Who won, Pompey or Caesar?
Caesar won. After crossing the Rubicon in 49 BC to challenge Pompey and the Senate, he defeated Pompey decisively at Pharsalus in 48 BC, even though he was outnumbered. Pompey fled to Egypt, where he was murdered. Caesar then made himself dictator until his assassination in 44 BC.
They were allies, then father-in-law and son-in-law, then the two men whose rivalry tore the Roman Republic apart. Pompey the Great was Rome's first soldier until Julius Caesar surpassed him, and their rivalry was settled on the field of Pharsalus. Here they are, side by side.
Head to head
| Pompey the Great | Julius Caesar | |
|---|---|---|
| Lived | 106 to 48 BC1 | 100 to 44 BC2 |
| Role | Rome's foremost general and statesman | General, dictator, and conqueror of Gaul |
| Greatest work | Clearing the pirates and conquering the East | The conquest of Gaul |
| Decisive battle | Defeated at Pharsalus, 48 BC | Victor at Pharsalus, 48 BC |
| Strength | Organizer and conqueror of the East | Bold, fast, and politically ruthless |
| The end | Murdered in Egypt after Pharsalus, 48 BC | Assassinated in Rome, 44 BC |
| Lasting legacy | The great man of the old Republic | The dictator who ended the Republic |
Pompey: the great man of the Republic
Pompey the Great was the most celebrated Roman of his generation, famous for sweeping the Mediterranean of pirates and for his conquests in the East. He joined Caesar and Crassus in the First Triumvirate and in 59 BC married Caesar's daughter Julia. Her death in childbirth in 54 BC, and the death of Crassus fighting the Parthians in 53 BC, removed the ties that had held the partnership together. As Caesar grew too powerful, Pompey became the champion of the Senate against him, and led the Republican cause in the civil war.3
Caesar: the man who ended the Republic
Julius Caesar made his name conquering Gaul, then crossed the Rubicon in 49 BC to challenge Pompey and the Senate. Outnumbered, he beat Pompey decisively at Pharsalus in 48 BC, pursued his rivals across the Mediterranean, and made himself dictator, until he was assassinated in 44 BC.4
The verdict
Pompey had the greater early career and, for a time, the greater name, the organizer who brought the East under Rome. But Caesar beat him where it counted, winning the decisive battle of the civil war against the odds at Pharsalus and reshaping Rome itself. Pompey was the last great soldier of the old Republic; Caesar was the man who ended it, and whose name became a title for emperors.
Compare more in Alexander vs Caesar and Caesar vs Hannibal, or meet the field in the greatest commanders of ancient Rome.
About this comparison
Each commander above has a full biography on this site, with its own sources. Judgments of who was "greater" are ours and openly a matter of debate; the facts and dates follow established histories. See our editorial policy.
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