Julius Caesar Essay, Research Paper

Life of Julius Caesar was a strong leader for the Romans who changed the course

of the history of the Greek – Roman world decisively and irreversibly. With his

courage and strength he created a strong empire. What happened during his early

political career? How did he become such a strong dictator of the Roman Empire?

What events led up to the making of the first triumvirate? How did he rise over

the other two in the triumvirate and why did he choose to take over? What

happened during his reign as dictator of Rome? What events led up to the

assassination of Caesar? What happened after he was killed? Caesar was a major

part of the Roman Empire because of his strength and his strong war strategies.

Julius Caesar was a Roman general and statesman whose dictatorship was pivotal

in Rome?s transition from republic to empire. When he was young Caesar lived

through one of the most horrifying decades in the history of the city of Rome.

The city was assaulted twice and captured by Roman armies, first in 87 BC by the

leaders of the Populares, his Uncle Marius and Cinna. Cinna was killed the year

that Caesar had married Cinna?s daughter Cornelia. The second attack upon the

city was carried our by Marius? enemy Sulla, leader of the Optimates, in 82 BC

on the latter?s return from the East. On each occasion the massacre of

political opponents was followed by the confiscation of their property. The

proscriptions of Sulla, which preceded the reactionary political legislation

enacted during his dictatorship left a particularly bitter memory that long

survived. Caesar left Rome for the province of Asia on the condition that he

divorce his wife because Sulla would only allow him to leave on that condition.

When he heard the news that Sulla had been killed he returned to Rome. He

studied rhetoric under the distinguished teacher Molon. In the winter of 75-74

BC Caesar was captured by pirated and, while in their custody awaiting the

arrival of the ransom money which they demanded, threatened them with

crucifixion, a threat which he fulfilled immediately after his release. He then

returned to Rome to engage in a normal political career, starting with the

quaetorship which he served in 69-68 BC in the province of Further Spain. In the

Roman political world of the sixties the dominance of the optimates was

challenged by Pompey and Crassus. The optimates, led by Quintus Lutatius Catulus

and Lucius Licinius Lucullus, were chiefly men whose careers had been made by

Sulla. Pompey and Crassus were consuls in 70 BC and had rescinded the most

offensively reactionary measures of Sulla?s legislation. During Pompey?s

absence from 67 to 62 BC during his campaigns against the Mediterranean pirates,

Mithridates, and Crassus, his jealous rival. Caesar married Ponpeia after

Cornelia?s death and was appointed aedile in 65 BC As audile, Caesar returned

to Marius? trophies to their former place of honor in the Capitol, thus laying

claim to leadership of the populares. When Caesar was a praetor, he supported a

tribune who wanted Pompey recalled to restore order in Rome. As a result, Caesar

was suspended from office for a period and antagonized Catulus. Before leaving

Rome to govern Further Spain for a year, Caesar divorced his wife Pompeia

because of the allegation that she had been implicated in the offense of Publius

Clods. The latter was then awaiting trial for breaking into Caesar?s house the

previous December disguised as a woman at the festival of the Bona Dea, which no

man is allowed to attend. After his return from a successful year administrating

Spain Caesar was elected consul for 59 BC through political alliance with Pompey

and Crassus. This alliance was called the first triumvirate. Caesar?s purpose

was to gain a big military command. Pompey for his part sought the ratification

of his eastern settlement and land allotments for his discharged troops. Crassus

sought a revision of the contract for collecting taxes in the province of Asia.

