Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus (; 29 September 106 BC – 29 September 48 BC), usually known in English as
Pompey or
Pompey the Great, was a military and political leader of the late
Roman Republic. He came from a wealthy
Italian provincial background, and his father had been the first to establish the family among the
Roman nobility. Pompey's immense success as a general while still very young enabled him to advance directly to his first
consulship without meeting the normal
requirements for office. His success as a military commander in
Sulla's Second Civil War resulted in Sulla bestowing the
nickname Magnus, "the Great", upon him. He was consul three times and celebrated three
triumphs.