Sicilian revolt
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| Sicilian revolt | |||||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Roman Republic | The forces of Sextus Pompeius | ||||||||
| Commanders | |||||||||
| Octavian, Marcus Agrippa, Marcus Antonius, Marcus Aemelius Lepidus | Sextus Pompeius | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
| More than 200,000 | |||||||||
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The Sicilian revolt was a revolution against the Second Triumvirate which occurred between 44 BC and 36 BC. The revolt was led by Sextus Pompeius, and ended in a Triumvirate victory.
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[edit] Context
Sextus' father, Pompey, had been an enemy of Julius Caesar for many years, and this enmity finally boiled over in 49 BC with the beginning of Caesar's civil war. Pompey was executed in 48 BC, but Sextus and his brother, Gnaeus Pompeius, continued fighting until 45 BC, when it was clear that Caesar was the victor. Sextus' brother was executed but Sextus himself escaped to Sicily.
When Julius Caesar was assassinated on March 15, 44 BC, Sextus' name was placed on a proscription list formed by Marcus Lepidus, Marcus Antonius, and Octavian, the members of the Second Triumvirate. The list was designed not only to fill Rome's treasury, but to help in the Second Triumvirate's war on the Cassii and Bruti families, and listed all of Caesar's other enemies and their relatives.
[edit] Early victories
Upon finding his name upon this list, Sextus decided to pick up where his father had left off. He selected Sicily as his base, capturing several cities, including Tyndaris, Mylae, and the provincial capital, Messina. Other cities, such as Syracuse, gave in to Sextus' revolt and joined his forces. Sextus soon became a serious force in the civil war following Caesar's death. He amassed a formidable army and a large fleet of warships. Many slaves and friends of his father joined his cause, hoping to preserve the Roman Republic, which was quickly turning into an empire. The multitudes of slaves joining Sextus often came from the villas of patricians, and this desertion hurt the Romans so much that the Vestal Virgins prayed for it to stop.
With his large fleet of ships manned by Sicilian marines, Sextus stopped all shipments (especially that of grain) to Rome, and blockaded Italy so as to disable trade with other nations by sea. This blockade was severely crippling to the Roman army as well as to the Italian Peninsula. Finally, as the Roman people were rioting, the members of the Triumvirate decided to recognize Sextus as the ruler of Sardinia, Corsica, and Sicily as long as he agreed to end the blockade and begin sending shipments of grain again. Sextus agreed, and also agreed to stop accepting fugitive slaves to his cause. This treaty was called the Pact of Misenum after Misenum where it was negotiated.
[edit] Major fighting
In 42 BC, the Triumvirate defeated Marcus Junius Brutus and Gaius Cassius Longinus at the Battle of Philippi. Once the blockade was ended (after a short and rocky peace), the Triumvirate, especially Octavian and his right-hand man Marcus Agrippa, were able to turn their energies to Sextus, and began an aggressive offensive.
Some 200,000 men were killed and 1000 warships destroyed in the fighting which followed, with many of the casualties being taken by Sextus and his army and navy. Tyndaris and Messina were particularly hard hit, and the area in between was ravaged.
In 36 BC, Sextus fled Sicily (effectively ending the revolt) to Miletus where, in 35 BC, he was captured and executed by Marcus Titius, one of Marcus Antonius' minions, without a trial. This was illegal, as he was a Roman citizen, and therefore entitled to a trial. This malpractice was capitalized upon by Octavian when the relationship between him and Marcus Antonius became heated.
[edit] Aftermath
Much of the vast farmland in Sicily was either ruined or left empty, and much of this land was taken and distributed to members of the legions which had fought in Sicily. What this accomplished was twofold: it served to fill Sicily with loyal, grateful inhabitants, and it promised to bring back Sicily's former productivity.
30,000 slaves were captured and returned to their masters, with another 6000 being impaled upon wooden stakes as an example.
[edit] Timeline
48 BC
- Pompey is executed
45 BC
- Caesar's civil war ends
44 BC
- Julius Caesar is assassinated
- Sicilian revolt begins, takes control of Sicily with a powerful navy
39 BC
- Blockade ended with Pact of Misenum
37 BC
- Victory for Sextus over Octavian, battle takes place off the coast of Messina
36 BC
- Another victory for Sextus over Octavian
- Defeated in the Battle of Naulochus by Marcus Agrippa
- Sextus flees
35 BC
- Sextus is captured and executed in Miletus
