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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. Give us feedback on this content: 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 Register for FREE to stop seeing ads 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.