Show notes
How do you fight off the greatest military machine the world had ever produced? How do you take back an empire?
In his quest to win a better life for himself and the men he led, Sertorius shows what talented and determined people can do when they justly feel they have been wronged and have been given no recourse.
He makes allies with unexpected leaders, he mentors those beneath him, and inspires thousands of people, time and again, to fight alongside him.
In this third and final installment of the Life of Sertorius, we follow Sertorius’ stunning and improbable rise to the leadership of a rival Roman state. Hunted by his enemies, he throws in his lot with pirates from Cilicia. When they abandon him, he battles against them in a proxy war in Mauretania (Morocco). The Lusitanians, a Spaniard tribe, invite him to be their leader. He persuades them to join him in a bold mission to restore Rome from Spain.
He evades the great Metellus Pius, using guerrilla tactics, and sets about Romanizing the native peoples of Spain. The Senate sends in Pompey the Great. Sertorius schools him too.
But the greatest challenge Sertorius faces is in sharing his power - in trusting other Romans who are not like him, who lack his vision, humility, and discipline.
Sertorius’ life provides many valuable lessons for leaders: lessons on strategy and tactics, the importance of preparation, surprise, speed, knowing your territory, but also the power of trustworthiness, empathy, and patience.
A great Roman historian, a nobel laureate, Theodor Mommsen, called Sertorius, “one of the great men, perhaps the greatest of all Rome had produced, and one who in more fortunate circumstances could perhaps have become the regenerator of his country.”
If you’re looking for a way to sharpen your present by learning from the lives of famous leaders such as Sertorius, download and listen to this latest episode.
On today’s podcast:
- The Pirates of Cilicia
- Usurpers and the Giant’s tomb in Morocco
- Guerilla Warfare, Roman style
- The Lusitanians and their role in the great Sertorian rebellion
- Diana, the Hunter goddess, and her divine “gift”
- Sertorius’ famous opponents: Metellus Pius, Pompey the Great
- Spectacular military exploits at Lauro, Sucro, Saguntum, and more
- Beginning the Romanization of Spain
- A rival Senate, a rival State
- Sertorius’ final achievement
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