A courageous man and seducer of women, Gaius Julius Caesar is a great Roman commander and emperor, famous for his military exploits, as well as for his character, because of which the name of the ruler became a household name. Julius is one of the most famous rulers who was in power in Ancient Rome.
The exact date of birth of this man is unknown; historians generally believe that Gaius Julius Caesar was born in 100 BC. At least, this is the date used by historians in most countries, although in France it is generally accepted that Julius was born in 101. A German historian who lived in the early 19th century was confident that Caesar was born in 102 BC, but Theodor Mommsen's assumptions are not used in modern historical literature.
Such disagreements among biographers are caused by ancient primary sources: ancient Roman scholars also disagreed about the true date of Caesar’s birth.
The Roman emperor and commander came from a noble family of patrician Julians. Legends say that this dynasty began with Aeneas, who, according to ancient Greek mythology, became famous in the Trojan War. And Aeneas’s parents are Anchises, a descendant of the Dardanian kings, and Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty and love (according to Roman mythology, Venus). The story of the divine origin of Julius was known to the Roman nobility, because this legend was successfully spread by the relatives of the ruler. Caesar himself, whenever the opportunity presented itself, liked to remember that there were Gods in his family. Scientists hypothesize that the Roman ruler comes from the Julian family, who were the ruling class at the beginning of the founding of the Roman Republic in the 5th-4th centuries BC.
Scientists also put forward various assumptions about the emperor's nickname “Caesar”. Perhaps one of the Julius dynasty was born by caesarean section. The name of the procedure comes from the word caesarea, which means “royal”. According to another opinion, someone from a Roman family was born with long and unkempt hair, which was denoted by the word “caeserius”.
The family of the future politician lived in prosperity. Caesar's father Gaius Julius served in a government position, and his mother came from the noble Cotta family.
Although the commander's family was wealthy, Caesar spent his childhood in the Roman region of Subura. This area was full of women of easy virtue, and also mostly poor people lived there. Ancient historians describe Suburu as a dirty and damp area, devoid of intelligentsia.
Caesar's parents sought to give their son an excellent education: the boy studied philosophy, poetry, oratory, and also developed physically and learned equestrianism. The learned Gaul Mark Antony Gniphon taught the young Caesar literature and etiquette. Whether the young man studied serious and exact sciences, such as mathematics and geometry, or history and jurisprudence, biographers do not know. Guy Julius Caesar received a Roman education; from childhood, the future ruler was a patriot and was not influenced by fashionable Greek culture.
Around 85 BC. Julius lost his father, so Caesar, as the only man, became the main breadwinner.
Policy
When the boy was 13 years old, the future commander was elected priest of the main God in Roman mythology, Jupiter - this title was one of the main posts of the then hierarchy. However, this fact cannot be called the pure merits of the young man, because Caesar’s sister, Julia, was married to Marius, an ancient Roman commander and politician.
But in order to become a flamen, according to the law, Julius had to get married, and the military commander Cornelius Cinna (he offered the boy the role of priest) chose Caesar’s chosen one - his own daughter Cornelia Cinilla.
In 82, Caesar had to flee Rome. The reason for this was the inauguration of Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix, who began a dictatorial and bloody policy. Sulla Felix asked Caesar to divorce his wife Cornelia, but the future emperor refused, which provoked the anger of the current commander. Also, Gaius Julius was expelled from Rome because he was a relative of Lucius Cornelius' opponent.
Caesar was deprived of the title of flamen, as well as his wife and his own property. Julius, dressed in poor clothes, had to escape from the Great Empire.
Friends and relatives asked Sulla to have mercy on Julius, and because of their petition, Caesar was returned to his homeland. In addition, the Roman emperor did not see the danger in the person of Julius and said that Caesar was the same as Mari.
But life under the leadership of Sulla Felix was unbearable for the Romans, so Gaius Julius Caesar went to the Roman province located in Asia Minor to learn military skills. There he became an ally of Marcus Minucius Thermus, lived in Bithynia and Cilicia, and also participated in the war against the Greek city of Metilene. Participating in the capture of the city, Caesar saved the soldier, for which he received the second most important award - the civil crown (oak wreath).
