lunedì 22 novembre 2010

Pharsalus battle

The Battle of Pharsalus was a decisive battle of Caesar's Civil War, between Caesar and Pompeo, that were rapresenting the Populares and Optimates factions. The war was born to estabilish who will have to take the power in Roma. Infact, at the First Triumvirate’s end, the Roman Senate supported Pompey as sole consul; meanwhile, Caesar had become a military hero and champion of the people. Knowing he hoped to become consul when his governorship expired, the Senate, politically fearful of him, ordered he resign command of his army. Caesar wrote to the Senate agreeing to resign his military command if Pompey followed suit. Offended, the Senate demanded he immediately disband his army, or be declared an enemy of Roma. On 10 January 49 BC, leading one legion, the Legio XIII Gemina, General Julius Caesar crossed the Rubicon River, a legally-proscribed action forbidden to any army-leading general and challenged the Senate. Caesar’s March on Rome was a triumphal progress and so Pompey retreated to Brundisium from where he escaped to Epirus, in the Republic’s eastern Greek provinces. Before reaching Pompeo in Greece, Caesar went to defeat Pompey's army in Hispania.
Some days before the battle, some signs of good omen were noticed in favour of Caesar; for exemple a sound of drums was heard at Pergamus, in the private and retired parts of the temple, and at Tralles, in the temple of Victory, in which there stood a statue consecrated to Caesar, a palm-tree was shown that had sprouted up from the pavement and shot up above the roof.
On 9 August 48 BC at Pharsalus in central Greece, Gaius Julius Caesar and his allies was oppoused to the army of the republic under the command of Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus ("Pompey the Great"). Pompey had the backing of a majority of senators, of whom many were optimates, and his army significantly outnumbered the veteran Caesarian legions. Mostly the army of Caesar was formed by veterans from the Gallic Wars and by Legions levied for the civil war. However, all of these legions were 'short', and did not have the requisite numbers of troops due partly to losses at previous battles and partly to Caesar's wish to rapidly advance.
When, finnally, the 2 oppent armies were one in front of the other, Pompey ordered his men not to charge, but to wait until Caesar's legions came into close quarters.
Pompey's advisor believed Caesar's infantry would be fatigued and fall into disorder if they were forced to cover twice the expected distance. But seeing that Pompey's army was not advancing, Caesar's men, without orders, stopped to rest and regroup before continuing the charge.
When the lines joined, Labienus ordered the cavalry to attack; at first they successfully repelled Caesar's horse and began to flank his legions. Then Caesar ordered his cavalry to withdraw, and partially-hidden light troops fiercely attacked Pompey's cavalry. The first line of the Pompeiian horse were panicked by the cohort's javelins and caused the entire cavalry to fall into disorder.
Caesar's men attacked Pompey's left flank and, rejoined by their cavalry, were able to get behind and attack Pompey's army from the rear. The battle was over.
Pompey fled from Pharsalus to Egypt, where he was assassinated on the order of Pharaoh Ptolemy XIII. Interestingly enough, Ptolemy XIII sent Pompey's head to Caesar in an effort to win his favor, but Caesar was not pleased about receiving the head of his son in law in a box.

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