Julius Caesar not an Emperor but a Statesman
When I was a child, I looked up to leaders and royals just as Julius Caesar,
Napoleon Bonaparte and Queen Victoria.
In his writings Julius Caesar mentioned:
"From all the Gauls, the Belgae (Belgians) are the bravest." Perhaps that
was the main reason, I 'liked' Julius Caesar as a kid.
From Napoleon Bonaparte and Queen Victoria, I made different pages on
this Allaboutroyalfamilies blog. However Julius Caesar, on his own, has
never been mentioned before.
In 2017, I finally got the chance to visit Rome. Walking in such an
amazing city with lovely people, I must admit, I thought about its
history and its emperors.
Of course, I was confused that Julius Caesar never has been an Emperor
nor a King, but only a Consul and later even a Dictator.
Nevertheless, I still wanted to make a blogpost about him and the
other Roman Emperors.
Julius Caesar - Early life
although they weren't especially politically influential.
of Asia. His sister Julia, Caesars aunt married Gaius Marius, one of the
most prominent figures in the Republic. Little is known about the
childhood of Julius Caesar.
of the family at the age of 16.
his rival Lucius Cornelius Sulla.
a target for the new regime. He was stripped of his inheritance, his
wife's dowry. But he refused to divorce Cornelia and Julius Caesar
was forced to go into hiding.
The army
Minucius Thermus in Asia and under Servilius Isauricus in Cilicia.
the Aegean Sea, Caesar was kidnapped by pirates and held prisoner.
After the ransom was paid, Caesar raised a fleet, pursued and
captured the pirates and imprisoned them.
aunt Julia and his wife Cornelia died.
later divorced in 61 BC after the Bona Dea Scandal.
In 60 BC, Caesar began an election for consul, along with two
other candidates. Caesar won along with Marcus Bibulus.
Caesar married again, this time to Calpurnia, who was the
daughter of another powerful senator.
Source picture: Wikipedia
Conquest of Gaul
Caesar had four legions under his command, two of his provinces
bordered on unconquered territory and parts of Gaul were known
to be unstable.
Caesar became one of the most powerful politicians in the Roman
Senate due to a string of military victories in the Gallic Wars. These
wars extended the Roman territory. He also crossed into Britain,
claiming that the Britons had aided one of his enemies. He couldn't
advance further.
Civil Wars and reforms
When he returned to Rome the city was in a civil war. Crassus
was killed and Pompey was appointed sole consul and he married the
daughter of a political opponent of Caesar.
In 50 BC the Senate led by Pompey ordered Caesar to disband his army
and to return to Rome because his term as governor had finished.
Pompey accused Caesar of insubordination and treason.
On 10 January 49 BC, Caesar crossed the Rubicon river with only a
single legion and ignited civil war. Pompey and many of the Senate fled
to the south. One year later, Caesar defeated Pompey's lieutenants. He
defeated Pompey at Pharsalus in Greece on 9 August 48 BC.
Back in Rome, Caesar was appointed dictator, with Mark Antony as his
Master of the Horse (second in command). Caesar then pursued Pompey
to Egypt.
Egypt
Caesar involved with an Egyptian civil war between the child pharaoh and
his sister, wife and co-regent queen, Cleopatra. Then the pharaoh ordered
the murder of Pompey. Caesar sided with Cleopatra. He withstood the
Siege of Alexandria and he defeated the forces of the pharaoh at the
Battle of the Nile in 47 BC. He installed Cleopatra as ruler. Caesar and
Cleopatra celebrated their victory with a triumphal procession on the Nile
in the spring of 47 BC.
An heir?
Caesar) as his principal heir, leaving his vast estate and property including
his name.
Reforms
constitution. He wanted to bring back the order in the Republic and he
wanted to create a strong central government in Rome.
three extra months be inserted into 46 BC. Thus the Julian Calendar opened
on 1 January 45 BC. This Calendar is almost identical to the current
Western Calendar.
Death
On 15 March 44 BC, Julius Caesar was assassinated by a group of rebellious
senators led by Brutus and Cassius, who stabbed him to death. A new series
of civil wars broke out. Finally they were won by Caesar's great- nephew
and adopted heir Octavian (later known as Augustus). Caesar's heir started
the era of the Roman Empire.
👉 Did you know
Caesar was an accomplished author and historian as well as a statesman.
Much of his life is known from his own accounts of his military campaigns.
Memoirs:
- the Gallic Wars
- the Civil War
* Even poems written by Julius Caesar are also mentioned in ancient sources.
👇
Modern rulers in history also became interested in the life of Julius Caesar.
* Napoleon III wrote a work : Histoire de Jules César.
* Charles VIII ordered a monk to prepare the translation of the Gallic Wars in
1480.
* Charles V ordered a topography study in France, to place the Gallic Wars in
context.
* Suleiman the Magnificent, Ottoman sultan, catalogued the surviving editions
of the Commentaries and translated them to Turkish language.
*Louis XIV of France retlanslated the first editions afterwards.
own picture of the Tiber River in Rome taken in 2017
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