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Julius Caesar (100-44 BC)
EARLY LIFE

    Born in Rome on July 12 or 13, 100 BC, Caesar belonged to the wealthy and powerful Julian family. From early childhood he knew about the vicious fighting of politics and politicians. His uncle was the leader of a group which supported the ordinary people and farmers. With enough power, his uncle made things very difficult for the opposing party representing the patricians .When the patricians gained power, they killed all their enemies, including Julius' uncle. It was wise for Julius to leave Rome. He did not return to the city until 78 BC, after the danger was over.
    Caesar was now 22 years old, but he could not find just the right, powerful job. So, he left Rome again and went to the island of Rhodes, where he studied rhetoric ( the art of speaking persuasively in public and in debates); he returned to Rome in 73 BC, a very persuasive speaker. TRIUMVIRATE     The top government position in the city of Rome was "consul" (like a mayor). But Rome had 2 consuls to share the power . In 71 BC Pompey the Great, who had earned his name defeating rebels in Spain, returned to Rome . Marcus Crassus, a rich patrician, who had crushed the slave revolt led by Spartacus also returned to Rome. Both men wanted the positions. With Julius Caesar's help Pompey got one of the positions. Crassus became the other consul. In 69 BC, Caesar began recieving more powerful positions himself and began to gain great popularity for paying for spectacular gladiator games. To pay for these, he borrowed money from Crassus. This united the two men. Caesar then went to Spain and became governor for a year. He returned to Rome in 60BC . He commanded enough respect to join Crassus and Pompey in a three-way alliance known as the "First Triumvirate". To keep their relationship strong, Caesar gave his daughter Julia to Pompey in marriage. Now it was Pompey's turn to help Julius. Caesar was elected consul for 59BC, and the year after (58BC) he was appointed governor of Roman Gaul (modern day southern France) .     Gallic Wars     At that time Celtic Gaul, to the north, was still independent, but the Aedui, a tribe friendly to Rome, asked Caesar for help against another Gallic people, the Helvetii, during the first year of his governorship. Caesar marched into Celtic Gaul with six legions, defeated the Helvetii, and forced them to return to their home area. Next, he crushed German forces. By 57BC, Rome was in control of northern Gaul. (A last revolt of the Gauls, led by Vercingetorix, was crushed in 52BC.see this page for excellent information about the battle with Vercingetorix) Power Play      The three rulers then met, and it was decided that Caesar would continue as governor in Gaul for another five years, while Pompey and Crassus would both be consuls for 55BC. Caesar then went off to raid Britain and put down a revolt in Gaul. Crassus, ever eager for military glory, went to Syria. Provoking a war with the Parthian Empire(modern Iraq), he was defeated and killed at Carrhae in 53BC. Now there were 2 : Caesar and Pompey. But their family ties had been broken by the death of Julia in 54BC. CIVIL WAR     In 52BC, with Crassus out of the way, Pompey was made sole consul. Combined with his other powers, this gave him a very powerful position. Determined to rule alone, he tried to break Caesar's power by ending his rule in Gaul. Caesar suggested that he and Pompey both lay down their commands , but this was rejected; persuaded by Pompey, the Senate called upon Caesar to resign his command and disband his army, or else be considered a public enemy. The Senate then gave power to Pompey to do whatever was necessary for the safety of Rome. His forces far outnumbered Caesar's, but they were scattered throughout the provinces, and his troops in Italy were not prepared for war. Early in 49BC Caesar crossed the Rubicon, a small stream separating his province from Italy, and moved swiftly southward. Pompey quickly left the city of Rome and travelled to Brundisium( a city in the southern tip of Italy) and from there to Greece. In three months Caesar was master of all Italy; his forces then took Spain and the key port of Massalía (now Marseille, France).
    In Rome Caesar became dictator . At the beginning of that year he landed in Greece and smashed Pompey's army at Pharsalus. Pompey escaped to Egypt, where Cleopatra and her brother were also struggling for power. Pompey was assassinated by Cleopatra's brother, hoping to make a good impression on Caesar for killing his enemy, hoping Rome would side with him against his sister. When Caesar arrived there, he apparently did not appreciate the assassination. Instead he made Cleopatra, daughter of the late King Ptolemy XII, as queen. In 47BC he traveled to Asia Minor and made sure it was loyal to him, and returned to Rome to become dictator again. Click here for more on Julius Caesar and Cleopatra, DICTATORSHIP AND ASSASSINATION     Dictator for life. According to ancient rules of Rome, this office was only to be held for six months during an extreme emergency. As others had broken this rule before him, Caesar would break it too. In addition, he was made consul for ten years in 45BC and received the "sanctity of tribunes", making it illegal to harm him. Caesar also made himself look powerful: He wore the robe, crown, and scepter of a triumphant general and used the title "imperator". Furthermore, as "Pontifex Maximus" (chief priest), he was head of the state religion. And, he was in total command of the armies, which gave him his real power.
    As a ruler, Caesar made some changes. In the provinces he improved the tax system, created colonies for veterans by giving them land, and allowed more people to become Roman citizens. At home he replaced judges in the courts and increased the number of senators. His change of the calendar gave Rome a predictable and accurate order for the days and months.
A number of senators , however, felt that Caesar threatened their position, and his honors and powers made them fear that he would become a REX (king), a title they hated (Rome had experienced a bad king in their past). So, in 44BC, an assassination was planned by a group of senators, including Cassius and Brutus. On March 15 of that year (known as the "Ides of March"), when Caesar entered the Senate house, the group stabbed him to death. PERSONAL LIFE     After Caesar's first wife, Cornelia, died in 68BC, he married Pompeia, a granddaughter of one of his political enemies. When negative gossip spread about her , Caesar divorced her. His next marriage (59BC) was to Calpurnia and was again for political reasons. Since Caesar had no male children, he stated in his will that his grandnephew, Octavius, become his successor. It was Octavius who became Rome's first emperor under the name of Augustus.
Caesar was a gifted writer, with a clear and simple style. His book "Commentaries", in which he described Gaul and his wars there, is how we know details about the early Celtic and Germanic tribes. ACHIEVEMENTS Some historians say Julius Caesar was an unscrupulous tyrant, with an unquenchable lust for power, and blame him for the fall of the Roman Republic. Others say he saved the Roman world from chaos with a new type of government he created. In fact, Caesar's changes did bring peace to the Mediterranean world. Among ancient military commanders, he may be second only to Alexander the Great.