An agrarian bill authorizing the purchase of land for Pompey?s veterans was

passed in January of 59BC at a disorderly public assembly which Caesar?s

fellow consul Calpurnius Bibulus, was thrown from the platform and his

consularinsignia were broken. Bibulus tried to stop Caesar and his supporters

from passing any further law but was only able to postpone the creation of the

new laws by saying that the skies would not permit it because there was stormy

weather and they were very superstitious. Caesar disregarded Bibulus? behavior

and the remainder of the legislative program of the triumvirate was carried

through. As a result of this action Caesar and his friends incurred bitter

attacks. Their political opponents continued to claim that the whole of the

legislation was unconstitutional and invalid. Caesar had secured for five years

the governorship of three provinces. The provinces were Cisalpine Gaul,

Transalpine Gaul, and Illyricum. He left Rome and remained in Gaul until his

invasion of Italy. He continued north of the Alps each summer and he would leave

his armies there in garrison each winter while he came south to conduct the

civil administration of Cisalpine Gaul and Illyricum and to keep in contact with

Rome. Caesar became determined to conquer and make a province of the whole of

Gaul. After his defeat of the Belgian tribes in the north and the submission of

the maritime tribes on the Atlantic seaboard, he believed that the task had all

but been accomplished. Caesar decided to make two short reconnaissance

expeditions, one across the Rhine and the other across the Straits of Dover to

Britain. In a longer and more serious invasion of Britain he crossed the Thames

and received the submission of the supreme commander of the southeastern

Britons, Cassivellaunus. Caesar had avoided recall to Rome at the end of the

five years of command voted to him by coming to a fresh agreement with Pompey

and Crassus at Luca. The optimates in control of the senate, now awake to the

immense increase in Caesar?s personal power, wealth, and prestige, kept Pompey

in Italy, allowing him to govern his Spanish provinces by deputies. Pompey?s

own attachment to Caesar was broken when Caesar?s daughter Julia to whom

Pompey had been happily married since 59 BC died in 54 BC Crassus was killed by

the Parathions at Carrhae in Mesopotamia. In planning Caesar?s return to civil

life in Rome he could assume that as soon as he lost the immunity from

prosecution which his military command conferred, his political enemies would

endeavor to secure his exile by prosecuting him in the courts either for bribery

or for the use of force in politics. In Rome there was support in the senate for

a negotiated compromise when Curio put forth the proposal by which Caesar would

give up his military command and stand in person at the consular election on

condition that Pompey abandon his military command at the same time. On January

7, 49 BC Antony and one of his fellow tribunes were warned that their lives

would be in danger if they sustained their veto and the proclamation of military

law was passed. Caesar was told to leave his troops behind and cross the Rubicon

into Rome alone. Caesar knew that this was a death sentence for him so he did

not leave his troops but marched into the city and caused a civil war. He

defeated Pompey?s troops in many battles and became the dictator of Rome. From

the time that he had first faced battle in Gaul and discovered his own military

genius, Caesar was evidently fascinated and obsessed by military and imperial

problems. He gave them an absolute priority over the more delicate by no less

fundamental task of revising the Roman constitution. The need in the latter

sphere was a solution, which would introduce such elements of authoritarianism

as were necessary to check corruption and administrative weakness. Caesar?s

first dictatorship was simply a commission to enable him to hold elections in

the absence of the consuls of the year who were with Pompey, but after the news

of Pharsalus, Caesar was created dictator again; after Tarsus he was made

dictator for ten years and in the winter of 45 BC he was appointed perpetual

dictator. When Caesar was out of Italy after 49 BC real power lay in the hands

of his representatives. When he was dictator the most important of these

representatives was his ?master of the horse?. This representative was Mark

Antony. Much resentment was felt by prominent senators like Cicerone account of

the great power and influence of such against of Caesar. Caesar?s military

dominance was established beyond the possibility of successful challenge, the

senate gave him a profusion of personal honors which were out of keeping with

Roman tradition, reflecting as they did the extravagant distinctions accorded

earlier to the Hellenistic kings. The month of July was named after Caesar and

his statue was placed in the temple of Querns. Caesar was considered to be a

dictator for life. According to the traditional Republican constitution this

office was only to be held for six months during a dire emergency. Caesar also

obtained honors to increase his prestige. He wore the robe, crown, and scepter

of a triumphant general and used the title importer. He was also in command of

the armies. Caesar used his dictatorship and used it to increase his power. With

all of his powers he was pretty much the king of Rome. Mark Antony was his major

supporter and he helped convince the others to allow Caesar to have these

abilities, but it led to some problems. A group of conspirators had been formed

against Caesar because they felt that he had too much power and that if he

became the king of Rome he would become corrupt and use his powers to create a

bad society. The senate resented his actual position that was shown in the

sixty-member conspiracy, which Marcus Brutus had organized to kill him. On the

Ides of March, two days before he was due to leave Rome on his great eastern

expedition, he was stabbed to death at a meeting of the senate in Pompey?s new

theater. He fell dead at the foot of Pompey?s statue. Pompey was avenged, as

well as Bibulus and Cato. After a provocative funeral oration by Mark Antony,

Caesar?s body was burned by the mob in the forum. When at the games in his

honor the following July a comet appeared and it was regarded as evidence of his

godhead and he was formally consecrated and ?Divus Julius,? or divine

Julius. Octavius, whose name became Caesar Octavius after his adoption by

Caesar?s will, solved, by his creation of the Roman principate, the

constitutional problem that Caesar failed to solve. Caesar had started as a

consul and had formed the first triumvirate with Crassus and Pompey. They had

taken over the Roman civilization and had controlled for a while. When Crassus

was killed and agreement was made. Pompey and Caesar were supposed to give up

their military and enter the city of Rome to find a real ruler. Pompey was in on

the dead land he was supposed to take over. Caesar knew that if he entered the

city of Rome without his troops Pompey would kill him and so he crossed the

Rubicon with his troops and attacked Rome. He took over as a dictator for life

and gained a lot of power. He was able to run a strong military and even though

he was considered only a dictator he wrote laws that actually made him have the

same powers as a king. The conspirators saw the problem that had a risen and so

they planned the murder of Caesar on the Ides of March. Caesar was killed and

there was another triumvirate formed. Caesar was a strong military leader that

had showed strength and courage to take over the town and he was able to form a

civilization that was strong militarily and politically.

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