Quintus Sertorius
Quintus Sertorius (c. 126 – 73 BC) was a Roman general and statesman who led a large-scale rebellion against the Roman Senate on the Iberian peninsula. He had been a prominent member of the populist faction of Cinna and Marius. During the later years of the civil war of 83–81 BC, he was sent to recover the Iberian Peninsula. When his faction lost the war, Sertorius was proscribed (outlawed) by the dictator Sulla. Supported by a majority of the native Iberian tribes, Sertorius skillfully used irregular warfare to repeatedly defeat various commanders sent by Rome to subdue him. He was never decisively beaten on the battlefield and remained a thorn in the Senate's side until his murder in 73 BC.
Quintus Sertorius | |
|---|---|
| Born | c. 126 BC |
| Died | Autumn 73 BC (aged c. 53) |
| Cause of death | Assassination (Stabbed to death) |
| Nationality | Roman |
| Occupation(s) | Statesman, lawyer, general |
| Known for | Rebellion in Spain against the Roman Senate |
| Office | cursus honorum up to praetor, after which he became propraetor (governor) of both Hispania Citerior and Ulterior |
| Political party | Populares |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance | Roman Republic Marius–Cinna faction |
| Battles/wars | Cimbric War Social War Bellum Octavianum Sulla's civil war Sertorian War |
| Awards | Grass Crown |
The famous Greek biographer Plutarch dedicated one of his Parallel Lives to Sertorius; in it he pairs Sertorius with Eumenes. Like Eumenes, Sertorius was betrayed by his own men.