In 78 BC. Residents of Italy who disagreed with Sulla’s activities tried to organize a rebellion against the bloody dictator. The initiator was the military leader and consul Marcus Aemilius Lepidus. Mark invited Caesar to take part in the uprising against the emperor, but Julius refused.
After the death of the Roman dictator, in 77 BC, Caesar tries to bring to justice two of Felix's henchmen: Gnaeus Cornelius Dolabella and Gaius Antonius Gabrida. Julius appeared before the judges with a brilliant oratorical speech, but the Sullans managed to avoid punishment. Caesar's accusations were written down in manuscripts and circulated throughout Ancient Rome. However, Julius considered it necessary to improve his oratory skills and went to Rhodes: A teacher, rhetorician Apollonius Molon lived on the island.
On his way to Rhodes, Caesar was captured by local pirates who demanded a ransom for the future emperor. While in captivity, Julius was not afraid of the robbers, but, on the contrary, joked with them and told poems. After freeing the hostages, Julius equipped a squadron and set off to capture the pirates. Caesar was unable to bring the robbers to trial, so he decided to execute the offenders. But due to the gentleness of their character, Julius initially ordered them to be killed, and then crucified on the cross, so that the robbers would not suffer.
In 73 BC. Julius became a member of the highest college of priests, which was previously ruled by the brother of Caesar's mother, Gaius Aurelius Cotta.
In 68 BC, Caesar married Pompey, a relative of Gaius Julius Caesar's comrade-in-arms and then bitter enemy, Gnaeus Pompey. Two years later, the future emperor receives the position of Roman magistrate and is engaged in the improvement of the capital of Italy, organizing celebrations, and helping the poor. And also, having received the title of senator, he appears at political intrigues, which is how he gains popularity. Caesar participated in the Leges frumentariae ("corn laws"), under which the population purchased grain at a reduced price or received it for free, and also in 49-44 BC. Julius carried out a number of reforms
Wars
The Gallic War is the most famous event in the history of Ancient Rome and the biography of Gaius Julius Caesar.
Caesar became proconsul, by this time Italy owned the province of Narbonese Gaul (the territory of present-day France). Julius went to negotiate with the leader of the Celtic tribe in Geneva, since the Helvetii began to move due to the invasion of the Germans.
Thanks to his oratory, Caesar managed to persuade the leader of the tribe not to set foot on the territory of the Roman Empire. However, the Helvetii went to Central Gaul, where the Aedui, allies of Rome, lived. Caesar, who was pursuing the Celtic tribe, defeated their army. At the same time, Julius defeated the German Suevi, who attacked the Gallic lands located on the territory of the Rhine River. After the war, the emperor wrote an essay on the conquest of Gaul, “Notes on the Gallic War.”
In 55 BC, the Roman military commander defeated the incoming Germanic tribes, and later Caesar himself decided to visit the territory of the Germans.
Caesar was the first commander of Ancient Rome who made a military campaign on the territory of the Rhine: Julius’s detachment moved along a specially built 400-meter bridge. However, the army of the Roman commander did not stay on the territory of Germany, and he attempted to make a campaign against the possessions of Britain. There, the military leader won a series of crushing victories, but the position of the Roman army was unstable, and Caesar had to retreat. Moreover, in 54 BC. Julius is forced to return to Gaul in order to suppress the uprising: the Gauls outnumbered the Roman army, but were defeated. By 50 BC, Gaius Julius Caesar had restored territories belonging to the Roman Empire.
During military operations, Caesar showed both strategic qualities and diplomatic skill; he knew how to manipulate the Gallic leaders and instill contradictions in them.
Dictatorship
After seizing Roman power, Julius became a dictator and took advantage of his position. Caesar changed the composition of the Senate, and also transformed the social structure of the empire: the lower classes stopped being driven to Rome, because the dictator canceled subsidies and reduced bread distributions.
Also, while in office, Caesar was engaged in construction: a new building named after Caesar was erected in Rome, where the Senate meeting was held, and an idol of the patroness of love and the Julian family, the Goddess of Venus, was erected in the central square of the capital of Italy. Caesar was named emperor, and his images and sculptures adorned the temples and streets of Rome. Every word of the Roman commander was equated to law.
