Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style

Pompey the Great summary

Written and fact-checked by
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Below is the article summary. For the full article, see Pompey the Great.

Pompey the Great, in full Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, (born Sept. 29, 106 bce, Romeā€”died Sept. 28, 48 bce, Pelusium, Egypt), Statesman and general of the Roman Republic. His early military career was illustrious. He fought effectively for Sulla against Marius in the Social War, reconquered Spain (76ā€“71), utterly destroyed the army of Spartacus (71), destroyed the pirates of the eastern Mediterranean (from 67), defeated Mithradates (63), and consolidated and extended the eastern provinces and frontier kingdoms. In 61 he formed the First Triumvirate with Julius Caesar and Marcus Licinius Crassus. After Crassusā€™s death in 53, Pompey and Caesar fell out. By 52, with Rome in a state of anarchy, Pompey was named sole consul. In 49 Caesar defied the Senate and provoked civil war by crossing the Rubicon in pursuit of Pompey, who fled east with his navy. After being defeated at the Battle of Pharsalus (48), Pompey fled with his fleet to Egypt, not realizing that the Egyptians would take Caesarā€™s side, and was killed as he prepared to step on land from the boat they had sent to bring him ashore.