Historiae Romanorum

The First Triumvirate

Formed in 62 BC, it was a political alliance between Pompey, Crassus and Julius Caesar.  The alliance was advantageous to all three men, since each was vehemently opposed by the optimates  in the senate, led by Cicero and Cato the Younger.  With the death of Crassus in 53 BC, the tenuous alliance suffered a serious blow.  In 49 BC, the forces of Pompey and Caesar began an all-out war, which ended in the victory of Caesar and his appointment as permanent dictator in Rome.

This page was last updated on August 26, 2004.