Personal life
In addition to Cornelia Zinilla and Pompeii Sulla, the Roman emperor had other women. Julia's third wife was Calpurnia Pizonis, who came from a noble plebeian family and was a distant relative of Caesar's mother. The girl was married to the commander in 59 BC, the reason for this marriage is explained by political goals, after the marriage of his daughter, Calpurnia's father becomes consul.
If we talk about Caesar’s sex life, the Roman dictator was loving and had relationships with women on the side.
Women of Gaius Julius Caesar: Cornelia Cinilla, Calpurnia Pisonis and Servilia There are also rumors that Julius Caesar was bisexual and engaged in carnal pleasures with men, for example, historians recall his youthful relationship with Nicomedes. Perhaps such stories took place only because they tried to slander Caesar.
If we talk about the famous mistresses of the politician, then one of the women on the side of the military leader was Servilia - the wife of Marcus Junius Brutus and the second bride of the consul Junius Silanus.
Caesar was condescending towards Servilia's love, so he tried to fulfill the wishes of her son Brutus, making him one of the first persons in Rome.
But the most famous woman of the Roman emperor is the Egyptian queen. At the time of the meeting with the ruler, who was 21 years old, Caesar was over fifty: a laurel wreath covered his bald head, and there were wrinkles on his face. Despite his age, the Roman emperor conquered the young beauty, the happy existence of the lovers lasted 2.5 years and ended when Caesar was killed.
It is known that Julius Caesar had two children: a daughter from his first marriage, Julia, and a son, born from Cleopatra, Ptolemy Caesarion.
Death
The Roman emperor died on March 15, 44 BC. The cause of death was a conspiracy of senators who were indignant over the dictator's four-year rule. 14 people took part in the conspiracy, but the main one is considered to be Marcus Junius Brutus, the son of Servilia, the emperor’s mistress. Caesar loved Brutus infinitely and trusted him, placing the young man in a superior position and protecting him from difficulties. However, the devoted republican Marcus Junius, for the sake of political goals, was ready to kill the one who endlessly supported him.
Some ancient historians believed that Brutus was the son of Caesar, since Servilia had a love relationship with the commander at the time of the future conspirator’s conception, but this theory cannot be confirmed by reliable sources.
According to legend, the day before the conspiracy against Caesar, his wife Calpurnia had a terrible dream, but the Roman emperor was too trusting, and also recognized himself as a fatalist - he believed in the predetermination of events.
The conspirators gathered in the building where the Senate meetings were held, near the Theater of Pompeii. No one wanted to become the sole killer of Julius, so the criminals decided that each would inflict one single blow on the dictator.
The ancient Roman historian Suetonius wrote that when Julius Caesar saw Brutus, he asked: “And you, my child?”, and in his book he writes the famous quote: “And you, Brutus?”
Caesar's death hastened the fall of the Roman Empire: the people of Italy, who valued Caesar's government, were furious that a group of Romans had killed the great emperor. To the surprise of the conspirators, the only heir was named Caesar - Guy Octavian.
The life of Julius Caesar, as well as stories about the commander, are replete with interesting facts and mysteries:
- The month of July is named after the Roman emperor;
- Caesar's contemporaries claimed that the emperor suffered from epileptic seizures;
- During gladiator fights, Caesar constantly wrote something on pieces of paper. One day the ruler was asked how he manages to do two things at once? To which he replied: “Caesar can do three things at the same time: write, watch, and listen.”. This expression has become popular; sometimes Caesar is jokingly called a person who takes on several tasks at the same time;
- In almost all photographic portraits, Gaius Julius Caesar appears before the audience wearing a laurel wreath. Indeed, in life the commander often wore this triumphal headdress, because he began to go bald early;
- About 10 films were made about the great commander, but not all are biographical in nature. For example, in the series "Rome" the ruler remembers the uprising of Spartacus, but some scholars believe that the only connection between the two commanders is that they were contemporaries;
- Phrase "I came, I saw, I conquered" belongs to Gaius Julius Caesar: the commander pronounced it after the capture of Turkey;
- Caesar used a code for secret correspondence with generals. Although the “Caesar cipher” is primitive: the letter in the word was replaced by the symbol that was to the left or to the right in the alphabet;
- The famous Caesar salad is named not after the Roman ruler, but after the chef who came up with the recipe.
