Marcus Agrippa - Biography

On September 3, 36 BC, at the Battle of Naulochus, the Admiral of Octavian, Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa defeated the son of Pompey, Sextus Pompeius ending Pompeian resistance to the Second Triumvirate of Octavian, Mark Antony, and Lepidus. From the article:

"After defeating Lucius, Agrippa was appointed as urban praetor and was tasked with defending Italy from pirates operating under the banner of Sextus Pompeius, the son of Pompey the Great. Octavian, to begin with, had been warring with Sextus but his efforts proved futile and so he appointed Agrippa to take command of the situation. Sextus had taken control of Sicily and so Agrippa and Sextus fought a minor skirmish in southern Italy after which Sextus was forced flee. In addition to the threats faced by pirates, Agrippa and Octavian now had to deal with Mark Antony. The Second Triumvirate had never been stable and the alliance had finally broken down. Antony took Sipontum, a port town in southern Italy but Agrippa managed to seize it back and a truce between Octavian and Antony was declared following its recapture. Until now a man named Salvidienus had been Octavian's top military commander, however, it was discovered that he planned to defect to Antony. Octavian removed Salvidienus from his position and appointed Agrippa as his new general.

Agrippa was being entrusted with more power by Octavian as tension and conflicts escalated across the Roman Republic. Agrippa was given the position of governor of Transalpine Gaul where he put down an uprising in 38 BC. In 37 BC he returned to Rome to serve as consul, despite not meeting various requirements: he was below the required minimum age of 43 years old, not from a senatorial family and also had not yet served as a quaestor - a prerequisite role.

During his consulship Agrippa was called upon again to combat the threat of Sextus Pompey, who had recently re-emerged to wreak havoc on Italy's coats. Agrippa founded new harbours to safeguard ships and also improved the state of Octavian's navy allowing them to sail against Sextus in 36 BC. Agrippa successfully defeated Sextus in two naval battles at Mylae and Naulochus, wiping out most of Sextus' fleet. Agrippa and Octavian then stormed Sicily where the remainder of Sextus' forces were stationed. After a brief battle Sextus' forces surrendered and Sicily rejoined the territories of the Second Triumvirate.

Soon after this victory, the Second Triumvirate collapsed once more, this time for good, as Lepidus was forced into exile and Octavian and Antony's rivalry flared up again."