Pompey the Great

Pompey the Great (106-48 B.C.) was one of Rome’s most gifted generals. He supported Sulla in the Roman civil war of 100b.c. and from there went on to win battles in Spain, Sicily and Africa. He achieved lasting fame for sweeping the Mediterranean free of pirates in 67 b.c. The following year he defeated the asian tyrant MithradatesVI. His list of honnors also include be named consulship 3 times throughout his life and …

…the senate while checking the ambitions of any one of the three.” A partnership (amicitiae) of this kind was not unusual in roman politics. To this association caesar brought broad-based political alliances of the lower classes; pompey, the immerse popular appeal of a sucessful general; and crassus, a great deal of wealth. “Its formation was a turning point in the history of the free state, and it was,… the ultimate origin of the civil war”