Quotes
- "Victory depends on the valor of the legions."
- “When one loves, call it what you want: slavery, affection, respect... But this is not love - love is always reciprocated!”
- “Live in such a way that your friends will be bored when you die.”
- “No victory can bring as much as one defeat can take away.”
- “War gives the conquerors the right to dictate any conditions to the conquered.”
The ruler who changed the calendar
The year according to the Roman calendar consisted of 355 days, but in 46 AD. BC. Julius Caesar introduced the Egyptian calendar, where there were 365 days in a year, and in every fourth year one “extra” day was added to February. The Julian calendar is still in effect today, with some modifications. To switch to the new calendar system, 46g. BC. had to be extended to 445 days.
The New Year in Rome began in March, the fifth month - Quintilis - Caesar renamed the month Julius (July) in his honor. Caesar's successor Augustus named the sixth month of the year after himself. The days were numbered according to the three main days of each month, i.e. the day of the new moon was always the first day of the month, but the Nones and Ides moved: in March, May, July and October, the Nones fell on the 7th, and the Ides on the 15th; in other months - on the 5th and 13th.
How Julius Caesar came to power
Gaius Julius Caesar was born around 102. BC. in the aristocratic Yuli family. His family name Caesar means “hairy”, “hairy”, which was not particularly suitable for Julius Caesar himself, since by his mature years he had become fairly bald. Julius is a generic name common to all members of the clan, Guy is a personal name given at birth. In his youth, Caesar, having gone to the island of Rhodes to study rhetoric, was captured by pirates. When they demanded a ransom of 20 talents for him, he declared that he was worth 5, and vowed to return and crucify all the offenders on crosses. The pirates took the prisoner's words as a joke, but when the ransom was paid, Caesar carried out his threat. True, as a sign of mercy, he only cut their throats. After narrowly escaping death at the hands of the dictator Sulla, Caesar, like all young aristocrats, began his rise to fame and power from relatively low positions. In 70 BC. he was elected quaestor (treasurer), as which he was sent to the province of Iberia (now Spain). While in Cadiz, he saw a statue of Alexander the Great and sadly thought that by the age of 30, Alexander had already conquered the whole world, while Caesar himself had not done anything outstanding by that time.
By 59 BC. his influence grew so much that he was elected consul, the highest title in the Roman Republic. Together with the powerful Pompey and Crassus, he formed a triumvirate, in whose hands all the supreme power was concentrated. Caesar was appointed proconsul, i.e. Viceroy of the Gallic province, a huge army was placed under his command. Between 58 and 49 BC. he captured vast territories beyond the Alps.
Crassus was killed in the Middle East in 53. BC. during an unsuccessful military campaign. The Senate, fearing Caesar's claims, in 49. BC. ordered him to resign all powers and return to Rome. In response, he moved his army across the Rubicon River into Italian territory and started a civil war. After the death of Pompey the following year in Egypt, Caesar had no serious enemies left. He entered Rome as a victor and soon assumed the powers of dictator.
Why did Caesar cross the Rubicon?
January 10, 49 BC. Julius Caesar crossed the Rubicon River. He led with him a strong army, which he had assembled during a victorious campaign in Gaul and northern Italy.
During the times of Ancient Rome, the border between Gaul and Italy ran along the Rubicon, and Caesar understood that by crossing it with his troops, he would unleash a civil war in Rome. If he obeyed orders, disbanded the army and returned to Rome without it, he would find himself alone before his sworn enemy Pompey and a hostile Senate, jealous of his military victories and frightened by the exertion of his power.
Caesar spent the whole day watching the gladiators exercise. According to legend, a vision put an end to his painful doubts and thoughts: a large ghostly figure, taking a trumpet from the hands of a soldier, sent it across the river and sounded the signal “to fight.” Shocked by what he saw and taking it as a divine command, Caesar exclaimed “Alea jacta est!” (“The die is cast!”) and led his troops across the Rubicon. At dawn, he already besieged Arminium, and then took the city.
