Julius Caesar was a Roman dictator who transformed Rome from a Republic to an Empire. He was born to an elite family and had a successful military career, famously conquering Gaul. He became consul and eventually dictator, expanding Rome’s borders. Despite being relatively well-liked, he was assassinated by a group of senators, including Marcus Junius Brutus.
Julius Caesar was arguably the greatest of Rome’s dictators, reigning from 49 BC to 44 BC During his short reign, Rome transformed from a Republic to an Empire, and marked the path Rome would follow until its decline and the end of the collapse.
Julius Caesar was born in 100 BC to an elite family and had the benefit of high education and training from an early age. His family traced its lineage to Aeneas of Troy and, through him, to the goddess Venus. The origin of his surname, Cesare, is unknown, with a number of different theories offering explanations. These include the fact that he killed an elephant, that he had a full head of hair, that his eyes were gray, or that he was born by caesarean section, all described by words similar in sound to his name.
After a short stint as high priest of Jupiter, Julius Caesar enlisted in the army. He quickly made a name for himself as a brave soldier and astute commander. While he was serving in the military, one of the historical anecdotes in his life happened: the story goes that during a journey across the Aegean, Caesar was captured by pirates. While held captive, he made a promise to the pirates that if he could free himself, he would return to crucify them all. The pirates demanded a tribute of 20 gold talents, which Caesar told them to increase to 50, he was such a valuable hostage. Upon his eventual release, he returned with an army, captured the pirates and crucified them, keeping to his word.
When he finally returned to Rome, Julius Caesar was made tribune, beginning his path to political greatness. He soon left the military and began pursuing his political career with all his energy. Eventually, he found himself elected Pontifex Maximus, a religious position with great power and authority. He continued to play a clever game of politics, becoming praetor and winning the respect of many.
Julius Caesar then turned his sights to becoming consul of the Roman Republic, and eventually became consul along with two others, forming the first triumvirate of shared power. When his consul died, he returned to the military, leading the conquest of Gaul for which he is particularly famous. The Gallic Wars lasted for many years and during which Julius Caesar proved to everyone that he was one of the most brilliant military minds of the time. By the end of the wars perhaps a million of Rome’s enemies had been killed and the whole region had been brought under Roman rule.
In 50 BC, Julius Caesar was ordered to return to Rome and surrender his army. Instead, he crossed the Rubicon and incited a civil war. The following year he was appointed dictator of Rome. Over the next few years he continued to expand Rome’s borders, assisting Cleopatra in the civil war in Egypt and invading the Middle East and Africa.
Because of his lenient stance towards his enemies, Julius Caesar was relatively well liked for one in his position. The Senate gave him great honors during his reign, but some contingents of the Senate disliked his rule and began to plot against him. On March 15, the Ides of March in the Roman calendar, 44 BC, a group of senators gathered, called Caesar to them, and killed him. Included among the conspirators was Marcus Junius Brutus, a favorite of Caesar, and second in line of succession. Traditions vary as to how the dictator reacted to seeing Brutus in the crowd, but all reflect his dismay, as expressed in Shakespeare’s now famous line, “Et tu, Brute?”
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