Julius Caesar, one of Ancient Rome's most famous
individuals, was born in 100 BC - or near
to that year - into a wealthy family. He
was a well educated child who was good at
sport.
After serving in the Roman Army, Julius Caesar
developed an interest in politics. He became
a driven man who wanted to get to the highest
positions in Roman politics. In 65 BC, Caesar
was appointed an 'adele' and put in charge
of public entertainment in Rome.
This was
a very important position as the citizens
of
Rome expected quality entertainment. It
was believed by those who ran Rome that the people
could be kept happy and content if they
had
access to varied and enjoyable entertainment.
Caesar took to the post with zeal. He borrowed
large sums of money to ensure that the
entertainment he provided was the best available,
putting
on games and festivals for the people.
As a result, he became very popular with the
poor
of Rome - a considerable part of the
city's population. He also courted the friendship
of Rome's richest man, Crassus.
In 59 BC, Caesar was appointed a consul and
in 58 BC he went to Gaul (France) where he served
as governor. He was successful in this position
and conquered even more land for the Roman Empire.
Caesar was a brilliant general and commanded
an army of over 50,000 loyal men.
His success
at a military level all but guaranteed the
loyalty of the masses. But he was seen by some
as a cruel
man, solely driven by expanding his own personal
power. As a result, he made enemies of important
politicians in Rome itself. Some senior army
generals, such as Pompey, were also very concerned
about Caesar's intentions.
In 49 BC the Senate ordered Julius Caesar to
hand over his army to their control. He refused.
Instead Caesar advanced on Italy but paused at
the line that divided France (Gaul) and Italy
- at the River Rubicon. Roman law said that a
governor was not allowed to leave his province.
Caesar ignored this law, crossed the Rubicon
and advanced to confront his enemies in Rome.
The Senate considered this to be a treasonable
offence but there was little they could do,
as Julius Caesar had a very powerful and experienced
army and his opponents were fragmented. Pompey
was killed in Egypt in 48 BC, and for the next
three years he picked off his enemies one by
one, whether they were in North Africa, the
Middle
East or Europe.
Julius Caesar returned to Rome in 45 BC as a
dictator. However, he allowed the Senate to continue
working - except that he replaced disloyal senators
with his own appointments. He should have used
his position to make powerless those he had removed
from the Senate - but he did not. Having not
taken away their wealth and influence, these
men plotted against him.
In 44 BC, Caesar was murdered by those politicians
who feared that he was too obsessed with his
own importance. His murder took place at the
Senate House in Rome, and afterwards Rome was
divided as to whether it was a good thing or
not.
"Our tyrant deserved to die. Here was
a man who wanted to be king of the Roman people
and master of the whole world. Those who agree
with an ambition like this must also accept the
destruction of existing laws and freedoms. It
is not right or fair to want to be king in a
state that used to be free and ought to be free
today." Cicero.
"People blame me for mourning the death
of my friend. They say my country should be preferred
to my friends, as if they had proved that killing
him was good for the state. I did not abandon
him as a friend however much I disapproved of
what he was doing." Gaius Matius.
If you're fascinated by the story of Rome, and
Julius Caesar, why not take this chance to spend
a few days walking with history.
Use the menu on left hand side
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Culture section
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