How the Republic fell
Legend has it that Rome was founded in 753. BC. twin brothers Romulus and Remus, and for the first 250 years it was ruled by Etruscan kings. In 510 BC. the last king was expelled and a republic was proclaimed. It was headed by 2 annually elected consuls, who were supposed to control each other in order to avoid claims of one of them to absolute power. Basically, consuls were elected from among 300 wealthy aristocrats - members of the Senate; as long as Rome remained a small city-state, the system worked admirably.
Starting from the 4th century. The borders of Rome expanded. First, his power extended to all of Italy, and then beyond its borders; and then the system began to fail. To 250g. BC. Rome controlled the bulk of Italy, and in 146. captured Carthage and became the most powerful power in the entire Mediterranean. But by 100 BC. The republic has completely outlived its usefulness.
Julius Caesar was the latest in a long line of ambitious, power-hungry rulers who dealt the republic its death blow. The Republic, as such, no longer existed at the time of Caesar’s death, but his killers justified their actions precisely by the interests of the Republic.
Murder on the Ides of March
Julius Caesar was stabbed to death in the Senate; the murderers saw in him only a future tyrant, while others considered him a great patriot and reformer.
Closer to noon on March 15, 1944. BC. Julius Caesar appeared in the Senate. Having sacrificed several heads of cattle to the gods, he went to the curia, where the Senate was meeting, and took his place. He was surrounded by a large group of senators, among whom were Marcus Brutus, Cassius and Casca. At the prearranged signal, they, drawing their daggers, attacked Caesar.
The first blow, delivered by either Cassius or Casca, struck Caesar in the throat. He began to fight back, trying in vain to defend himself with a sharply honed writing stylus. When he saw how many enemies wanted his death, he covered his head with a toga and stopped resisting the dagger blows that rained down on him from all sides. Only one exclamation escaped his lips: seeing Brutus among the conspirators, he cried out in Greek: “And you, my son?..” Having received 23 blows - one from each of the conspirators - he fell at the feet of the statue of his sworn enemy Pompey , staining the pedestal with blood.
Meanwhile, Caesar, like an ordinary superstitious Roman, knew that he should not go to the Senate that day. After all, the soothsayer warned that he should “fear the Ides of March” - precisely the fifteenth day of this month. Historians have described all the omens that predicted the death of Caesar. So, the day before, the war horses with which he crossed the Rubicon five years earlier refused to eat, and tears flowed from their eyes, and the kingbird, whom the Romans revered as the king of birds, was suddenly torn to shreds by his own flock. The night before, Caesar's wife Calpurnia had a terrible dream that Caesar was stabbed to death in front of her eyes, and she begged her husband not to leave the house that day. In addition, Caesar was unwell: he suffered from epilepsy and, obviously, felt the approach of a seizure, so he decided to stay at home. However, he was persuaded to come to the Senate.
To some extent, the conspiracy was a family affair: Brutus's wife Portia was the daughter of Cato, a zealous republican, and Cassius was Brutus' son-in-law.
The pet is preparing to kill
Born around 85 BC, Brutus was 17 years younger than Caesar. During the civil war of '49. BC. between Caesar and Pompey, he first took the side of Pompey, then went over to Caesar, who took him under his protection. When the war ended and Caesar's power was unusually consolidated, Brutus feared that Caesar might try to establish something like a monarchy.
These fears intensified in 1947. BC, when Caesar organized festivities and triumphal processions in Rome for a whole month. Then the Romans gave him dictatorial powers and the title Pater Patriae - Father of the Fatherland. Caesar caused violent discontent in the Senate by greatly expanding the circle of citizens who received the right to enter it; he appointed his friends to high positions and introduced a program of extensive tax and legislative reforms. Ordinary Romans began to rally around Brutus, who was considered the only one who could save them from the return of Tarquin's tyranny. The inscriptions “Oh, that Brutus were alive today” began to appear on the statue of Junius Brutus, and the living Brutus was called to action by such inscriptions as “Brutus, you are sleeping”, “You are not the real Brutus”, painted on the city walls. It is not surprising that it was he who stood at the head of the conspiracy. Events began to unfold on February 15, 1944. BC, when Caesar was offered to be crowned king, and he, it seems, did not really want to give up this honor. According to rumors, he was going to soon go on a military campaign to the east, so the conspirators had little time left. And they decided to set the date of his death - exactly a month from that day.
