Munda, Battle of

(45 BC) Conflict that ended the Roman civil war between the forces of Pompey the Great and Julius Caesar.

The two forces met in Spain, where the late Pompey's sons had seized Córdoba in revolt. Caesar lured the Pompeians from their high ground to do battle; when the rebels maneuvered a contingent to meet a cavalry charge, it was mistaken for a retreat by their army, which broke and fled, and Caesar claimed victory.

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▪ Roman history

      (45 BC), conflict that ended the ancient Roman civil war between the forces of Pompey the Great and those of Julius Caesar (Caesar, Julius). The late Pompey's sons, Gnaeus and Sextus, had seized Córdoba in Spain, and Caesar came with an army to end the revolt.

      After a long series of withdrawals, the Pompeians took up a position on the high ground at Munda, near Urso (modern Osun). Caesar halted, luring the Pompeians down into battle. The fight raged for hours, Caesar himself entering the fray to bolster his veteran 10th Legion. A tactical shift of troops by Gnaeus to meet a Roman cavalry attack was misunderstood by the rest of his army. Thinking a retreat had begun, they broke, and Caesar won the war.

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