Download The Life of Julius Caesar

JULIUS CAESAR: THE MAN,
THE MYTH, AND THE TRUTH
What was his childhood like?
Caesar had many advantages as a child. His family was of the old
patrician class of Rome and they claimed to be descendants of both
Aeneas and Romulus, the early heroes and founders of Rome.
Gaius Julius Caesar was born in 100 BCE.
AENEAS
ROMULUS
Gaius (Caesar’s real name) was given a first-class
education in both Greek and Latin and his family had
prestige (but not wealth) in Roman society. Julius Caesar
told people that he spoke better Greek than Latin and he
probably did. This would come in handy as he moved
throughout the Roman world.
As a young man Julius was too often unsuccessful and
unhappy: he married a woman he did not love for her
money and family influence, he was given positions of
power which he did not deserve or earn, and he lost a lot of
money in failed business ventures. It would have been hard
to predict glory for him based on his early life.
There were two defining moments in
Caesar’s adult life (ages 25-32) that
changed him….
On his way to Greece in 75 BCE, Caesar was kidnapped by the
famous and feared Cilician pirates. He told the pirates that they
should either kill him or ask for a higher ransom, because when he
was free he would return and kill them all. The pirates laughed.
After the ransom was paid and Caesar was freed, he raised a fleet,
returned to the pirates lair, and captured them all. He had them
crucified just as he had promised to do when their prisoner!
The second defining moment…..
While serving as governor in Spain at age 32, Caesar
visited a statue of Alexander the Great:
Upon viewing this statue, Caesar fell to his knees,
weeping. When asked what was wrong, Caesar sighed,
and said that by the time Alexander was his (Caesar's)
age, Alexander had conquered the whole world. All
Caesar had done was marry a rich woman, squandered
her and his family’s immense wealth, and been
appointed in a position because Roman corruption and
family connections.
Caesar decided to change…..
Gaius Julius Caesar returned to Rome. He
married again, borrowed money from new
wealthy supporters, and began to pursue a
career in politics. One way he did that was
by giving speeches to the poorer Romans
and sponsoring expensive games and
spectacles for the masses.
Things started to go
Caesar’s way and
he became a
political power….
All Julius Caesar needed
now was....
..AN ARMY
Caesar was given command of a Roman legion in
south Gaul (France) when he was 41
EUROPE TODAY
CAESAR’S CONQUESTS IN EUROPE
From 58-51 BC Julius Caesar led his army
all over France, Belgium and even into
England. He conquered the entire land of
Gaul and all its warrior tribes.
How did Caesar explain his success as a military
leader and conqueror? With these simple words:
“I came, I saw, I conquered”
But it certainly was more than that..
• Julius Caesar was a tactical genius and a
brilliant general. He knew how to use his
Roman army to defeat every opponent.
• He was unmerciful in his punishment of
the enemies of Rome. It is estimated that
he killed over TWO MILLION people in
Gaul (France) during his conquests there.
That makes him a mass murderer as well
as a military genius.
No better than Adolf Hitler.
Julius Caesar was also an author and spread his
fame using the pen. He even wrote down his
exploits in a book that you can still read today.
As reports of his victories and his book reached
Rome, all of Rome sang praises to Caesar!
But there was a problem…
Caesar was not the favorite of all the rich and
powerful in Rome. They preferred Pompey,
Caesar’s former friend and now rival:
In 49 BC, the Roman Senate ordered Caesar to
disband his army and enter Rome as a private
citizen or they would declare him an “enemy of
the state.” Caesar responded by leading 5000 of
his troops across the Rubicon and into Rome,
starting a civil war.
Caesar destroyed his rival Pompey and had
himself appointed dictator for life
Pompey fled to Egypt and Caesar followed
him. The Egyptians presented Caesar with
Pompey’s severed head when he arrived.
The fight was over!
During his stay in Egypt Julius Caesar met and
fell in love with Cleopatra, the beautiful co-ruler
of the country. They had a child together and
Caesar took them both back to Rome.
Caesar became famous for a quote he
made which was finally about to come true.
He was asked his understanding of the best
way to die.
He answered: “Which death is
preferable to every other? The
unexpected.”
Many of the Senators of Rome thought Caesar
was a dangerous man who was living and ruling
like a god. They thought he wanted to be a king,
and they did not believe in kings.
Even though Caesar refused the crown, a band
of rich men led by Brutus and Cassius stabbed
Caesar to death during a senate meeting on the
Ides of March (March 15), 44 BC.
He was 55 years old.
It isn’t an impressive site today, but you can still
visit the spot of Caesar’s murder in Rome
today.
What conclusions can we make
about Julius Caesar?
First the good things he did:
• He increased the territory and power of Rome.
• He made necessary reforms in the corrupt
Roman government.
• He created the solar calendar that we still use
today in place of the lunar.
• He had a magnetic personality and many
talents: great politician, military commander,
writer, astronomer, and fantastic speaking skills.
• He was intelligent, brave, and loved adventure.
But he did some terrible things
as well:
• He not only killed two million Gauls, but he
ruthlessly eliminated his political rivals through
murder.
• He led his army in civil war against the Roman
state and defeated it.
• He pretended to like the common people when
in fact he only wanted to use them.
• He kept many mistresses and was not faithful to
his wife.
• He had himself chosen dictator for life against all
Roman principles.
What Do Most Historians Think?
• They believe that Julius Caesar was a
arrogant opportunist who lived by the
sword and……….. rightfully died by the
sword. He got what he deserved and what
he had given others: death.