Battle of Munda
From Freepedia
| Battle of Munda | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Conflict: Roman Republican civil wars | |||
| Date: March 17, 45 BC | |||
| Place: Mundane, near Osuna, southern Spain | |||
| Outcome: Caesarean victory | |||
| Combatants | |||
| Populares | Optimates | ||
| Commanders | |||
| Julius Caesar, Gaius Octavius | Titus Labienus †, Gnaeus Pompeius † | ||
| Strength | |||
| 8 legions, 8,000 cavalry total: circa 40,000 men | 13 legions, cavalry and auxiliaries total: circa 70,000 men | ||
| Casualties | |||
| 1,000 | 30,000 | ||
| |||
The Battle of Munda took place on March 17, 45 BC in the plains of Munda, southern Spain. This was the last battle of Julius Caesar's civil war against the conservative republicans. After this victory, and the death of Titus Labienus and Gnaeus Pompeius (Pompey the Great's oldest son), Caesar was free to return to Rome and govern as dictator. His subsequent assassination began the process that eventually would lead to the end of the Roman Republic with the reign of his great-nephew, Caesar Augustus (Octavius), as the first Roman Emperor.
Prelude
In the beginning of 45 BC, the Republican civil war between the factions of Caesar and Pompey was ending. After the successive defeats of Dyrrhachium, Pharsalus and Thapsus, the conservative republicans, initially led by Pompey, were confined to the Spanish provinces . This was not, however, a desperate situation. Led by Titus Labienus, a talented general, and the brothers Sextus and Gnaeus Pompeius (Pompey's sons), the conservatives had used the resources of Hispania to levy an army of thirteen legions.
Julius Caesar followed the Pompeius brothers from the African provinces to Hispania. His goal was to defeat the conservative republican opposition. With him travelled eight veteran legions, many of them under his command since the Gallic wars, and 8,000 cavalry that would determine the outcome of the battle. Among his legions there were V Gallica, X Equestris, XIII Gemina, and III Gallica. Also, Caesar had called for his great-nephew Octavius and his friend Marcus Agrippa to join him in Spain.
Battle
The two armies met in the plains of Munda, near Osuna, in southern Spain. The Pompeian army was camped in a gentle hill, an unfavourable position for Caesar to attack. They remained in sight for a few days until March 17, when Caesar began the battle. He placed his great-nephew, Octavius, in command of his cavalry and ordered them to protect the rear.
The fighting lasted for some time without a clear advantage for either side, forcing the generals to leave their commanding positions and join the ranks in the battle for encouragement. Caesar took command of his right wing, where the Legio X Gemina was fighting heavily. His presence increased the tenth legion's morale, and caused the tenth to begin an advance. Aware of the manoeuvre, Gnaeus Pompeius removed a legion from his own right wing to reinforce the attacked left. This proved to be a major mistake.
The Legio X Gemina attack was no more than a decoy. As soon as the Pompeian right wing was weakened, Caesar's cavalry under the command of Octavius launched an attack which turned the course of the battle. At the same time, King Bogud of Mauritania, Caesar's ally, attacked the Pompeian camp in the rear. Titus Labienus, commander of the Pompeian cavalry, saw this attack and attempted to act accordingly. But the legionaries interpreted the situation differently. Already under heavy attack on the left (Legio X Gemina) and right wings (Octavius's cavalry charge), they thought Labienus was escaping. Fearing the worst, the Pompeian legions broke their lines and fled.
Many of the Pompeian troops died while fleeing from Caesar's troops. Others died defending the city of Munda. Titus Labienus died, but Sextus and Gnaeus Pompeius managed to escape to modern Cordoba.
Aftermath
After the battle of Munda, Caesar proceeded to pacify other parts of Hispania, still loyal to the conservative cause, destroying cities suspected of harbouring Gnaeus and Sextus Pompeius. Gaius Didius, a naval commander loyal to Caesar hunted down most of the Pompeian ships. Gnaeus Pompeius had to look for cover on land, but soon was spotted and executed.
With this victory, and with Hispania pacified, Caesar had no opposition. He marched to Rome where he assumed the office of dictator. Caesar was murdered in March 15 of the following year (44 BC) by conservative republicans of the younger generation led by Brutus and Cassius. But by then, the Roman Republic had practically disintegrated.
