Mutinensic War

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The Mutinensian War (Latin Bellum Mutinense ) was one of December 44 BC. Until April 43 BC Continuous phase of the Roman civil wars . It took place near Mutina (today's Modena ), from where its name is derived. It was the first military confrontation between Roman troops after the assassination of the dictator Gaius Iulius Caesar . The conflicting parties were, on the one hand, the later triumvir Marcus Antonius and, on the other hand, an alliance consisting of the Senate , the Caesar murderer Decimus Junius Brutus Albinus and the Caesar heir Octavian (later Emperor Augustus ). After his consulate, Antonius wanted to take over the province of Gallia cisalpina (northern Italy) from Decimus Brutus, but the latter did not vacate it voluntarily. Antony then besieged the murderer of Caesar in Mutina, to whose relief a senate army under the command of the new consuls Aulus Hirtius and Gaius Vibius Panza Caetronianus and units of Octavian advanced. In April 43 BC BC Antony was defeated and had to withdraw from Mutina, but was soon able to rebuild a strong military position in Gaul . The inhomogeneous coalition of his opponents broke up quickly. Both consuls had fallen and a few months later Octavian forced his own election as consul. He had the Caesar murderers outlawed and became reconciled with Antonius. In the autumn of 42 BC Both rulers decisively defeated the Caesar murderers in the Battle of Philippi . The Roman Republic was definitely over.

prehistory

After Caesar's assassination (March 15, 44 BC), his fellow consul, Mark Antony, was one of the most powerful men in the Roman Republic. He had a tense relationship with the barely 20-year-old Octavian, the adopted son and heir of Caesar, whom he viewed as an increasingly threatening competitor in the Caesarean camp. In addition, in the course of the second half of the year 44 BC. A steadily increasing hatred between Antonius and the orator Marcus Tullius Cicero , who was one of the most respected senators and feared an imitation of Caesar's dictatorial style of government by Antonius. Cicero was a staunch advocate of the supremacy of the Senate, became a champion for the preservation of the old order and settled accounts with his political opponent in 14 Philippine speeches .

Based on Caesar's example, Antony had sought a powerful long-term provincial command. Beginning of June 44 BC He was able to legally enforce the transfer of the two important provinces Gallia cisalpina and Gallia transalpina for a period of five years to his consulate instead of the province of Macedonia assigned to him, plus four legions that Caesar had stationed in Macedonia for his planned Parthian campaign . Two of these legions ( Mars Legion and Legio IV Macedonica ) fell to Octavian when Antonius met them in November 44 BC. Wanted to make the way to northern Italy; the Caesar heir had lured the soldiers away with high promises of wages, admittedly in an illegal manner. At the end of November Antonius moved quickly from Rome to his province of Gallia cisalpina with the troops that had remained loyal to him, about four legions, which he wanted to wrest from its governor Decimus Junius Brutus. Another legion was brought to him by his brother Lucius Antonius . At the request of Cicero, Decimus Brutus did not hand over his province to Antonius, but instead holed up in the city of Mutina, which was difficult to conquer, because he was militarily inferior. Antonius now proceeded to the siege of the Caesar slayer.

Diplomatic foreplay

Octavian could meanwhile until January 43 BC. In addition to the two legions that had entered his service, he raised three more. He had offered himself to Cicero as general of the Senate against Antonius. In December 44 BC Then in fact the alliance between Octavian and the "republican" party of the Senate, directed against Antonius, came about. This, however, was significantly weaker than the group of nobiles who had fought against Caesar under Pompey's leadership. Apart from Cicero, there were only a few anti-Cesar consulars from the old ruling class, so that the speaker rose to the head of the Republicans for lack of alternatives. Octavian wanted to legitimize his position of military commander, which was illegally usurped as a private individual, by granting him a military empire by the Senate . This would be his ticket to the struggle for supreme power in Rome. For reasons of power politics, he accepted that he, the previously declared avenger of his adoptive father, had to enter into an alliance with the Caesar murderers. Cicero, in turn, needed Octavian's army to have any chance of success in the confrontation with Antonius. The troops of the for the year 43 BC should also participate in this fight. Consuls designated Hirtius and Pansa as well as those of the Caesar murderer Decimus Brutus participate.

With the energetic rhetorical support of Cicero, at the end of December 44 BC. BC / beginning of January 43 BC BC, the hitherto illegal recruitment of Octavian was placed on a legal basis, Decimus Brutus was recognized as the legal governor of Gallia cisalpina, Octavian was admitted to the Senate with the rank of consular and was given a representative command. The young man was also allowed to run for public office ten years before the legal deadline and was now part of the Senate's armed arm in his greatly upgraded position. Of course, a suspicious relationship remained between him and Cicero.

