Titus Labienus

This article deals with the officer Titus Labienus; for the speaker of the same name see Titus Labienus (speaker) .

Titus Labienus (* around 100 BC; † March 17, 45 BC ), formerly also incorrectly referred to as Titus Atius Labienus , was a Roman politician and commander. He was one of Gaius Julius Caesar's officers who are often mentioned in his reports on his campaigns, for example On the Gallic War and On the Civil War .

Ascent

He performed his first military service from about 78 BC. BC to 74 BC In Cilicia under Publius Servilius Vatia Isauricus . 63 BC At Caesar's instigation, Labienus accused Gaius Rabirius, defended by Marcus Tullius Cicero , as the murderer of Lucius Appuleius Saturninus . In the same year he operated a plebiscite as a tribune of the people , which indirectly gave Caesar the dignity of pontifex maximus ( Cassius Dio 37.37).

Gallic war, successes

Titus Labienus served as the legate during Caesar's Gallic War and took his place every time he went to Rome during the winter months . In doing so, he acquired martial fame and fortune as a strategist. His greatest achievements in Gaul were the victory over the Treveri under Indutiomarus 54 BC. BC, his campaign against Lutetia (Paris) 52 BC. And his victory over Camulogenus and the Haedu in the same year.

Civil war

When the civil war broke out in 49 BC Nevertheless, he was one of the first to leave Caesar at the invitation of the Republicans, apparently resentful for lack of recognition, even if he had commanded the cavalry under Caesar . In the absence of meaningful sources, however, one can only speculate about this. He was welcomed by the other side, but did not bring a large army with him. His failure under Pompey was as striking as his previous success under Caesar. From the defeat in the Battle of Pharsalus , to which he contributed through the contempt he showed for his former comrades, he fled to Kerkyra , then to Africa . There, by virtue of his numerical superiority, he was able to pass Caesar to an easy trial at the Battle of Ruspina in 46 BC. To undergo. As the chief commander of the Pompeians, he became Caesar's most dangerous enemy. After his defeat in the Battle of Thapsus , he joined the younger Gnaeus Pompeius in Hispania and was killed in the Battle of Munda . His severed head was brought to Caesar.

His son was Quintus Labienus , Parthian general , Rome's mortal enemy.

literature

• Ronald Syme : The Allegiance of Labienus , in: JRS 28 (1938), pp. 113-125.
• William Blake Tyrell: Labienus departure from Caesar in January 49 BC , in: Historia 21 (1972), pp. 424-440.
• Meinhard-Wilhelm Schulz: Caesar and Labenius: history of a deadly comradeship (Caesar's career as a general in the mirror of the commentaries and with Cassius Dio, Appianus and Lucanus) (= Spudasmata . Vol. 131). Olms, Hildesheim et al. 2010, ISBN 978-3-487-14395-8 .

Web links

• English biography of Titus Labienus by William Blake Tyrell (PDF) (383 kB)