Julius Caesar: Biography Of This Soldier And Politician Of Ancient Rome
We are on the Ides of March in the year 44 BC. That day, as usual, Gaius Julius Caesar addresses the Senate. Just a few months ago he proclaimed himself dictator, that is, dictator of Rome, which sweeps away with a stroke of the pen all the republican tradition that the city had preserved for centuries. For some, Caesar’s ambition has gone too far…
What happened on March 15 is well known; César was stabbed on the steps, the victim of a plot against him. But what had brought this man to such an end? Who was Julius Caesar? How did he become a dictator?
In this biography of Julius Caesar we will take a look at the life of one of the most famous figures of ancient Rome, who put the Republic in check and changed the course of Roman history.
From a patrician family, but fallen into disrepair
Caesar’s origins could not be more honorable: He was born into the Iulia or Julia gens, one of the oldest clans in Rome The Roman clans, which had their roots in the founders of the city, formed the patrician or aristocratic class, which logically shared the power of the Republic. Thus, forming alliances between these gensespecially through marriages, was crucial to politically (and often literally) surviving in the complex knot of conspiracies that shaped Roman reality.
Gaius Julius Caesar was born on the 12th or 13th day of the month of Quintilius in the year 100 BC. At least, that is the date accepted by most historians. Much later, when he was already a man of fame, Caesar himself changed the name of the month, replacing it with “July”, in honor, of course, of himself.
Despite its noble origins, the Julia family He lived in one of the poorest neighborhoods in the city, Suburra It was probably these humble origins that forged the ideology of the young Caesar, which later aligned him with the Populares, the Roman political faction that supported the plebs against the aristocratic oligarchy.
His mother, Aurelia, was always a point of support for young Julio, and tried to protect him from all setbacks. However, Caesar was a restless boy who soon followed in the political footsteps of his uncle, Gaius Marius Also a supporter of the popular ones, Marius was immersed in a radical antagonism with his political rival, Lucius Cornelius Sulla; antagonism that, in the end, ended up triggering the first civil war of the Roman Republic.
In 81 BC, Sulla becomes dictator and begins a fierce persecution of the supporters of the exiled Marius, which includes the young Caesar. The boy, then barely 20 years old, he is forced to flee Rome and enlist in the army in which he achieved great success and from which he returned wearing the “civic crown”, an important military distinction.
Indeed, in 78 BC, Lucius Cornelius Sulla had already died. Caesar then settles in Rome and begins to practice as a lawyer, again with tremendous success. The excellent instruction that he received in his early years, together with his extraordinary oratory skills, make him a tremendously popular character. Caesar is adored by the plebs.
By then, his first wife, Cornelia, had died. Caesar remarries Pompeia, who is, by the way, the granddaughter of the late Sulla. He then began a brilliant political career that led him to hold various positions in the Republic, until, in 63 BC, he is named Pontifex Maximus César is 37 years old and still has a lot of ambition to satisfy.
The first triumvirate and the Gallic War
In 62 BC, Caesar divorces Pompeii; in principle, because of the scandal that her adulterous relationship with another man has caused. Not only that; as wife of Pontifex MaximusPompeii must organize celebrations in honor of the Bona Deain which male participation was not allowed.
Soon a rumor spreads that a young man has managed to enter the house and has lain with Pompeya (which was probably just that, a rumor). Caesar’s response is an immediate divorce order. The writer Plutarch, in his famous work Parallel livesincludes some alleged words from Caesar about the event, in which he said that his wife should not only be honest, but appear so.
In a world where links were mere political alliances, It is not surprising that, shortly after the divorce, Caesar remarried; this time with Calpurnia , the daughter of Senator Lucius Cornelio Pisón. At the same time, he marries his daughter Julia, by his first wife, to Gnaeus Pompey the Great, his political ally. It is precisely with Pompey and Marcus Licinius Crassus with whom, in 60 BC, he established what would be the first triumvirate of Rome.
Also around that time he left for Hispania as governor. But, probably, the most famous campaign and for which he is best known is the Gaul campaign, of which Caesar himself left written testimony in his work The Gallic War. With the excuse of keeping the Helvetii, who were crossing Roman limits, at bay, Caesar led his legions into Gallic territory The campaign lasted no less than seven years, during which he managed to subdue not only the Gauls, but also the Belgians. In 52 BC, the Battle of Alesia took place, in which the last Gallic leader, Vercingetorix, was defeated.
A new civil war
While in Gaul, his former allies plot against him in Rome. Crassus, the third man of the triumvirate, has died in the war against the Parthians. Pompey remains in Rome, who is not at all satisfied with the reforms proposed by Caesar, in line with his popular ideology. Pompey therefore allies himself with the optimatesthe opposing faction that supports the old traditions of the Republic and the control of the nobles. Caesar is a very boisterous individual, and his ideas go against Roman customs Plus, it’s incredibly popular. In a word: Caesar is dangerous.
In 49 BC, Julius Caesar is ordered to return to Rome. He knows what this means; They intend to arrest him and judge him. He urges to make a decision. If he crosses the border alone and heads to Rome as a citizen, his fate is sealed. If he crosses it with his legions, the Senate will take the action as a declaration of war. It is then that, according to tradition, Caesar pronounces the famous phrase: Alea jacta est, “the dice are cast” or, what would amount to the same thing, “the die is cast.” Caesar crosses the Rubicon River with his troops and enters Rome It is the beginning of a second civil war, which will last four years.
The end: the Ides of March
In August 48 BC, the Battle of Pharsalia took place, resulting in the defeat of Pompey and his allies. Caesar’s former friend then flees to Egypt, where he attempts to gain support from Pharaoh Ptolemy XIII. However, his attempt ends in tragedy; Pompey is murdered by Ptolemy’s supporters and his head is sent to Caesar as a gift. But if what the murderers hoped was to gain his favor, they were very wrong. Full of fury at the undignified death that had been inflicted on his former companion, Caesar orders the perpetrators of the crime to be executed
Caesar had been in Egypt since September, where he had landed to follow in the footsteps of his enemy. It is during this period when he begins a passionate relationship with Cleopatra, who is in full struggle for the throne against her brother Ptolemy, and with whom he has her son Caesarion. The romance transcended history and has been the basis for numerous literary, cinematographic and artistic works.
Upon his return from Egypt, in 45 BC, Caesar is the absolute owner of Rome. He begins to behave like a true king, which increases the suspicion of his numerous enemies. The old republicans fear the return of the monarchy, and Caesar is a serious threat in this regard. Thus a plot is set up to assassinate the dictator, which includes some of the figures of the moment: Gaius Cassius, Marcus Licinius Brutus, Lucius Tullius Cimbri and Servius Sulpicio Galba, among others. Although not all names could be recovered, It is estimated that about sixty people were within the conspiracy, whose group called itself Liberators (“Liberators”) because they were convinced of freeing Rome from a tyrant.
According to Plutarch in his Lives, an augur had warned Caesar of the danger that threatened him, but he ignored the warning. After being stabbed to death, Caesar fell in the middle of a pool of blood, at the feet of the statue of Pompey, which was considered a symbol. It seemed as if the defeated enemy had returned from hell to take revenge. They were the Ides of March in the year 44 BC or, in other words, March 15. Caesar died and, with him, the old Republic. Because his death only triggered another stage of struggles and conflicts that ended with the accession to the throne of his adopted son Octavius Augustus, the first emperor of Rome.
