Caesar Left Rome example essay topic

Julius Caesar's triumph in a civil war in the 40's BC made him the absolute ruler of Rome, but political jealousies among his opponents led to his assassination. Julius Caesar rose to power in Rome through his social status, financial support, military leadership, and political reputation. Caesar belonged to an old patrician family, the Julian clan. His aunt, Julia, married Gaius Marius, a supporter of the common people and an earlier Roman military leader.

Caesar soon decided that he wanted to enter politics and follow the path of his uncle, leading the populares to power. Caesar left Rome to go to Asia Minor while at the same time, a civil war between Marius and Sulla originated in Rome. Sulla defeated Marius and upon his return to Rome he launched a reign of terror on many of Marius's followers. Sulla pardoned Julius Caesar, even though he was Marius's nephew. When Sulla died, Caesar felt it was safe to return to Rome and gained the people's respect as a clever orator. With the support of Marcus Licinius Crassus, a wealthy citizen of Rome, Caesar was able to hold political offices such as quae stor in 68 BC, aedile in 65 BC, and praetor in 62 BC.

By this time Caesar was bankrupt and had many debts to pay off, but he was extremely popular with the masses. Caesar became the proprietor in Spain, where he gained some military experience and wealth. Upon returning to Rome in 60 BC he joined Crassus and Pompey to form the First Triumvirate, a trio of political leaders. The other two triumvirs agreed to grant Julius Caesar the office of consul in 59 BC. The triumvirs defied the Senate when they illegally passed many laws in their favor. Caesar continued to reduce the power of the Senate when he distributed the land to Pompey's men and the poor.

He was appointed the governor of Roman Gaul in 58 BC and built up an army there. Caesar marched north into Gaul and defeated the Helvetii. Northern Gaul's last stand was the battle of Alesia in 52 BC led by Vercingetorix. Caesar built defensive lines 25 miles long around the hill that Alesia sat upon.

Even though he was outnumbered five to one, he defeated Vercingetorix and added Gaul to the Roman Empire. To promote his status, in 49 BC Caesar wrote The Commentaries, a third-person narrative of himself as a general in the Gallic Wars. In 56 BC, the triumvirs met at Luca and decided that Caesar would govern Gaul, Pompey would govern Spain, and Crassus would govern Syria. However, Crassus was killed in Syria in 53 BC by the Parthians, and Caesar's daughter (who was married to Pompey) died. These two factors removed the last bonds between Caesar and Pompey. The Senate favored Pompey and ordered that Caesar give up his command and hand down his legions to a new governor.

Caesar refused to conform and with his army, he crossed the Rubicon into Italy. Not long after, Caesar forced Pompey to retreat to Greece. Pompey's army and many senators were defeated in Greece at Pharsalus, but Pompey escaped again and fled to Egypt. Caesar followed him there and recieved a gift from the young king Ptolemy. Caesar opened the box only to find Pompey's severed head looking straight at him.

Caesar, infuriated because he was not given the chance to pardon Pompey. He defeated Ptolemy and married his sister, Cleopatra. After rapidly crushing a revolt in Asia Minor, Caesar returned to Rome in 47 BC. In 45 BC he was elected dictator for life, and with total control of Rome, he filled the Senators with consternation. The fear and jealousy in the Senate brought about by Julius Caesar's uncontrollable power was the cause of his assassination. Caesar set out to create a reform program which included: distributing land to the poor, reducing slavery, and reducing the provincial taxes by 1/3.

He also introduced a public works system, extended Roman citizenship, organized the Roman laws, and created a Greek / Roman library. The most significant of his reforms was his creation of the Julian calender, which is used today. However, the Senate, more terrified than ever, settled on the assumption that Caesar would make himself king. Two Senators, Marcus Junius Brutus and Gaius Cassius, led the conspiracy to assassinate Caesar. On March 15, 44 BC, Julius Caesar was surrounded by Senators, stabbed 23 times, and left on the floor of the Senate building.

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