POMPEIUS, GNAEUS (106-48 B.C.), the triumvir, the first of his family to assume the surname MAGNUS, was born on Sept. 3o, in the same year as Cicero. When only 17 he fought together with his father in the Social War. He took the side of Sulla against Marius and Cinna, but for a time, in consequence of the success of the Marians, he kept in the background. On the return of Sulla from the Mithridatic War Pompey joined him with an army of three legions, which he had raised in Picenum. Thus early in life he connected himself with the cause of the aristocracy, and a decisive victory which he won in 83 over the Marian armies gained for him from Sulla the title of imperator. He followed up his successes in Italy by defeating the Marians in Sicily and Africa, and on his return to Rome in 81, though he was still merely an eques and not legally qualified to celebrate a triumph, he was allowed by general consent to enjoy this distinc tion, while Sulla greeted him with the surname of magnus, a title he always retained and handed down to his sons. Latterly, his relations with Sulla were somewhat strained ; after Sulla's death he resisted the attempt of the consul M. Aemilius Lepidus to repeal the constitution. In conjunction with A. Lutatius Catulus, the other consul, he defeated Lepidus when he tried to march upon Rome, and drove him out of Italy (77). He retained his army, and jockeyed the senate into sending him to Spain pro console (though he had as yet held no magistracy) to deal with Sertorius. Pompey was fighting in Spain from 76 to 71. After Sertorius had fallen a victim to assassination, Pompey easily de feated his successor Perperna and put an end to the war. On his way back he met and cut up a body of slaves, part of Spartacus' defeated forces, in flight northwards. He demanded a triumph, and permission to stand for the consulate.
Pompey rose still higher in popularity, and on the motion of the tribune Aulus Gabinius in 67 he was entrusted with an ex traordinary command over the greater part of the empire, spe cially for the extermination of piracy in the Mediterranean, by which the corn supplies of Rome were seriously endangered, while the high prices of provisions caused great distress. He was com pletely successful; the price of corn fell immediately on his ap pointment, and in 4o days the Mediterranean was cleared of the pirates. Next year, on the proposal of the tribune Manilius, his powers were still further extended, the care of all the provinces in the East being put under his control for three years together with the conduct of the war against Mithridates VI., who had recovered from the defeats he had sustained from Lucullus and regained his dominions. Both Caesar and Cicero supported the tribune's pro posal, which was easily carried in spite of some opposition in the senate. Pompey was entirely successful. Mithridates was beaten and driven into the Crimea, and there was a general settlement of affairs in the East. Syria and Palestine were annexed in 64 and 63. Tigranes of Armenia submitted and was confirmed as a vassal king, and an agreement was reached with Phraates of Syria where by the Euphrates marked the boundary between them.
Pompey, now in his 45th year, returned to Italy in 61 to cele brate the most magnificent triumph which Rome had ever wit nessed, as the conqueror of Spain, Africa and Asia.
Politics.—This triumph marked the turning-point in his career. As a soldier everything had gone well with him ; as a politician he was a failure. He found a great change in public opinion, and the people indifferent to his achievements abroad. The senate had a unique chance to secure his support, but refused to ratify the arrangements he made in Asia or to provide money and lands for distribution amongst his veterans. In these circumstances he drew closer to Caesar on his return from Spain, and became reconciled to Crassus. The result was the first triumvirate. He was married to Caesar's daughter Iulia, and as yet the relations between the two had been friendly. Pompey was now in fact ruler of the greater part of the empire, while Caesar had only the two provinces of Gaul. But being no political tactician, Pompey made no use of this advantage, and all this time the balance of power was steadily turning in Ceasar's direction. The senate and the aristocracy disliked and distrusted Pompey, but they felt that, should things come to the worst, they might still find in him a champion of their cause. Hence the joint rule of Pompey and Caesar was not unwillingly accepted, and anything like a rupture between the two was greatly dreaded as the sure beginning of anarchy throughout the Roman world. In 55 Pom pey was consul again, in accordance with the arrangement with Caesar when the triumvirate was renewed at Luca in 56. As pro consul he should have left for his province, but he remained in charge of the corn-supply, virtually master of Rome, and gov erned Spain by his legati. With the death of Pompey's wife Iulia (54) and of Crassus (53) the relations between him and Caesar became strained, and soon afterwards he drew closer to the con servative party and married into the house of Scipio. In 52, in the utter disorder that followed the death of Clodius, he was elected sole consul, carried through the trial of Milo, and started a programme of administrative and provincial legislation threaten ing Caesar's position.
Civil War.—The crisis arrived with the approaching end of Caesar's command at the end of 5o. Pompey nearly compromised by accepting the Parthian command and leaving Rome, but Mar cellus forced his hand, and civil war began. Pompey, wisely or unwisely, abandoned Italy. His cause, with that of the senate and aristocracy, was finally ruined by his defeat by Julius Caesar in 48 in the neighbourhood of Pharsalus. That same year he fled with the hope of finding a safe refuge in Egypt, but was treacherously murdered by one of his old centurions as he was landing. He was five times married, and three of his children survived him—Gnaeus, Sextus, and a daughter Pompeia.