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The civilization of Rome is said to have been established around 753 BCE, by the Republic's legendary founders Romulus and Remus. In the centuries that passed until the days of Julius Caesar, the small band of Romans became one of the most advanced and powerful states in Europe. Caesar's life marked the end of Rome's time as a republic, and the beginning of the Roman Empire.
Gaius Julius Caesar was at once the Roman Republic's most effective ruler, and its most destructive despot. He changed the course of European history, and while he was for a time considered Rome's savior, he died in a storm of conflict and shame.
The name can cause some understandable confusion. "Ides" is a word that hasn't been used for millennia, except for when referring to the Ides of March. In the Roman Republic, Ides was a halfway point in the 10 months of the Roman kalends. For the month now known as March, Ides fell on the 15th day.
Usually when people mention the Ides of March, they're referring to the fateful day in ancient Rome when Gaius Julius Caesar was assassinated.
After the death of his father, Caesar joined the ranks of the Roman army, and his natural skill on the battlefield quickly earned him a reputation. By 61 BCE, Caesar had been elected as a military tribune, which marked his official entry into the world of Roman politics.
Finally in charge of all of Rome, Caesar began to grow the Republic through an aggressive series of military campaigns in the surrounding region of Gaul. By 58 BCE, only eight years after rising to power, virtually all of Europe west of the Rhine River was under Roman control.
Just one year later, Caesar was elected by his troops as imperator, which in Roman times was equivalent to the military rank of commander. That same year, in 60 BCE, Caesar was elected as co-consul of Rome, alongside Marcus Bibulus. Caesar quickly ran Bibulus into hiding, and formed the famous First Triumvirate with his political allies Crassus and Pompey.
Roman tradition stated that consuls were only meant to serve for one year, before stepping down and being appointed a governorship over one of Rome's territories. Using his widespread political connections, Caesar had himself appointed to certain provinces on the Italian peninsula that granted him control over four legions of military, enough to easily overwhelm the rest of the Republic's military. From here on out, there was very little stopping Caesar from continuing to act as the supreme ruler of the Roman Republic.
Brutus, along with senator Cassius Longinus, were the first to start building the conspiracy against Caesar. The final straw for the two politicians came in February of 44 BCE, when Caesar appointed himself as "dictator in perpetuity," an act which left no confusion concerning Caesar's plans to put an end to the Republic's elective democracy. It was finally made clear that Caesar was a tyrant, plain and simple.
After over a decade of conquest both abroad and with his enemies at home, Caesar had turned tradition on its head and was reappointed to the consulship numerous times, sometimes under the title of dictator. As a result, most of Caesar's once-innumerable allies had turned into enemies. On the Ides of March in 44 BCE at a senate meeting, the dictator Julius Caesar was stabbed by his senators 23 times, until he died.
The story of Caesar's assassination was rejuvenated by William Shakespeare's famous tragedy 'Julius Caesar,' at the turn of the 17th century. The legendary status of both Shakespeare and Caesar often cause the lines between fact and fiction to blur, but there are notable differences between the play and the reality. For example, Shakespeare took creative license to suggest that Caesar was deaf in one ear, a claim to which there is no historical basis.
At least 60 politicians are thought to have been complicit in Caesar's assassination. The conspiracy was led by one of the dictator's closest confidants, Marcus Brutus, who organized as many politicians as possible in order to indicate to the people of the Republic that the fall of Caesar was in their best interest.
Some historians have suggested that the mighty Caesar suffered from more than occasional fits of epilepsy. This claim was first made by the 2nd-century Roman historian Plutarch, and has persisted up to the present day.
The consular election of 60 BCE, the first election in which Caesar ran and subsequently won, was infamous even before Caesar's legacy had unfolded. Caesar and the numerous other men he was running against all made blatant use of political favors, bribes, and back-alley deals in their attempts to secure the election. Caesar may have won through questionable means, but he was far from the only one playing dirty.
Gaius Julius Caesar is one of the most well researched and widely studied figures in history, but many of the most intriguing aspects of his life and personage remain overshadowed by his conquests and assassination to this day.
History tells us that Gaius Julius Caesar was once held captive by pirates in the years leading up to his first election as consul. Caesar was apparently captured somewhere in the Aegean Sea while he was heading back to Rome. After his bounty was paid and the young officer was released, Caesar tracked down his former captors and had them executed.
Alexander the Great has been an inspiration for most of Europe's aspiring conquerors. Julius Caesar was no exception, and he was known to frequently compare himself and his accomplishments to those of the ancient Macedonian king. One story tells us that, after happening upon a statue of Alexander during his conquest of the Iberian Peninsula, Caesar lamented that the ancient emperor had already conquered a continent by age 20, while Caesar, around the same age at the time, had barely consolidated any real power of his own.