Caesar... met his soothsayer and told him: “The Ides of March have come.” “Yes, they came,” was the answer, “but they haven’t passed yet.”
When the Ides of March arrived, Brutus went to the Senate armed with a dagger, which no one knew about except his wife Portia. The burden of knowing about the conspiracy proved too much for her to bear. Having tormented everyone returning from the forum with questions about what was happening there, she lost consciousness so deeply that her neighbors considered her dead and sent her to tell Brutus about it. However, Brutus, as the biographer Plutarch tells us, remained in the Senate, deciding to fulfill his duty at all costs.
As soon as the murder was completed, the conspirators realized that they had made a mistake. Mark Antony, Caesar's main supporter, aroused the ire of the crowd by showing them Caesar's mangled body and reading his will, which allocated a certain amount of money to each citizen and land for public parks to the city as a whole.
With Caesar's body in their arms, the crowd burst into the Senate and pulled out all the benches and tables, making a funeral pyre out of them. The Romans put logs on the fire, soldiers put weapons and armor on the fire, and women put jewelry on the fire. In the flames of the fire, the era of Caesar's posthumous glory was born.
Who replaced Caesar
Mark Antony turned the wrath of the Roman people against the murderers. Brutus and Cassius left Rome, leaving the city to Mark Antony. At 43 BC. he formed a triumvirate with the former consul Lepidus and Octavian, Caesar's nephew, adopted son and heir.
The triumvirate's first goal was revenge for the death of Caesar. Having ordered the execution of several thousand Romans, the rulers defeated the army of Brutus and Cassius. At 42 BC. they both committed suicide.
The triumvirate soon fell apart. Lepidus stepped aside, and a brutal war broke out between Mark Antony and Octavian. At the Battle of Actium in 31. BC. Anthony's army was defeated, and he himself committed suicide the following year.
Octavian took the title of Augustus Caesar until his death in 14. AD had absolute military and religious power. It was he who became the first Roman emperor, and the imperial dynasty founded by him lasted over 400 years.
Why was Caesar able to come to power in Rome? and got the best answer
Answer from Alexey Khoroshev[guru]
Caesar came from a noble family and was a very intelligent and naturally gifted person. In addition, he was educated in the best schools in Rome and Greece. Caesar wanted to be first everywhere, but he had neither wealth, nor the glory of a commander, nor the army to fight for power. Meanwhile, his youth passed. Caesar complained to his friends: “At my age, Alexander the Great had already ruled so many nations, and I still haven’t done anything remarkable! “Friends objected: “Your complaints are in vain - you are the most famous person among the Roman poor!” “And so it was: Caesar spent all his money on treating thousands of poor citizens, on theatrical performances and holidays; once he organized gladiatorial games in which 320 pairs of gladiators fought in silver-plated weapons. Caesar even went into debt to provide these pleasures to the poor.
The far-sighted Caesar took advantage of the poor people's hatred of the senators; he promised to improve the situation of the free poor if he came to power; he claimed that he wanted to continue the work of the Gracchi brothers. Therefore, the popular assembly elected him consul.
At the end of a year of service, the consul received control of one of the provinces from the Senate, usually for several years. At Caesar's request, he was given Gaul. Caesar decided to conquer Transalpine Gaul.
It was a huge country, rich in iron, copper, gold, and timber. Its population exceeded the population of all of Italy. If the warring Gallic tribes had united, Rome would not have been able to exist peacefully.
The Gallic tribes were brave and warlike. Caesar spent 8 years in Gaul; following the rule of “divide and conquer”, he attracted part of the nobility to his side, crushed the Gallic tribes one by one and conquered their country. The Gallic wars brought Caesar the glory of a talented commander, piles of gold and a loyal army. It was divided into legions (their banner was the image of an eagle), and the legions into maniples (also having a banner: the image of a hand); the army had throwing machines, the legionnaires erected perfectly fortified camps.
Mercenary soldiers received double pay and slaves from Caesar, they believed in his promise to reward them with land at the end of their service. The army was ready to follow Caesar anywhere; it posed a serious threat to his enemy, Pompey.
