Battle of Pistoria
| date | January, 62 BC Chr. |
|---|---|
| place | Pistoria in Tuscany |
| output | Victory of the Roman Republic, death of Lucius Sergius Catilina |
| consequences | End of the Catilinarian Conspiracy |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
|
Army of Lucius Sergius Catilina |
|
| Commander | |
|
Lucius Sergius Catilina |
|
| Troop strength | |
| three legions | <a legion, ~ 3000 men |
| losses | |
|
unknown |
high |
In the battle of Pistoria , the general Marcus Petreius , commissioned by the Roman Senate , ended the battle in 62 BC. The Catiline conspiracy of Lucius Sergius Catilina .
prehistory
After Lucius Sergius Catiline's failed attempt to overturn the system of the Roman Republic , he tried to retreat to Gallia Cisalpina with his army, consisting of two legions from Etruria . Many of his followers had left him after his defeat in Rome. He was pursued by two armies of the Senate: Quintus Caecilius Metellus Celer and Gaius Antonius Hybrida . Catiline intended to throw herself on one of the two armies and hoped that after his victory the other senatorial army would withdraw demoralized.
procedure
The two armies of the Senate were able to coordinate their military advance unexpectedly well, so that they arrived at Pistoria at the same time and were able to confront the enemy with united forces. The original plan was to give Gaius Antonius Hybrida supreme command of the army; but this injured his leg shortly before the battle and had to hand over the command to his legate Marcus Petreius.
The first attack of Petreius's troops was directed against the center of the enemy lines. Due to the large majority of the legionaries fighting for the Senate , the troops of Catiline were pushed back. Thereupon Catiline ordered to attack the flanks of the enemy with arrows and spears , which cost the lives of many of Petreius' legionnaires. After a short battle, however, the infantry troops of Catiline gave up and withdrew. The Roman historian Sallust wrote that, seeing the battle lost, Catiline threw himself into the ranks of the enemy with his sword raised, where he found death after a short battle. With that the battle for Petreius was won.
consequences
After the death of Catiline, the Catilinarian conspiracy was finally over.
literature
- Sallust : Bellum Catilinae , 57-60
- Klaus Bringmann : History of the Roman Republic . Munich 2002.