Download English II Who was Julius Caesar? Long before Julius Caesar

English II
Who was Julius Caesar?
Long before Julius Caesar became dictator (from 47-44 B.C.E.) and was subsequently murdered, the Roman Republic
had entered a state of rapid decline. The rich had become wealthier and more powerful as a result of Rome's many
military successes.
Meanwhile, life for the average Roman seemed to be getting worse. Attempts to reform the situation by two brothers,
Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus, were met with opposition that eventually resulted in their deaths.
In addition, slavery was on the rise, and violent slave revolts were commonplace.
Julius Caesar was a man of many talents. Born into the patrician class, Caesar was intelligent, educated, and
cultivated. An excellent speaker, he possessed a sharp sense of humor, charm, and personality. All of these traits
combined helped make him a skilled politician.
Moreover, Caesar was a military genius. His many successful military campaigns gained him broad support and
popularity among the common people. Caesar also won the undying loyalty of his soldiers, who supplied him with the
necessary muscle to seize power.
Julius Caesar began his rise to power in 60 B.C.E. by forging an alliance with another general, Pompey, and a wealthy
patrician, Crassus. Together, these three men assumed control of the Roman Republic, and Caesar was thrust into the
position of consul. Historians have since dubbed the period of rule by these three men the First Triumvirate.
Over time, however, the triumvirate broke down. Crassus was killed in battle, and Pompey began entertaining ideas of
ruling without the dangerously popular Caesar. While Caesar was fighting in Gaul (modern-day France), Pompey and
the Senate ordered Caesar to return to Rome without his army. But when Caesar crossed the Rubicon River in
northern Italy, he brought his army with him in defiance of the senate's order. This fateful decision led to a civil war.
Caesar defeated Pompey's forces and entered Rome in 46 B.C.E., triumphant and unchallenged.
Upon his return, Caesar made himself dictator and absolute ruler of Rome and its territories. During his rule, he
enacted several reforms. Caesar founded many colonies in newly conquered territories and provided land and
opportunity for poor Romans who chose to migrate there. He reduced the number of slaves and opened citizenship up
to people living in the provinces. Finally, he created a new calendar named the Julian calendar. This very calendar,
with a few minor adjustments, is the same one used around the world today.
In 44 B.C.E., Julius Caesar ordered the Senate to make him dictator for life. Typically, dictators served for a limited
time (usually six months), then stepped down. Caesar's actions threatened to end the Republic [the head of state is
elected by the people] once and for all. Fearing this change, a group of senators plotted and executed the murder of
Caesar on the Ides of March. Although the senators succeeded in ending Caesar's life, they did not realize at that time
that the Republic had died with him.
Rome would now become an empire [single ruler over people].
English II
About "Et tu, Brute?"
In William Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar, the title character manages to utter "Et tu, Brute?" ("and you, Brutus?")
as he is slain. This is not historically accurate.
According to the 1st century C.E. Roman historian Suetonius, Julius Caesar spoke mainly Greek and not Latin, as was
the case with most patricians at the time. In his history about the life of Julius Caesar, Suetonius writes that as the
assassins plunged their daggers into the dictator, Caesar saw Brutus and spoke the Greek phrase kai su, teknon,
meaning "you too, my child."
There is still debate whether or not it was shouted in shock or said as a warning. On one hand, Caesar may have been
amazed to find a close friend like Brutus trying to kill him; on the other hand, he may have meant that Brutus would
pay for his crime in the future for this treachery. Either way, the words were Greek, so leave "Et tu, Brute" for
Shakespeare.
Source: http://www.ushistory.org/civ/6b.asp