Early career and the Civil War
Libo's father of the same name was the praetor, or chief judicial officer, in 80 BC.
Libo was a member of the Scribonia family, which was plebeian, not a member of the ruling elite. He was closely connected to the family of Pompey through his grandmother Pompeia Magna. Ties were strengthened in 55 BC after Pompey's son, Sextus Pompey, married Libo's daughter, Scribonia. [1] It is assumed Libo reached the office of praetor by 50 BC. [2]
In 50 BC the Senate, led by Pompey, ordered populist politician and general Julius Caesar to disband his army and return to Rome because his term as governor had ended. [3] Caesar thought he would be prosecuted if he entered Rome without the immunity enjoyed by a magistrate. On 10 January 49 BC Caesar crossed the Rubicon river, and ignited Caesar's Civil War. He marched rapidly on Rome and captured it. Pompey and most of the Senate fled to Greece. Libo was appointed one of Pompey's legates, a high-ranking military position, and was given command of Etruria. [4]
After Libo was driven from Etruria by Mark Antony, he took over command of the new recruits in Campania from Ampius Balbus. [5] He then accompanied Pompey during his withdrawal to Brundisium, and there he acted as Pompey's intermediary with Gaius Caninius Rebilus, a close personal friend, who had been given the task by Julius Caesar of negotiating with Pompey. [6] Rebilus advised Libo that if he could convince Pompey to reach an agreement with Caesar, Caesar would give credit to Libo for halting the civil war before it began in earnest. Although Libo reported Caesar's proposals, Pompey told Libo he could not agree to anything without the consuls being present. [7]
Following Pompey to Macedonia, Libo was placed in charge of part of Pompey's fleet alongside Marcus Octavius, with instructions to prevent Caesar's forces crossing if possible. [8] Off the Dalmatian coast they defeated a fleet under the command of Publius Cornelius Dolabella. They followed this up by defeating Gaius Antonius, who had attempted to assist Dolabella, and who was forced to flee to Corcyra Nigra. Short of supplies, he soon surrendered to Libo who took him and his troops to Pompey. [9] By the time Caesar landed in Epirus and had taken Oricum, Pompey had sent Libo to join Marcus Calpurnius Bibulus, who was in charge of Pompey's fleet and was blockading Caesar at Oricum, but who was ill and unable to get fresh supplies. [10] In order to break the stalemate, Bibulus and Libo sailed towards Oricum and requested a truce in order to negotiate with Caesar. Caesar agreed and Libo attempted to deceive Caesar into thinking that they were acting on Pompey's instructions. [11] When Caesar was unable to make Libo agree to give safe conduct to Caesar's envoys, Caesar concluded that the negotiations were a sham designed to allow Bibulus to resupply his ships, and so refused to extend the truce and broke off negotiations. [12]
With Bibulus's death in early 48 BC, Libo was given command of the Pompeian fleet, comprising some fifty galleys. [13] He continued blockading Oricum, but came to the conclusion that, if he could close off Brundisium from the sea, he could cut Caesar off from reinforcements, and could redeploy the fleet elsewhere. Moving off to Brundisium, he caught the local commander, Mark Antony, unprepared. Libo burnt a number of storage ships, captured one full of grain, and landed troops on the island that commanded the entrance to the harbour, expelling a squad of Antony's troops in the process. Confident of success, he sent a letter to Pompey, advising him that he had secured the harbour and that the rest of the fleet should be repaired and rested. [14] Antony, however, managed to trick Libo into pursuing some decoy ships, causing Libo's squadron to be attacked. Most of Libo's fleet managed to escape, but the troops he landed on the island were trapped and captured. [15]
