrival, Sextus watched his father being killed by treachery on
September 29 of the same year. After the murder, Cornelia returned to Rome, but in the following years Sextus joined the resistance against Caesar in the African
provinces. Together with
Metellus Scipio,
Cato the younger, his brother Gnaeus and other senators, they prepared to oppose Caesar and his army to the end.
Caesar won the first battle at
Thapsus in
46 BC against Metellus Scipio and Cato, who committed suicide. In
45 BC, Caesar managed to defeat the Pompeius brothers in the
battle of Munda. Gnaeus Pompeius was executed, but young Sextus escaped once more, this time to Sicily.
Back in Rome, Julius Caesar was murdered on the
Ides of March (
March 15)
44 BC by a group of senators led by
Cassius and
Brutus. This incident did not lead to a return to normality, but provoked yet another civil war between Caesar's political heirs and his assassins. The
second triumvirate was formed by
Octavian,
Mark Antony and
Lepidus, with the intention of avenging Caesar and subduing all opposition. Sextus Pompeius in Sicily was certainly a rebellious man, but the Cassius and Brutus faction was the second triumvirate's first priority. Thus, with the whole island as his base, Sextus had the time and resources to develop an army and, even more importantly, a strong navy operated by Sicilian marines.
Brutus and Cassius lost the twin battles of
Philippi and committed suicide in
42 BC. After this, the triumvirs turned their attentions to Sicily and Sextus.
 |
Sextus Pompeius denarius, minted for his victory over Augustus fleet. On the obverse the Pharus of Messina, on the reverse monster Scylla, who defeated Augustus. |
But by this time, Sextus was prepared for strong resistance. In the following years, military confrontations failed to return a conclusive victory for either side and in
39 BC, Sextus and the triumvirs signed for peace in the Pact of
Misenum. The reason for this peace treaty was the anticipated campaign against the Parthian Empire. Antony, the leader, needed all the
legions he could get so it was useful to secure an armistice in the Sicilian front. The peace did not last for long. Octavian and Antony's frequent quarrels were a strong political motivation for resuming the war against Sextus. Octavian tried again to conquer Sicily, but he was defeated in the naval battle of
Messina (
37 BC) and again in August
36 BC. But by then, Octavian had
Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, a very talented general, on his side. Only a month afterwards, Agrippa destroyed Sextus' navy off
Naulochus cape. Sextus escaped to the East and, by abandoning Sicily, lost all his base of support.
Sextus Pompeius was caught in
Miletus in
35 BC and executed without trial (an illegal act since Sextus was a Roman citizen) by order of
Marcus Titius, Antony's minion. His violent death would be one of the weapons used by Octavian against Antony several years later, when the situation between the two became unbearable.
*
48 BC - in Egypt with his father, who is assassinated
*
47/
45 BC – resistance in Africa
*
45 BC - defeated in Munda
*
42 BC - controls Sicily with a powerful navy
*
39 BC - pact of Misenum with Octavianus and Antony
*
37 BC - defeats Octavian off Messina
*
36 BC -
**August, defeats Octavian
**September, defeated by Agrippa off
Naulochus (Sicily)
*
35 BC - captured and executed in Asia Minor (Miletus)
