Battle of Pharsalus
Julius Caesar deserves at least one item on any list of Rome’s Greatest Battles. The armies of Gaius Julius Caesar and Pompeii engaged in combat at the battle of Pharsalus. The Roman Republic came to an end as a result of this conflict, and the Roman Empire was established. Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus served as the Roman Republic's first leader. With the backing of the senators, Pompeii was able to field more armies than the seasoned Caesarian legions. Caesar, however, engaged in battle with the Pompeian forces and ultimately defeated them despite being outnumbered. One of the most renowned triumphs was the one that the Romans achieved thanks to Caesar's valor.
The Senate compelled him to hand over his troops. Instead, when Caesar invaded Rome in 49 BC, the Senate supporters led by Caesar's longtime ally Pompey escaped to Greece. After a year of maneuvering and counter maneuvering on Caesar's part, the conflict was finally resolved in a mountainous location to the northeast of the city of Pharsalus. Compared to Caesar's 22,000 soldiers, Pompey had 45,000 soldiers, many of whom had fought alongside Caesar.
Caesar's ploy was getting Pompey's cavalry to ride around his right flank while he held back a line of troops with pikes. The very cavalry that was meant to flank them was able to be attacked from the flank by them. Due to the collapse of Pompey's army that followed, Caesar's forces reputedly won the battle in roughly an hour. This left a line of Pompey's archers exposed to attack by Caesar's men. The next morning, the beleaguered survivors submitted without a struggle when Caesar sent several legions between the routed forces and their water supply. Pompey's army was estimated to have suffered roughly 15,000 losses whereas Caesar's force suffered just 300. Although Pompey would finally be killed by the Egyptian Empire, he would never again command an army against the new emperor of Rome. There would be further conflicts in the civil war.
Date: 9 August 48 BC
Location: Palaepharsalus, Greece
Combatants: Caesarians against Pompeians
Result: Caesarian victory
