Battle of Dyrrhachium (48 BC)

Battle of Dyrrhachium
Part of Caesar's Civil War
Caesar's forces   Pompey's forces
Date 10 July 48 BC Location Dyrrhachium (today Durrës) Result Optimates' victory
Belligerents
Optimates	Populares
Commanders and leaders
Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus	Gaius Julius Caesar
Strength
45,000+	11 legions
Casualties and losses
2,000	1,000-4,000

The Battle of Dyrrachium (or Dyrrhachium) on 10 July 48 BC was a battle of Caesar's Civil War in the area of the city of Dyrrachium (in what is now Albania). It was fought between Julius Caesar and the army led by Gnaeus Pompey with the backing of the majority of the Roman Senate. The battle was a victory for Pompey, albeit not a decisive one. The battle preceded the Battle of Pharsalus which was the decisive battle of the Civil War.

By the end of Julius Caesar's first year as consul he had accumulated a large list of lawsuits. Roman law gave government officials immunity from prosecution but only during their term of office while they held lawful Imperium. Once he became a private citizen Caesar knew he would be vulnerable. Instead, as was usual for a consul at the end of his term, Caesar obtained a proconsul position, or governorship, over the territories of Cisalpine Gaul and Illyricum, with the later addition of Transalpine Gaul. What was not usual was the length of Caesar's term as proconsul, which was for five years instead of the usual one. Moreover, prior to the end of his five years as proconsul of Gaul and Illyricum, Caesar assisted his allies Crassus and Pompey in being elected consuls, who in-turn extended his pro-consulship for a further five years. At the end of his term as proconsul, having now met the condition on a minimum of ten years between elections as consul, Caesar intended on standing for the consulship in absentia, and upon being elected go straight from his proconsular command into the second consulship. In this way he would maintain his imperium and thereby not be vulnerable to lawsuits. However, the Senate ordered him to resign command of his army. Caesar replied that he would agree to resign his military command if Pompey followed suit. Offended, the Senate demanded he immediately disband his army, or be declared an enemy of the people. In 50 BC, at his Proconsular term’s expiry, the Senate forbade Caesar's standing for election in absentia for a second consulship and because of this, Caesar thought he would be prosecuted and rendered politically marginal if he entered Rome without consular immunity or his army. Caesar responded by marching on Rome and he forced the unprepared Pompey and his allies to flee to Greece, starting the Great Roman Civil War.