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Gaius Julius Caesar rose from relative obscurity to supreme power over the Roman Empire.
Born on July 13, 100 B.C, he cam from a rather humble family of little prominence. In 84 B.C, he married Lucius Cornelius Sulla. When Lucius ordered him to divorce her, he refused and escaped harm through the intervention of a relative. Afterwards, he was sent to collect a fleet from a Roman alley, Nicomedes IV, of Bithynia. At the siege of Mytilene in 80, he was honored for conspicuous bravery. He then left for Rhodes to study, but was captured en route by pirates. Escaping from the Pirates, and returning to Rhodes, his studies were interrupted by the outbreak of the RomanÕs war with Mithradates VI. Caesar was made pontiff at Rome in 73 B.C. After a quaestorship in Spain (69), Caesar earned popularity among the Transpadane Gauls by supporting their agitation for Roman citizenship. In 68, he married Pompeia, relative to Pompey the Great. In 64 B.C, while prosecuting Gaius Rabirius, he used the trial to attack the legality of the Senatus consultum ultimum, or the senateÕs decree of a state emergency. Through the help of massive bribery, he became Pontifex Maximus in the elections that year. Caesar took no part in CatilineÕs conspiracy, but courted much popularity by opposing the execution of CatilineÕs accomplices. Soon after these incidents, he divorced Pompeia on suspicion of infidelity, later marrying Calpurnia in 58. In 61, Caesar became governor of Further Spain. At this post, he outwitted his political enemies by forgoing a victory in order to win an election.
Although CeaserÕs daughter married Pompey in 59, strain began to develop between the two men. The death of Julia in 34 and CeaserÕs phenomenal success at Gaul eventually destroyed the the relationship between Pompey and Caesar. On Jan. 10th, 49 B.C, Caesar started a civil war with Pompey. CeaserÕs army, made of veterans of war, soon overran PompeyÕs forces, making Pompey withdraw his forces to Greece. Losing at Durrazo but dominating at Pharsalus, Caesar forced Pompey to flee to Egypt. There Pompey was murdered. Following Pompey to Egypt, he became involve in CleopatraÕs civil war with Ptolemy XIII. At this time, he made Cleopatra his mistress and queen of Egypt. Caesar went to Anatolia in 47 B.C, where he defeated Pharnaces, one of PompeyÕs alleys. This victory inspired CeaserÕs famous boast ÒVeni, Vidi, Vici?translated means ÒI came, I saw, I conquered?
Upon returning home to Rome, Caesar was showered with political praise, honor, and power. He was appointed Dictator for Life, elected consul, appointed perfect of morals, awarded tribunicians sacrosanctity, honored by portrayal on coins and by the erection of a temple to his clemency. As dictator, Caesar introduced many reforms to Rome, including limiting the distribution of free grain, founding citizen colonies, enlarging the Senate, and introducing the Julian Calender. At this time, he
Likening himself to Alexander the Great, Caesar began plans for the conquest of Parthia in 44 B.C. Many fearing that he would become an absolute king, so to prevent this, they schemed to murder him. Led by Marcus Junius Brutus and Gaius Cassius Longinus, the conspirators stabbed
Ceasar was a dynamic, elegant, intriguing and highly intelligent leader that aroused admiration in those who served him and respect in those he served over. Yet it was his immense ambition that eventually led to his downfall, perpetrated by his own men, his own Romans. With his death he therefore left the numerous problems of the future to his adopted son and heir, Augustus.
