Siege of Corfinium

BelligerentsPopularesOptimatesCommanders and leadersGaius Julius Caesar
Marcus Antonius
Gaius Scribonius CurioL. Domitius Ahenobarbus
P. C. Lentulus Spinther
Lucius Vibullius RufusUnits involved

• Legio VIII
• Legio XII
• Legio XIII
• 22 freshly levied cohorts from Cisalpine Gaul and northern Italy
• 7 cohorts from Sulmo
• 300 auxiliary cavalrymen from Noricum

33 cohortsStrengthInitial:
2 legions
At end of siege:
6 legions

3 legions

---

c. 16,000 legionariesCasualties and losses None 33 cohorts surrendered

The siege of Corfinium was the first significant military confrontation of Caesar's Civil War. Undertaken in February 49 BC, it saw the forces of Gaius Julius Caesar's Populares besiege the Italian city of Corfinium, which was held by a force of Optimates under the command of Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus. The siege lasted only a week, after which the defenders surrendered themselves to Caesar. This bloodless victory was a significant propaganda coup for Caesar and hastened the retreat of the main Optimate force from Italia, leaving the Populares in effective control of the entire peninsula.