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Julius Caesar
Julius Caesar, one of Ancient Rome's most famous
individuals, was born in 100 BC - or near to that year.
Julius Caesar joined the Roman Army in 81 BC and was
the first Roman army commander to invade England
which he did in 55 BC and again in 54 BC. Caesar was
born into a wealthy family and he was a well educated
child who was good at sport.
After serving in the Roman Army, Caesar developed an interest in
politics. He became a driven man who wanted to get to the highest
positions in Roman politics. In 65 BC, Caesar was appointed an 'adele'
and put in charge of public entertainment in Rome. This was a very
important position as the citizens of Rome expected quality
entertainment. It was believed by those who ran Rome that the people
could be kept happy and content if they had access to varied and
enjoyable entertainment. Caesar took to the post with zeal. He
borrowed large sums of money to ensure that the entertainment he
provided was the best money could buy. He put on games and
festivals for the people. As a result, he became very popular with the
poor of Rome - a considerable part of the city's population. He also
courted the friendship of Rome's richest man, Crassus.
The First Triumvirate, consisting of
Julius Caesar, Crassus, and Pompey,
came to power in 59 BC when Caesar
was elected consul. The Triumvirate
reform program was enacted and
Caesar got himself appointed governor
of Illycrium and Gaul. The way to power in Rome was through military
conquest; this gave the general a loyal army, wealth (from the
conquered), and popularity and prestige at home. So the governorship
of Illycrium and Gaul allowed Caesar to become the general and
conqueror he so desperately desired to become.
Now the Romans really had no reason to
conquer northern and central Europe; the
people who lived there, the Germans and
the Celts, were a tribal, semi-nomadic
people. The province of Illycrium provided
enough of a territorial buffer to defuse any
threat from these people. In a series of
fairly brilliant campaigns, Julius added a
considerable amount of territory to the Roman Empire. Caesar was a
brilliant general and commanded an army of over 50,000 loyal men.
His success at a military level all but guaranteed the loyalty of his
soldiers. But he was seen by some as a cruel man solely driven by
expanding his own personal power. As a result, he made enemies of
important politicians in Rome itself. Some senior army generals, such
as Pompey, were also very concerned about Caesar's intentions. When
he had finished his conquests, however, the Triumvirate had dissolved
and Pompey had turned against Julius and had roused the Senate
against him. The Senate declared Julius an enemy of the state and
demanded that he hand over his generalship
and province. He refused. Instead Caesar
advanced on Italy but paused at the line that
divided France (Gaul) and Italy - the River
Rubicon which separated his province from Italy.
Roman law said that a governor was not allowed
to leave his province. Caesar ignored this law,
crossed the Rubicon and advanced to confront
his enemies in Rome., thus committing a grave
crime against the state. The Civil War started
the minute the first of his legions had finished crossing the Rubicon.
The war was fought between these two great generals, Pompey and
Caesar, but in 48 BC, Caesar defeated Pompey at Pharsalus in Greece.
Shortly thereafter Pompey was assassinated by the Egyptians among
whom he had sought refuge. Caesar then turned his forces towards
Asia Minor in a conquest that was so swift that Caesar described it in
three words: "Veni, vidi, vici" ("I came, I saw, I conquered").
Caesar returned to Rome in 46 BC and
had the Senate appoint him dictator for
ten years; he was given imperium over
the Roman Empire and was, for all
practical purposes, above the law and
the constitution. Two years later he was
appointed dictator for life, and he
quickly assumed all the important
offices in the government. He reformed
the government in many ways. He
halved the number of those receiving the free hand-outs of corn,
changed taxation, brought the Senate up from 600 to 900 members
and began to recruit senators from outside Italy. More importantly, he
granted citizenship to non-Italians (Marius had extended Roman
citizenship to non-Roman Italians in the Social War of 91BC), meaning
that conquered peoples could share in the benefits of being Roman.
Caesar's absolute power, imperium for life (which made him imperator
, or Emperor, of Rome), looked suspiciously like a monarchy, which,
for all practical purposes, it was. The Romans, proud of their
Republican tradition, deeply resented his power, and in 44 BC, on the
Ides of March (March 15), a group of conspirators, led by Gaius
Cassius Longinus and Marcus Junius Brutus, assassinated Caesar as he
entered the Senate in his usual manner: with no bodyguards or
protection.
Aside from being one of the major historical figures, Caesar's life
affects us today. He drew up the Julian Calendar, redefining the
lengths of the months and setting a year of 365.25 days. Previously
the Roman calendar consisted of 355 days, with 12 months and an
extra month every now and then to make up for deficiencies. To rectify
problems before the institution of the new calendar, Caesar added four
months to 46 BC. This new calendar - with modifications - is the
foundation for the calendar we use today. Caesar also managed to get
the seventh month named after himself - July.
His name is given to the encryption process known as the 'Caesar
Cipher'.
And of course, he is rumored to have been the first person to be born
using a special method to which he has also given his name - the
Caesarean Section.
Julius Caesar