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Caesar was by now the most powerful man in Rome, but he had many enemies. Pompey and his old foes the conservative Senators formed an alliance against Caesar. However, they had no legions at their disposal in Italy and they fled to the Balkans. Here they assembled a number of legions. The majority of the Roman Senate joined the Pompeiians as they came to be known and they controlled most of the Eastern provinces of the Roman Empire. Caesar knew he was vulnerable and that many in Italy hated him, despite his generally tolerant and benign rule. He knew that he had to defeat Pompey. Caesar took several legions to the Balkans and confronted the army of Pompey. This campaign was very difficult for Caesar and he was lucky to escape a decisive defeat. The conqueror of the Gaul’s maneuvered Pompey into a battle at Pharsalus in modern Greece. Caesar was out-numbered, and his opponent was a great general.  However, Caesar prevailed at Pharsalus and smashed the army of Pompey. This did not end the civil war. The victor returned to Rome and based on his success and the assertation that his enemies were a threat to the Republic he had himself declared Dictator, by the rump of the Senate who had not fled in 50 BCE. This was an office that gave him extraordinary powers, and he was effectively the sole ruler of the Roman Republic. He left Mark Anthony in control of Rome and Italy.<ref> "Suetonius, Life of Caesar, LXXIV</ref>. Pompey escaped, after Pharsalus and he and other senators vowed to continue the war. Caesar was even after Pharsalus still not master of the Roman World. Pompey was killed by a Roman renegade on the orders of the Pharaoh, but his adherents continued the fight.  The Pompeiians seized control of Africa and Spain. Caesar fought wars all over the Mediterranean and he emerged victorious. He knew that all long as his enemies were in the field that he was not secure. Caesar finally defeated his enemies at the Battle of Munda in 45 BCE in Spain. After there was no real resistance to the rule of Caesar and he returned to Rome and he had himself appointed Dictator for life. He was by 44 AD the supreme leader in the Roman World and he was arguably the first Emperor in Roman history, although the majority of authorities hold that Augustus was the first Emperor.<ref> Osgood, Josiah. <i>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0521671779/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0521671779&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=78feb0248f30b4a6c2cfaa0048334c9f Caesar's Legacy: Civil War and the Emergence of the Roman Empire]</i> (Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2006) p. 60</ref>. This was based largely on his military prowess and his success on countless battlefields around Europe and the Middle East.