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The Third Mithridatic War (75-65 BC) was one of three Mithridatic Wars fought between Mithridates VI of Pontus and the Roman Republic. The Romans won the war, and Mithridates committed suicide, ending the menace of Pontus and conquering the Armenian kingdom.
Mithridates VI had long been a thorn in Rome's side, having been the subject of two wars against the Roman Republic, in the early 1st century BC. In response to the chaos in Rome, following the terror of Marius and Sulla's dictatorship, the Republic was in total disorder.
Launching an attack at the same time as a revolt by Sertorius swept through the Spanish provinces, Mithridates was initially virtually unopposed. The Senate acted, by sending the consul Lucius Licinius Lucullus to deal with the Pontic threat.
The only other reliable general, Pompey, was in Gaul, marching to Hispania to help crush the revolt lead by Sertorius.
Upon his arrival, Lucullus met up with several legions, which had been campaigning in Asia Minor, and marched against Mithridates, by moving east into Armenia, an ally of Mithridates. The veteran Roman legions proved superior in combat against Mithridates' army, which often used outdated weapons like chariots, to try and break through the Roman lines. Advancing deep into Armenia, Lucullus pursued Mithridates and his Armenian ally Tigranes relentlessly, eventually getting carried away with events.
By 69 BC, as he raced for the Caucasus, fresh armies were being created behind him while his soldiers, many serving beyond their required service of twenty years, were growing angry with the endless marches over barren terrain.
This is then in 68 BC that Clodius Pulcher, then a young under officer of Lucullus HQ and Lucullus' brother in law, decided to revolt against Lucullus, forcing him to stop and give command of his armies to Pompey before retiring in his newly built estate in Rome where he would live a life of pleasures and philosophy due to permanent political opposition.
Here comes my POD : what would have happened if Clodius had not organized a revolt and Lucullus had won the war all by himself, causing Mithridate to commit suicide ?
We would then have had one more big player in the 60's BC, one man with huge prestige from his victory in the east who would have severely controlled the publicans in the province of Asia, would have annexed Pontus and Armenia, eventually clashing with Parthia over that last issue, but also Pompey would not have meddled in the affairs of Syria Palestinia as he did and would not have gathered the huge supports he had in the area during the civil war against Caesar...
In fact with another major player in the area until 56 BC would the first triumvirate have happened at all, and would Caesar have been able to get his special command in Gaul ? Would Pompey have been given the command of the war against the Pirates in 67 ?
So what do you all think ?
Mithridates VI had long been a thorn in Rome's side, having been the subject of two wars against the Roman Republic, in the early 1st century BC. In response to the chaos in Rome, following the terror of Marius and Sulla's dictatorship, the Republic was in total disorder.
Launching an attack at the same time as a revolt by Sertorius swept through the Spanish provinces, Mithridates was initially virtually unopposed. The Senate acted, by sending the consul Lucius Licinius Lucullus to deal with the Pontic threat.
The only other reliable general, Pompey, was in Gaul, marching to Hispania to help crush the revolt lead by Sertorius.
Upon his arrival, Lucullus met up with several legions, which had been campaigning in Asia Minor, and marched against Mithridates, by moving east into Armenia, an ally of Mithridates. The veteran Roman legions proved superior in combat against Mithridates' army, which often used outdated weapons like chariots, to try and break through the Roman lines. Advancing deep into Armenia, Lucullus pursued Mithridates and his Armenian ally Tigranes relentlessly, eventually getting carried away with events.
By 69 BC, as he raced for the Caucasus, fresh armies were being created behind him while his soldiers, many serving beyond their required service of twenty years, were growing angry with the endless marches over barren terrain.
This is then in 68 BC that Clodius Pulcher, then a young under officer of Lucullus HQ and Lucullus' brother in law, decided to revolt against Lucullus, forcing him to stop and give command of his armies to Pompey before retiring in his newly built estate in Rome where he would live a life of pleasures and philosophy due to permanent political opposition.
Here comes my POD : what would have happened if Clodius had not organized a revolt and Lucullus had won the war all by himself, causing Mithridate to commit suicide ?
We would then have had one more big player in the 60's BC, one man with huge prestige from his victory in the east who would have severely controlled the publicans in the province of Asia, would have annexed Pontus and Armenia, eventually clashing with Parthia over that last issue, but also Pompey would not have meddled in the affairs of Syria Palestinia as he did and would not have gathered the huge supports he had in the area during the civil war against Caesar...
In fact with another major player in the area until 56 BC would the first triumvirate have happened at all, and would Caesar have been able to get his special command in Gaul ? Would Pompey have been given the command of the war against the Pirates in 67 ?
So what do you all think ?