In the decade leading up to the collapse of the Roman Republic, Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus (Pompey the Great) was the most formidable man in Rome. Having cleared the Mediterranean of pirates in record time and reorganized the entire Roman East, he returned to Italy in 62 BC as a conquering hero.
However, by 60 BC, the Senate’s refusal to ratify his eastern settlements or provide land for his veterans pushed him into an “unholy alliance” that would change history: the First Triumvirate.
The Master of the Alliance (60–58 BC)
While the alliance with Julius Caesar and Marcus Licinius Crassus was secret at first, Pompey was undoubtedly its senior member in terms of prestige. To cement the pact, Pompey married Caesar’s daughter, Julia, in 59 BC. Despite being a political marriage, the two were famously devoted to each other, and Julia acted as a vital emotional bridge between the two ambitious men.
Political Gains
During Caesar’s consulship in 59 BC, Pompey achieved everything the Senate had previously denied him:
• The Land Bills: Caesar pushed through agrarian laws that settled Pompey’s veterans on fertile Italian land.
• The Eastern Acta: Pompey’s diplomatic and territorial reorganizations in the East were finally ratified.
The Luca Conference and the Second Consulship (56–55 BC)
By 56 BC, the Triumvirate was strained by the mutual loathing between Pompey and Crassus. Caesar, realizing the alliance was his only shield while he was in Gaul, called a meeting at Luca.
1. The Extension: Pompey and Crassus agreed to support a five-year extension of Caesar’s command in Gaul.
2. The Consuls: Pompey and Crassus were elected joint consuls for 55 BC.
3. The Provinces: Pompey was granted the provinces of Spain for five years. Crucially, he was allowed to govern them through deputies (legates) while he remained in Rome to keep an eye on the capital.
The Monument to Greatness: The Theater of Pompey
In 55 BC, Pompey dedicated the first permanent stone theater in Rome. Because permanent theaters were technically illegal (seen as sites of potential civil unrest), Pompey bypassed the law by building a Temple of Venus Victrix at the top of the seating, claiming the tiers were merely “steps” leading to the shrine.
• It was a massive complex including gardens, a gallery of art, and a meeting hall for the Senate.
• It was in this very complex—the Curia of Pompey—that Julius Caesar would later be assassinated in 44 BC.
The Breaking of the Bond (54–53 BC)
Two tragic events in quick succession shattered the Triumvirate and set Pompey on a collision course with Caesar:
1. The Death of Julia (54 BC): Pompey’s wife died in childbirth. Her death severed the family tie that had kept Caesar and Pompey personally invested in each other’s success.
2. The Death of Crassus (53 BC): With Crassus killed at the Battle of Carrhae, the “middleman” of the Triumvirate was gone.