Lucius Afranius (consul) facts for kids

Lucius Afranius (died 46 BC) was an important Roman general and politician. He came from a regular family, not a noble one. He was a loyal supporter of Pompey the Great, a very famous Roman leader.

Afranius served Pompey as a legate, which was like a top military assistant. He helped Pompey in battles in Spain, in the East, and during the big Roman Civil War. He died in Africa in 46 BC, shortly after the Battle of Thapsus.

Early Life and Military Service

Lucius Afranius was born in a place called Picenum in Italy. His family was not rich or famous. Pompey, who was from a very important family in Picenum, often helped people from his home region. This is why Pompey likely favored Afranius.

Afranius probably started his military career serving under Pompey's father. This was during the Social War, a conflict between Rome and its Italian allies. He also likely fought under Pompey himself during the Roman Civil War that followed.

Fighting in Spain: The Sertorian War

Afranius became a key military leader under Pompey during the Sertorian War in Spain. This war was against Quintus Sertorius, a Roman general who opposed the government in Rome.

In 75 BC, Afranius played a big part in the Battle of Sucro. He was in charge of Pompey's left side of the army. Sertorius attacked Afranius's troops, but Afranius held his ground. Later, Afranius led a strong attack that pushed back Sertorius's forces. His soldiers chased the enemy and started taking their supplies.

However, Pompey's own part of the army was defeated by Sertorius. This meant Afranius's troops, who were busy looting, were then attacked by the victorious enemy. Luckily, another Roman general, Quintus Caecilius Metellus Pius, arrived just in time. His arrival helped turn the battle around for Pompey.

Campaigns in the East

Pompey was later given command of a huge army to fight pirates in the Mediterranean Sea. Afranius was not chosen for this mission. Pompey wanted to pick only men from very famous Roman families for this important task.

However, after Pompey's success against the pirates, he was given command of new campaigns in the East. This time, he chose Afranius as his legate. Their main enemies were Mithradates VI, the king of Pontus, and Tigranes the Great, the king of Armenia.

After winning battles against Mithridates and Tigranes, Pompey sent Afranius to oversee Armenia. When Phraates III of Parthia tried to invade Armenia, Afranius quickly took back the land. Some historians say he did this without a fight, while others say he chased the Parthians far into their own territory.

Afranius also led a successful campaign against Arab tribes in a region called Amanus. This victory helped clear the way for Pompey to advance into Syria.

Becoming a Consul

After his many victories in the East, Pompey returned to Rome, and Afranius came with him. Pompey wanted his loyal friend Afranius to become a Roman consul. A consul was one of the two highest elected officials in the Roman Republic, like a president.

To make sure Afranius won, Pompey spent a lot of money to influence the voters. Even though people knew about this, Afranius was elected consul in 60 BC. His co-consul was Quintus Caecilius Metellus Celer. During his time as consul, Afranius was not very good at handling the daily political and civil duties of the office.

The Roman Civil War

When Pompey was given control of Hispania (modern Spain and Portugal), he stayed in Rome. He left Afranius, along with two other generals, Marcus Petreius and Marcus Terentius Varro, in charge of governing the province.

Fighting Caesar in Spain

In 49 BC, Julius Caesar marched his army towards Rome, starting a huge civil war. Caesar sent his general, Gaius Fabius, to take control of the mountain passes into Spain. Fabius had three Roman armies, called legions.

Afranius, who also had three legions, was already holding these passes. He ordered Petreius to bring his two legions from Lusitania (part of Portugal) to join him. Varro stayed in southern Spain with his two legions.

Fabius, now with more legions, moved towards the River Segre. Afranius's forces, now combined with Petreius's, were camped there. One day, a bridge broke, trapping some of Caesar's soldiers. Afranius attacked them, but the Caesarian commander, Lucius Munatius Plancus, set up a strong defense. Afranius's larger force could not defeat them. When more of Caesar's troops arrived, the fight ended.

The Battle of Ilerda

Caesar himself soon arrived to take command. He marched his army towards Ilerda, and Afranius followed. Both armies set up camps. Caesar tried to get Afranius to fight a big battle, but Afranius refused.

Afranius had trained his legions to fight in a loose formation. This was similar to how the local Spanish tribes fought, and it was very effective. Caesar even wrote about how well it worked.

Caesar tried to build a wall to cut off Afranius's camp from Ilerda. Afranius sent his army out to stop the construction. Caesar's men attacked, but Afranius's tactics nearly defeated them. Caesar had to personally lead his own Ninth Legion to push Afranius back. The battle lasted for hours, with both sides claiming victory.

Stalemate and Surrender

Afranius then fortified the small hill where the battle had taken place. Over the next few days, the river flooded, destroying bridges. This left Caesar's army stranded without food. Afranius, however, had plenty of supplies. He even tried to capture a large supply convoy heading for Caesar, forcing it to retreat. Afranius and Petreius sent messages to Rome, saying they had won the war.

But Caesar was clever. He built boats and moved some of his cavalry across the river. This cavalry began to attack Afranius's supply lines. Caesar then built a new bridge and started to harass Afranius's forces with his whole army. At the same time, several local Spanish leaders decided to support Caesar.

Afranius tried to deal with Caesar's attacks but failed. His soldiers started to run low on food. Afranius realized his situation was hopeless and decided to surrender to Caesar.

Caesar pardoned all the Republican soldiers, including Afranius. He made them promise not to join any other Republican forces still fighting.

After the Surrender: Road to Thapsus

Breaking His Word

Despite his promise to Caesar, Afranius, along with Petreius, broke his word. They gathered as many loyal soldiers as they could and sailed to Greece to rejoin Pompey. Their Spanish soldiers were a valuable addition to Pompey's army.

Afranius was present at the major battles of Dyrrachium and Pharsalus, though he did not have a main command. After Pompey's defeat at Pharsalus, Afranius, like many other Republicans, fled to Africa.

The Battle of Thapsus and Death

In Africa, Afranius and another general, Titus Labienus, led light troops to harass Caesar's forces. Caesar, seeing that Afranius had broken his promise, ordered that he be executed if captured.

Afranius then fought under Metellus Scipio at the Battle of Thapsus in 46 BC. The Republicans were badly defeated. After the battle, Afranius and Faustus Cornelius Sulla (son of the famous Sulla) gathered some survivors. They began to raid parts of Mauretania, a kingdom allied with Caesar.

However, they were ambushed and captured by Publius Sittius, a Roman mercenary working for the Mauretanian king. After being held for a few days, the soldiers guarding them rebelled. They killed all the important Republican prisoners, including Lucius Afranius.

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