Quintus Sertorius (born v. -122, died in 72 av. J. - C.), statesman and general Roman. It is originating in Nursie in Sabine (currently in the North-East of Rome).

After being itself made a reputation with Rome as lawyer and speaker, it started a military career. It appears under the orders of Marius in 102 av. J. - C. with large the battles of Aquæ Sextiæ (today Aix-en-Provence) against the Teutons. In 97, it was useful in Spain. In 91, it was Questeur in Gaulle Cisalpine and with its return to Rome it should have been elected Tribun of the plebs but Sylla was opposed to it.

It then supported Marius and the popular party, although it had a bad opinion of the Marius man. It had to take part in the horrible massacres organized by Marius and Cinna in 87 but it seems to have made its possible to attenuate the atrocities of them. With the return of the East of Sylla, in 83, Sertorius left for Spain but without precise orders.

Having to fold up itself in Africa following the advance of the forces of Sylla in the the Pyrenees, it conducted a campaign in Mauritania where it demolished one of the generals of Sylla and took Tingis (current the Tangier). This success made it recognize people of Spain, more particularly of the tribes of the Lusitanians, in the west, oppressed by the generals and governors of the party of Sylla.

Brave man, human and gifted for the eloquence, Sertorius was made to impress them favorably, and the local militia, that it organized, described it as “new Hannibal”. Many fugitive and Roman deserters joined it, and with those and its Spanish volunteers it overcame close to Lacobriga a general of Sylla and drove out Q. Caecilius Metellus Pius, which came especially from Rome against him, of Lusitanie or Hispania Ultérieure as named it the Romans.

Sertorius owed the majority of its successes with its talents of statesman. Its goal was to build a stable government in the area with the support and the co-operation of the people, which he wanted to civilize on the Roman model. It establishes a Sénat of 300 members, selected among the Roman emigrants with a handle of the local elite, and was surrounded by a Spanish bodyguard. For the children of the principal local families it created a school with Osca (Huesca), where they accepted a Roman education and were even vêtus like the young Romans.

It was strict and severe with its troops. Itself, according to Plutarque, is never enivrait, could go of long distances and was satisfied with little food. Nevertheless, it in general paid an special attention to the people, and reduced the loads as much as possible. It seems obvious that he had a particular gift to start enthusiasm at the tribes and one includes/understands easily how the famous white Faon, gift of indigenous, which accompanied it continuously and which was supposed to transmit to him the councils of the goddess Diane, increased its popularity.

One can say that it controlled Spain during six years. In 77 av. J. Chr. it was joined by Mr. Perperna (or Perpenna) Vento coming from Rome, with a succession of noble Romans, and the same year Pompée was sent to overcome it. Sertorius appeared higher than its adversaries and crushed their forces joined together then around Sagonte. Pumped wrote in Rome to ask reinforcements, without which, he, it wrote and Metellus would be expelled of Spain.

Sertorius was combined with the Pirate S of the the Mediterranean, negotiated with Mithridate and had contacts with the revolted slaves in Italy. But the jealousies between the Roman officers under its orders and the autochtones chiefs did not enable him to preserve its position and, although it was victorious until the end, its influence on the tribes declined. In 72 he was assassinated during a banquet: it seems that Perperna Vento was the instigator.

The life of Sertorius inspired with Pierre Corneille a part éponyme.

Sources

• Plutarque, Life of Sertorius and Life of Pumped ;

• Florus, Shortened Roman History , Delivers III, XXIII,
• Appien, Bell. civ. and Hispanica ;
• fragments of Salluste;
• Dion Cassius, XXXVI.