Battle of Ilerda

• The Battle of Ilerda (49 BCE) was the first battle of the Great Roman Civil War (49-45 BCE) between the Optimates and the Populares.
• The Battle took place in Lleida, Spain and was a series of skirmishes rather than a set piece battle.

Date and Location

• Date: June to August 49 BCE
• Location: Ilerda, modern Lleida or Lerida, near Barcelona in Spain.

The Reason for the Battle

• Julius Caesar needed to defeat and eliminate the Optimates in Spain, in order to concentrate on attacking Pompey in Greece. Otherwise, he was vulnerable to a War on two Fronts.

The Winner

• Winner: Julius Caesar
• Loser: Pompey

The Adversaries

• Pompey‘s Generals and the Optimates
• Julius Caesar and the Populares

The Commanders

• Pompey‘s Generals: (Pompey was absent)
  • Lucius Afranius
  • Marcus Petreius
  • Marcus Terentius Varro
    • versus:
• Julius Caesar
  • Fabius

The Strength of the Forces under Julius Caesar

• 9 Legions: 37,000 men (understrength legions)
  1. Legio VI Ferrata
  2. Legio VII Claudia
  3. Legio IX Hispana
  4. Legio X Equestris
  5. Legio XI Claudia
  6. Legio XIV Gemina
  7. Legio XXVIII
  8. Legio XXIX
  9. Legio XXX

• Auxiliaries and Allies:
• Allied Cavalry:
• Losses: 700

The Strength of the Forces under Pompey

• 7 Legions: 62,000 men
• Auxiliaries and Allies:
• Allied Cavalry: 5,000
• Casualties and Losses: All 7 Legions surrendered.

How the Armies were Deployed

• The Pompeian Army camped on a hill south of Ilerda. Their Supplies were in the city of Ilerda.
• Caesar’s Army positioned itself below the hill, next to a river, and then built a ditch and rampart to protect its camp.
• Caesar decided on a plan to cut the Pompeian army from their Supply line by taking a hill between Ilerda and the Pompeian army.

How the Battle was Fought

• The Pompeian army reached the hill first, with the Caesarians following closely but were they beaten off.
• A five hour battle raged inconclusively at the base of the hill on which Ilerda’s town walls were stood on.
• As a result of storms, the river then became a raging torrent and flooded the Caesarian camp. After it subsided, the Caesarian army dug a canal to divert the river.
• This action decided the Pompeian army to up camp and leave Ilerda, moving to rejoin another Army under Marcus Terentius Varro.
• Caesar ordered his cavalry and soldiers to cross the raging torrent in water which reached up to their shoulders. They intercepted the Rearguard of the Pompeian army whilst it was on the move and blocked its route preventing it from reuniting with the other army.
• Both armies then camped next to each other, still nearby Ilerda.
• By 30th July The Pompeian army was completely surrounded and asked to surrender.
• Caesar accepted the surrender of the 5 Legions

The Outcome

• Caesar then pursued Varro’s army of 2 Legions and Varro surrendered without a fight.
• All 7 Legions surrendered and were pardoned by Julius Caesar, who left 4 Legions in Spain then returned to complete the Siege of Marseille.

Lerida (Ilerda), Spain