Caesar formed the famous First Triumvirate very shortly after winning the 60 BCE election. This governing trifecta, as is well known, was ultimately ill-fated. For some time, however, the Triumvirate proved to be an incredibly effective mode of governing. Caesar and his two close allies were able to closely monitor all Roman matters, from military campaigns to domestic reforms to suppressing dissent in the senate.
Some may have seen Caesar as a prudent warrior and strategist, but the Celts who fought against him in Gaul could see him as nothing more than a crude and ruthless tyrant. Caesar's conquest of Gaul was incredibly brutal; the dictator was known to indiscriminately slaughter any Celts found inhabiting Roman territory, be they men, women, or children. Modern historians agree that Caesar likely committed mass murder on more than one occasion.
The only Caesar whose fame can shine a light to that of Julius is the Roman dictator's adopted son and biological great-nephew, Gaius Octavius. Julius named Octavius as his heir in his will, and soon after his uncle's death Octavius came to be known as Augustus Caesar, the Roman Empire's first and greatest emperor.
For innumerable centuries, Germanic tribes east of the Rhine River felt entirely safe from any possible threats that arose in Western Europe. The Rhine, they thought, acted as a natural and impenetrable barrier that no foe could cross quickly enough to deal any real damage. This confidence quickly fell apart when Caesar made both military and technological history by building bridges across the wide river.
The Triumvirate fell apart after Crassus was killed in battle and Caesar and Pompey struck up a nasty rivalry, which ended in the assassination of Pompey.
One of Caesar's best-remembered accomplishments was the invasion of Britain. Caesar's invasion, which began in 55 BCE, was the first time in history that Romans reached Britain. This invasion drastically changed the course of history for Britain, continental Europe, and ultimately the world at large.
Pompey's assassination, however, wasn't ordered by Caesar; in fact, Caesar was dismayed and enraged when he heard the news. In Egypt, Pompey was captured by the Ptolemaic army. In a misguided attempt to get in Caesar's good graces, the Ptolemies assassinated Caesar's rival and presented him the head of the slain Pompey. While it was true that Caesar and Pompey were at odds, Caesar was still far from wishing Pompey dead.
Julius Caesar's rule may be dwarfed in length and impact by that of his successor, Augustus Caesar, but there never would have been any Augustus without Julius. Julius Caesar singlehandedly brought an end to the long-standing Roman Republic, and gave birth to the rise of the Roman Empire, which remains to this day the most impactful civilization in European history.
See also: Everything you need to know about the fall of Rome
One of Caesar's most resilient changes to Roman society can still be seen in the daily lives of Westerners in the 21st century. Julius Caesar reformed the ancient moon-based Roman calendar, which had been in use since the days of the legendary Romulus, into the solar Julian calendar. The Julian calendar was the first calendar in the West to consist of 365 days per year, and is the basis of the Gregorian calendar which remains in use today.
Gaius Julius Caesar was born on July 12, 100 BCE, to a family of wealthy patricians in the Roman capital. Although born into privilege, his family was far from having any real political influence, and Caesar had a long way to go before becoming the supreme ruler of the Roman Republic.
It is often assumed that the names "Julius" and "Caesar" only rose to prominence after they were donned by Julius Caesar. Actually, Caesar came from an immensely important bloodline that had already brought the name of Julius to legendary status. Julia Gens, through which Caesar could track his ancestry, is said to have started with an ancient man named Julus. According to legend, Julus was the son of the Trojan prince Aeneas, who was in turn said to be the son of Venus, the Roman goddess of love.
Very few leaders in history are as well remembered as Julius Caesar. Despite living and ruling more than 2,000 years ago, his life and legacy remain a common topic of study and conversation. In barely more than a decade, Caesar single-handedly put an end to the centuries-old Roman Republic and ushered in a new era of European civilization. The Roman Empire that emerged from the ashes of the republic set the stage for the two thousand years of empires, cultures, and nations that came after. The story of how this one man would change the world in such a short time is one of the most famous stories ever told, as is the day of his fateful assassination: the Ides of March.
So, what do most people not know about Gaius Julius Caesar? Read on to find out for yourself.
Fascinating facts about Julius Caesar to consider this Ides of March
Things you didn't know about the Roman dictator
LIFESTYLE Rome
Very few leaders in history are as well remembered as Julius Caesar. Despite living and ruling more than 2,000 years ago, his life and legacy remain a common topic of study and conversation. In barely more than a decade, Caesar single-handedly put an end to the centuries-old Roman Republic and ushered in a new era of European civilization. The Roman Empire that emerged from the ashes of the republic set the stage for the two thousand years of empires, cultures, and nations that came after. The story of how this one man would change the world in such a short time is one of the most famous stories ever told, as is the day of his fateful assassination: the Ides of March.
So, what do most people not know about Gaius Julius Caesar? Read on to find out for yourself.