For the time being, the majority of the Senate rejected the speaker's request to declare Antonius an enemy of the state. On the contrary, Cicero's promotion of Octavian and his warmongering activities met with criticism from many of his peers. So against the will of the speaker came one from the Antonius supporter and consul of the year 47 BC. BC, Quintus Fufius Calenus , proposed reconciliation initiative. A three-member embassy - consisting of Caesar's father-in-law Lucius Calpurnius Piso Caesoninus , Octavian's stepfather Lucius Marcius Philippus and the lawyer Servius Sulpicius Rufus - traveled on January 4, 43 BC. From Rome to negotiate with Antonius. This should stop the hostilities against Decimus Brutus and withdraw from Northern Italy, which Antonius refused. He wanted the laws he had passed as consul to continue and defended his position of remaining governor of his province for five years, but showed a willingness to compromise, such as the recognition of Marcus Junius Brutus and Gaius Cassius Longinus by Caesar for the year 41 BC. Promised consulates. If, however, his personal security was guaranteed, among other things, by the fact that his political opponents would no longer hold high offices in the near future and that a few other demands were met, he would also agree to become a private citizen again.

Cicero maintained his adamant attitude, emphasizing that Antony had not unconditionally submitted to the orders of the Senate. But he was still unable to bring about a majority for an armed conflict with Antonius. Not only the party around Fufius Calenus stood up for his interests, but also his wife Fulvia and his mother Julia , who fought against his threatened ostracism. After a stalemate between warmongers and opponents, the Senate fell into disrepair at the beginning of February 43 BC. On the recommendation of Antonius' uncle Lucius Iulius Caesar on the way out, a declaration that rebellion ( tumultus ) prevailed, but no direct war resolution against Antony was passed. Soon afterwards Cicero reached a de facto declaration of war by accepting the demands made in his 8th Philippica - for example that all soldiers of Antonius quit their services by March 15th and submit to one of the senate generals. The willingness of the Senate to no longer shy away from the military conflict was also promoted by the success news about Marcus Brutus, who, together with Gaius Cassius, increasingly brought the eastern part of the Roman Empire under his control. According to Cicero's hope, the Caesar murderers were to use the resources requisitioned there to support the campaign against Antonius in Italy. On the other hand, it was precisely this development in the east that had to worry the Caesarians, especially Octavian, who were integrated into the republican front against Antonius, and had to make them think about whether they were in the right camp, since Antonius was, despite everything, also a Caesarian. Octavian wanted to humiliate and weaken Antony, but hardly help the Caesar murderers to a complete victory. The coalition forged by Cicero was therefore very fragile.

Nevertheless, the speaker felt strong enough to go into action in March 43 BC. To torpedo two further peace efforts: In his 12th Philippian speech he spoke out successfully against the proposal of Fufius Calenus to send a second embassy to Antonius, in which he himself should take part, in his 13th Philippica he rejected one Peace roll call of the influential governor Marcus Aemilius Lepidus . In the latter speech he also criticized, in a purely polemical manner, a letter that Antonius had sent to Hirtius and Octavian in defense of his policy. In his letter, Antonius had accused the latter of entering into an unnatural alliance with Cicero and the Caesar murderers, while he himself represented the true defender of the Caesar inheritance.

Course of war

Octavian was already in January 43 BC. BC moved with his army to northern Italy and had winter quarters in Forum Cornelii (today Imola ), not far from Antonius' occupation troops Claternas. Soon afterwards the consul Hirtius joined Octavian, took over the high command, drove Antonius' soldiers from Claterna and quartered his troops there himself. The consul also placed the two legions that had fallen from Antony to Octavian under his direct authority. As long as the mediation efforts between the conflicting parties did not appear to be completely over, there was no major fighting.

Around the middle of March 43 BC. BC Octavian and Hirtius began their advance over Bononia to near Mutina without major resistance in order to relieve Decimus Brutus. So Antony found himself embroiled in a two-front war. His follower Publius Ventidius Bassus was supposed to bring reinforcements to him. The second consul Pansa, who left Rome around March 20, set out to Mutina with four newly recruited legions, albeit of low combat strength, to support the Senate troops. At Forum Gallorum (not far from today's Castelfranco Emilia ) on the Via Aemilia , he received reinforcements from the troops sent to him by Hirtius, which consisted of the Mars legion and the bodyguards of Octavian and Hirtius. Antonius tried to prevent the full unification of the armies of the two consuls. With part of his armed forces he managed to advance unnoticed towards the Pansa's troops on side roads and to lie in wait on both sides of the Via Aemilia in a covert position. Panza was completely defeated by Antony on April 14 or 15 in the Battle of Forum Gallorum and badly wounded by a throwing spear, many of his recruits and most of Octavian's bodyguard killed. Octavian himself had stayed in the camp in front of Mutina and was supposed to defend it, while Hirtius now set out from there to rush to the aid of Panza with his core troops. He attacked the worn-out army of Antony on the battlefield and defeated them.

