Download Julius Caesar was a late Republic statesman and general who

Julius Caesar was a late Republic statesman and general who, having
experienced great success in Gaul, waged civil war against the
Roman Senate and defeated many of the patrician conservatives
before he declared himself dictator.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES [ edit ]
Analyze Julius Caesar's actions as dictator and the reasons for his assassination
Explain the rise of Julius Caesar and his various successes
KEY POINTS [ edit ]
In 60 BCE, Caesar, Marcus Licinius Crassus, and Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus (Pompey the Great)
formed a political alliance that was to dominate Roman politics for several years, though their
populist tactics were opposed by the conservative ruling class within the Roman Senate.
Caesar enjoyed great success as commander in the Gallic Wars. Upon the conclusion of the wars,
he refused to return to Romeas ordered by the senate, and instead, crossed the Rubicon in 49 BCE
with a legion and entered Roman territory under arms.
Caesar fought in a civil war against his old colleague Pompey, who was representing conservative
interests in the Roman senate. Caesar quickly defeated his rival and many other senate
conservatives who had previously opposed him.
With most of his enemies gone, Caesar installed himself asdictator in perpetuity at Rome. As
dictator, he instituted a series of reforms, most notably created the Julian calendar.
Caesar was assassinated in 44 BCE by a few of his remaining enemies, thereby throwing Rome into
another period of chaos and civil war.
TERMS [ edit ]
Pompey
a military and political leader of the late Roman Republic who represented the Roman Senate in
war against Julius Caesar.
Julius Caesar
Roman general, statesman, consul, and author who enjoyed great success in Gaul and eventually
waged civil war against the Roman Senate.
dictator
in Rome, a general appointed by the senate during times of emergency to make unilateral
decisions. Once the danger was past, the dictator was expected to restore power back to the
senate.
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FULL TEXT [edit ]
Gaius Julius Caesar was a Roman general,
statesman, consul, and notable author of
Latin prose. He played a critical role in
the events that led to the demise of the
Roman Republic and the rise of the
Roman Empire. In 60 BCE, Caesar,
Marcus Licinius Crassus, and Gnaeus
Pompeius Magnus (Pompey the Great)
formed a political alliance that was to
dominate Roman politics for several
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years. Their attempts to amass power through populist tactics were opposed by the
conservative ruling class within the Roman Senate, among them Cato the Younger with the
frequent support of Cicero. Caesar's victories in the Gallic Wars, completed by 51 BCE,
extended Rome's territory to the English Channel and the Rhine river. Caesar became the
first Roman general to cross both when he built a bridge across the Rhine and conducted the
first invasion of Britain.
These achievements granted Caesar unmatched military power and threatened to eclipse the
standing of his colleague Pompey, who had realigned himself with the senate after the death
of Crassus in 53 BCE. With the Gallic Wars concluded, the senate ordered Caesar to step
down from his military command and return to Rome. Caesar refused and marked his
defiance in 49 BCE by crossing the Rubicon (shallow river in northern Italy) with a legion,
which meant that he was entering Roman territory under arms. Civil War ensued, with
Pompey representing the Roman senate forces against Caesar, but Caesar quickly defeated
Pompey in 48 and dispatched Pompey's supporters in the following year. During this time,
many staunch senate conservatives, such as Cato the Younger, were either killed or
committed suicide, thereby greatly decreasing the number of optimates in Rome.
Caesar as Dictator
Bust of Julius Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar was a Roman general, statesman, Consul, and notable author of Latin prose.
After assuming control of government upon the defeat of his enemies in 45 BCE, Caesar
began a program of social and governmental reforms which included the creation of the
Julian calendar. He centralized the bureaucracy of the Republic and eventually proclaimed
himself "dictator in perpetuity. " It is important to note that Caesar did not declare
himself rex, king, but instead, claimed the title of dictator. Contrary to the negative
connotations that the modern use of the word evokes, the Roman dictator was appointed by
the senate during times of emergency as a unilateral decision­maker who could act more
quickly than the usual bureaucratic processes of the Republican government would allow.
Upon bringing the Roman state out of trouble, the dictator would then resign and restore
power back to the senate. Thus, Caesar's declaration ostensibly remained within the
Republican framework of power in name, though the huge amounts of power he had
gathered for himself portrayed him rather like a monarch in practice.
Caesar used his powers to fill the Senate with his own partisans. Caesar increased the
number of magistrates who were elected each year, which created a large pool of
experienced magistrates, and allowed Caesar to reward his supporters. He used his powers
to appoint many new senators, which eventually raised the Senate's membership to 900. All
the appointments were of his own partisans, which robbed the senatorial aristocracy of its
prestige, and made the Senate increasingly subservient to him. To minimize the risk that
another general might attempt to challenge him, Caesar passed a law that subjected
governors to term limits. All of these changes watered down the power of the senate, which
infuriated those used to aristocratic privilege. Such anger proved to be fuel for Caesar's
murder.
Despite the defeat of most of his conservative enemies, however, underlying political
conflicts had not been resolved. On the Ides of March (March 15) 44 BCE, Caesar was
assassinated by a group of senators, led by Marcus Junius Brutus and Gaius Cassius
Longinus. Though some of his assassins may have had ulterior personal vendettas against
Caesar, Brutus, notably, is said to have acted out of concern for the Republic in the face of a
monarchical tyrant.
A new series of civil wars broke out following Caesar's assassination, and the constitutional
government of the Republic was never restored. Caesar's adopted heir Octavian, later known
as Augustus, rose to sole power, and the era of the Roman Empire began.