The Senate was afraid of Caesar, since he was supported by the poor, and would prefer Pompey to become the ruler of Rome (the Senate hoped that Pompey would consult with him). The free poor, who hated the senators, followed Caesar. They believed that Caesar would give them land and cancel their debts. The support of the masses helped Caesar come to power in Rome.
Caesar became the ruler of Rome. The People's Assembly adopted resolutions pleasing to Caesar; for all positions it chose those Romans whom Caesar pointed to. The Senate and consuls were forced to obediently carry out his orders. Images of Caesar were minted on coins; his statues were placed next to the statues of the gods; in the Senate he sat on a chair trimmed with gold and ivory. Caesar's power was very similar to that of the king. Caesar declared himself "emperor". Caesar wore the title of emperor not temporarily, but permanently: the legions were the support of his power.
STORIES
About Caesar
I came, I saw, I conquered
Pharnaces, the son of King Mithridates Eupator, wanted to regain the Pontic kingdom and began a war against Rome. The venerable Gaius Julius Caesar completely defeated the army of Pharnaces. The victory was complete, as well as easy and swift. Caesar succinctly announced his victory: “I came, I saw, I conquered” (in Latin: “Veni, vidi, vici”). Since then, this catchphrase has become a symbol of quick and decisive success.
Said and done
Once Caesar was sailing on the sea and was captured by pirates. When the pirates demanded a ransom of twenty talents from him, Caesar laughed, saying that they did not know who they were dealing with, and he himself offered to give them fifty talents. Then, having sent his people to various cities for money, he remained among the pirates. He stayed with them for thirty-eight days, behaving as if they were his bodyguards, and not he their prisoner, and without the slightest fear he amused himself and joked with them. Caesar was a good orator and recited his speeches to the pirates, and if they did not express their admiration, he called them ignoramuses and barbarians to their faces. At the same time, he often laughed and threatened to hang them. They willingly listened to his free speeches, seeing in them a manifestation of complacency and playfulness. However, as soon as the ransom money arrived and Caesar, having paid it, was released, he immediately equipped the ships, overtook the pirates and took them prisoner. He took the wealth captured by the pirates for himself as booty, and ordered the pirates to crucify every single one, as he often predicted to them on the island when they considered his words a joke.
Be only the first
When Gaius Julius Caesar crossed the Alps and drove past a small barbarian town, his friends asked with a laugh: “I wonder if in this outback there is also a struggle for power and political intrigue?” To which Caesar remarked to them with complete seriousness: “As for me, I would prefer to be first here than second in Rome.”
Obsession with power
During his stay in Spain, one day reading in his spare time about the deeds of Alexander, Caesar became lost in thought and even shed tears. When asked about the reason for his worries, he replied: “At my age, Alexander had already ruled so many nations, and I still had not done anything remarkable. Isn’t this a sufficient reason for grief?”
Die is cast
Caesar irresistibly strived for sole power in Rome. Being a governor in Gaul, by law he did not have the right to return with an army to Italy. Crossing the border river Rubicon would mean the start of a war with the Roman Senate. Having approached the Rubicon, Caesar doubted for some time whether he should go further, because... I understood that there would be no turning back. After thinking for a while and overcoming doubts, he made a firm decision to go forward. Exclaiming: “The die is cast!”, Caesar crossed the Rubicon and moved towards Rome. In the ensuing civil war, he defeated Pompey's supporters and became dictator of Rome. Since then, the expression: “the die is cast” symbolizes making an important, irrevocable decision, and “crossing the Rubicon” symbolizes taking decisive action.
Only forward
Having crossed the English Channel with his army, Caesar landed in Britain. Then he ordered the ships to be burned. He lined up his soldiers on a high bank so that they could see with their own eyes how the flames consumed the remains of the ships on which they had recently sailed. Thus, Caesar prevented the possible escape of the army and made it clear to the soldiers that they would only be able to return home if they won victories. Undoubtedly, the eloquent spectacle of the burning ships increased the strength of the soldiers tenfold. And now, without any words, they perfectly understood that the bridges had been burned, that they must only go forward. And that they absolutely need to win. Which is what they did.
(materials used from the books: Plutarch’s “Comparative Lives”,
Gaius Suetonius Tranquilla "The Life of the Twelve Caesars")