A day later, Antonius' brother Lucius launched an attack on Octavian, but Octavian was able to fight back. Thereupon the young Caesar heir was dubbed emperor for the first time by his soldiers. The weakened Mark Antony has meanwhile returned to his base in front of Mutina, but has not yet lifted the siege of the city, which has now become much more difficult. He avoided another fight and wanted to force Mutina to surrender by starvation. But when Hirtius and Octavian advanced with strong forces to break through the siege ring, Antonius had no choice but to face the battle again. He suffered on April 21, 43 BC. Another defeat in the Battle of Mutina and was only able to recapture his camp, which had already been taken by the enemy, with the help of the tried and tested veterans of the Crested Lark Legion . The next day, he headed west. On the other side, however, the victorious consul Hirtius had fallen during the fight and a little later the seriously injured Panza died.

consequences

Antony received on May 3, 43 BC He was reinforced by the three legions he received from his loyal follower Publius Ventidius Bassus and was able to escape to southern Gaul after a difficult crossing of the Alps . There he succeeded on May 29 to unite his forces with those of Marcus Aemilius Lepidus, so that he was soon back in a strong military position. On the other hand, Octavian benefited most from the outcome of the Mutinensian War. After the death of the two consuls, he took over the command of the Senate Army and rose to become one of the most powerful generals in Rome.

Now the coalition of Antony's opponents quickly disintegrated. Octavian did not work with Decimus Brutus, nor did he participate in the persecution of Antony. Because the Senate put him clearly behind Decimus Brutus, even apparently wanted to oust him from power and twice refused the consulate, the Caesar heir moved in August 43 BC. BC instead with his eight legions against Rome and forced his election as consul. He now made a complete political about-face, had the Caesar murderers declared enemies of the state and tried to reconcile himself with Antonius, whose ban was therefore soon lifted. In the course of this change of front, the res publica was finally buried and the course was laid for the rule of the future triumvirs Antonius, Octavian and Lepidus. Cicero, along with many others, fell victim to the proscriptions decided by the new rulers . In October / November 42 BC In BC, Marcus Brutus and Gaius Cassius were also subject to the Caesarians' coalition in the double battle at Philippi .

literature

Remarks

  1. ^ Appian , Civil Wars 3:27 and 3:30; Cassius Dio 45.9; among others
  2. ^ Cicero, Philippische Reden 3, 19ff .; 3, 24ff .; 3, 31; Appian, Civil Wars 3, 45f., Cassius Dio 45, 13; among others
  3. ^ Appian, Civil Wars 3:49 ; Cassius Dio 46:35; among others
  4. ↑ J. Bleicken, Augustus , pp. 90f. and 100ff; H. Halfmann, Marcus Antonius , p. 81f.
  5. ↑ Cicero, Epistulae ad familiares 11, 6, 2; Philippine Discourses 5:28; 10, 23.
  6. ^ Appian, Civil Wars 3, 51; Cassius Dio 46:29; among others
  7. ^ Cicero, Philippine Speeches 8:20; 8, 25ff .; Appian, Civil Wars 3, 61ff .; Cassius Dio 46:29; among others; on this J. Bleicken, Augustus , p. 105f; H. Halfmann, Marcus Antonius , p. 83f.
  8. ↑ J. Bleicken, Augustus , pp. 106-111; H. Halfmann, Marcus Antonius , pp. 84f.
  9. ↑ J. Bleicken, Augustus , p. 111; H. Halfmann, Marcus Antonius , pp. 85f.
  10. ↑ Cassius Dio 46, 35, 7; Cicero, Epistulae ad familiares 12, 5, 2; Philippine speeches 8, 6.
  11. ^ Appian, Civil Wars 3, 65.
  12. ↑ Cicero, Epistulae ad familiares 10, 10, 1; Philippine speeches 13, 16.
  13. ^ Servius Sulpicius Galba in Cicero, Epistulae ad familiares 10, 30; Appian, Civil Wars 3, 66-70; Cassius Dio 46:37; among others
  14. ↑ Cicero, Epistulae ad familiares 10, 33; 11, 9-13; Appian, Civil Wars 3, 71; Cassius Dio 46, 39; among others