Early Life Of Julius Caesar example essay topic

Julius Caesar 'I came, I saw, I conquered. ' These are the words of the man who changed the history of the world. This paper will show how no other man in the history of the world represented military and political power better than Julius Caesar. He became a legend for his military exploits and great leadership ability. The Early Life of Julius Caesar was spent studying the history of power and wealth in early Rome.

Julius Caesar was born in Rome on July 12 or 13, in the year 100 B.C. His father was a part of a prestigious Julian clan. He was an official in charge of judicial matters, but never made it to the post of chief executive. He died when Caesar was only sixteen years old. It was his mother Aurelia, who proved to be quite influential in his life. She had two daughters and Caesar.

Women couldn't participate in government so obviously she did not. She did though, speak very clearly and gracefully which is where some of Caesar's ability may have come from. He came from a family of patricians, descendants of Rome's early rulers, and was fairly wealthy but was still not as comfortable as some of the other noble families. His uncle by marriage was Gaius Marius, the leading man in Rome at the time. Marius made sure that Julius Caesar was appointed flamendialis, which is an archaic priesthood with no power. Caesar married in 84 B.C. to Cornelia, a daughter of Marius's associate.

It was a political match. When Lucius Cornelius Sulla, Marius's enemy and the leader of the Opti mates, was made dictator in 82 B.C., he made a list of enemies to be executed. Caesar was not on the list but he was ordered by Sulla to divorce Cornelia. Caesar refused to do so and left Rome for military service in Asia and Cilicia. He returned in 78 B.C. when Sulla died and began his political career as a prosecuting advocate. At the age of 22 Caesar was unable to gain office and went to Rhodes where he studied rhetoric.

During his journey to Rhodes, pirates captured Caesar. While in captivity, Caesar convinced his captors to raise his ransom, which increased his prestige. He then raised a naval force, overcame his captors, and had them crucified. In 73 B.C. he returned to Rome for Rhodes as very persuasive speaker. Julius Caesar's Middle Life was full of wars, political plotting. Caesar's first and one of the biggest political moves was when he helped Pompey take office.

In 69 or 68 B.C. Caesar was elected quae stor. Shortly after this his first wife died. He then married Pompeia, a relative of Pompey. In 65 B.C. he was elected curule aedile, gaining great popularity for his gladiator games. In 62 B.C. he was elected a praetor. By this time, Caesar was making a name for himself as a political figure.

He divorced Pompeia after a scandal. Caesar was made governor of Farther Spain in 61 B.C. When Julius returned to Rome in 60 B.C. he joined forces with Crassus and Pompey. In 59 B.C. Caesar was elected consul, and the year after he was appointed governor of Roman Gaul. During Caesar's first year as a governor he marched into Celtic Gaul with six legions, defeated the Helvetii, and forced them to return to their home.

Later, he crushed Germanic invaders with the help of Ariovistus. By 57 B.C. Rome was in control of northern Gaul. It was decided that Caesar would continue in Gaul for another five years, while Pompey and Crassus would both be consuls while he is gone. Julius Caesar's later life shows how noble and great Caesar can be, but he was still not trusted by his good friends. Caesar continued to increase his prestige.

He wore the crown of a triumphant general and used the title imperator. He was in total command of the armies, and this was the reason for his great power. As a ruler Caesar organized various reforms. In provinces he eliminated the highly corrupt tax system, extended Roman citizenship, and sponsored colonies of veterans. His reform of the calendar gave Rome a rational means of recording time. A number of noble families felt that Caesar threatened their position.

Republicans feared that he would become a king. In 44 BC, an assassination plot was hatched by a group of 60 senators, Gaius Cassius and Marcus Junius Brutus were among these men. On March 15, 44 B.C., a day known as the Ides of March, Caesar entered the Senate House. He was stabbed 23 times. After Ceasar was assassinated, Rome experienced another 13 years of civil war. Julius Caesar probably the greatest man of his time and the most successful.

No other man could ever repeat what he did. From his early life to his death no other man accomplished as much as he did. His death was something that should not have happened and could have been prevented..