(Double Blind) What if Pompey had lived

Peter Cowan

(Assumes Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus had died sometime prior to Caesar's crossing of the Rubicon)

Would Caesar have won his civil war had Pompey still lived ?

Consider, Caesar had conquered Gaul, a bunch of Celtic barbarians. Even then he had nearly been defeated on more than one occasion.

Pompey had defeated Quintus Sertorius, thus securing Hispania for Rome, swept the pirates from the Mare Nostrum, forced Mithridates out of Asia Minor and incorporated vast areas of the civilised Seleucid empire into the Roman Republic.

Compared to these feats, Caesar is a mere beginner.

Caeser could call upon 4 legions, Pompey would have had only to stamp his feet and whole hosts would flock to his banner.

So, could the Republic have been saved had Pompey lived to provide order amongst the disorganised aristocrats? How would history have been changed ?
 

Straha

Banned
Well perhaps the ideas of the republic survive? Then again maybe not since it involved letting non-government people and maybe even slaves/the lowerclass have a say in how The State runs things. :eek:
 

hexicus

Perhaps partition of the Republic would be the most likely result. Caesar certainly had a greater force at his disposal when he crossed the Rubicon then the Senate - even with Pompey's help - could easily assemble. So it is likely that Caesar would take control of Italy along with Gaul, with the Senate regrouping in the East most likely.

Surely though, Casear would know not to press his luck and try and would hence consolidate his tenuous hold in Italy rather then invading the East as well. There in the East Pompey would be able to summon a massive host and reinvade Italy at his leisure.

And with the forces at his disposal and the support of the Senate, Pompey would almost certainly be victorious on the reinvasion.
 

Romulus Augustulus

Well, I think it's safe to say that we wouldn't have the Earth Khanate right now. I don't know about technological development, but maybe we could be centuries further back than we are now. But I personally can't imagine life without the knowledge of extraterrestrial species or sleep soundly knowing that we can defend ourselves...
 

Nosb

Caesar was a joke. The Gauls were probably the weakest enemies Rome ever faced. The Celts of Britain easily defeated him. Pompey could have gathered numerous legions, all he would have do is temporally withdraw from Rome (taking some Julii as hostages) and withdraw to the south and wait for reinforcement. Maybe setting up a fort in the heel a la Spartacus. Don't forgot Pompey was Pompey Magnus, Caesar is only Caesar.
 

Lord Douglas

Pah. Caesar, overthrow the Republic? All Caesar had to do was defeat a bunch of naked barbarians. With all the East behind him, as well as the Roman Establishment and Senate, in the end Pompey would have won. Perhaps Caesar may have taken over Italy for a while, but Pompey and the Senatorial armies in time would have swept back into Italy and defeated Caesar.
 

Max Sinister

Banned
Pompey and Caesar were practically buddies. They would've shared control of the empire and continued to conquer and make it stronger: Caesar in Germania, Noricum, Thracia and Dacia, Pompey in the more civilized south-east. Too sad Pompey died too early, thus a great opportunity for the greater glory of Rome was lost.
 

Grimm Reaper

Gentlemen, you are all familiar with Caesar's proclamation on entering Italy? He bent over backwards to accomodate the opposition and to give them an honorable way out. With Pompey as an adversary, he would have been even more amenable to compromise, and given that the two were both known to cherish friendships, a partnership would have been inevitable.

Who knows? Perhaps this partnership would have found an heir that might have prevent Marc Antony from seizing power with his mistress, Cleopatra?
 
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