Sertorius and the Struggle for Spain

by Philip Matyszak

Overview

When, after a brutal civil war, the dictator Sulla took power in Rome (82 BC), among the many who refused to accept his rule was a young army officer called Quintus Sertorius. Sertorius fled, first to Africa and then to Spain, where he made common cause with the native people who had been savagely oppressed by a succession of corrupt Roman governors. Discovering a genius for guerilla warfare (he claimed he received divine guidance from Artemis via a white fawn he kept),Sertorius came close to driving the Romans out of Spain altogether. Rome responded by sending reinforcements under the control of the up-and-coming young general Gnaeus Pompey (later Pompey the Great). The epic struggle which followed between these two great commanders is a masterclass of ancient strategy and tactical manoeuvre. Massively outnumbered, Sertorious remained undefeated on the battlefield, but was eventually assassinated by jealous subordinates, none of whom proved a match for Pompey. This proved the decisive end of the struggle for Spain, though recalcitrant tribes held out until the time of Augustus. The tale of Sertorius is the story of a people struggling to liberate themselves from oppressive rule. It is also the story of Sertorius himself, who started as an idealist, and ended almost as savage and despotic as his enemies. But above all, it is the story of a duel between two great generals, fought between two different styles of army in the valleys of the Spanish interior.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781399013130
Publisher:	Pen and Sword
Publication date:	10/22/2021
Pages:	208
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.25(h) x (d)

About the Author

PHILIP ‘MATY’ MATYSZAK holds a doctorate in Ancient History from St John’s College, Oxford University, and has been studying, teaching and writing on the subject for over twenty years. He specializes in the history of Classical Greece and of the Late Republic and Early Imperial periods of Rome. Maty has personal military experience both as a conscript in Rhodesia and with the Territorial Army in Britain. These days he splits his time between writing in his home in Canada’s Monashee Mountains and providing e-learning courses for Cambridge University’s Institute of Continuing Education.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements vii

List of Illustrations viii

Maps x

Introduction xiv

Chapter 1 A Portrait of the Rebel as a Young Man 1

Chapter 2 From the Tiber to the Tagus 18

Chapter 3 A Beginner's Guide to First Century Iberia 34

Chapter 4 The Fall and Rise of a Roman Governor 51

Chapter 5 The White Fawn 69

Chapter 6 Pompey Enters the Fray 88

Chapter 7 Hearts and Minds 106

Chapter 8 The Turn of the Tide 124

Chapter 9 The End Game 141

Chapter 10 Aftermath 160

Notes and References 170

Bibliography 176

Index 178