Lucius Afranius

Also known as: Afranius · Family: Pompeian · Role: commander · First appears: The Civil War, Book I, 34–40

In Book I of The Civil War, after Vibullius Rufus arrived in Spain, Afranius and Petreius, both lieutenants of Pompey, divided the Spanish departments with Marcus Varro. Petreius joined him at Ilerda, and the two chose its vicinity for the war. After a bridge collapsed at the river Segre, Afranius crossed with four legions to attack Caius Fabius’s two; reinforcements ended the battle, and both commanders returned to camp.

At Ilerda, Afranius declined Caesar’s offer of battle, but his forces contested the high ground with Caesar’s troops, were driven back into the town, and later fortified the hill. Afranius also launched a night attack on Caesar’s halted convoy. He and Petreius then resolved to move the war to Celtiberia, transported troops across the Segre, and halted when Caesar’s forces appeared. After the two armies faced one another, Caesar’s cavalry cut to pieces Afranius’s detached cohorts; Afranius and Petreius withdrew to camp and began building a rampart toward the water.

When Afranius’s soldiers sought terms, they asked that their generals’ lives be spared and offered to negotiate peace. Petreius then required the soldiers to swear they would not desert or betray the army or its generals, and Afranius took the oath. As his forces marched toward Ilerda, Caesar followed; after further negotiations, Caesar offered peace on terms that included leaving the provinces and disbanding the army. Afranius’s son was given as a hostage, and about a third of the army was dismissed in two days. In Book III, Attius Rufus accused Afranius before Pompey of betraying the army in Spain.