Caesar

Veni, Vidi, Vici. 'I came, I saw, I conquered.' These are the words of the man who changed the course of Greco Roman History. Julius Caesar was one of the most influential leaders of his time. He brought about many changes in his mighty empire, some of which his time has never seen.

Gaius Julius Caesar rose to power from a poor family to become a dictator late in the Roman republic. He was a brilliant general and a great politician. Caesar was born on July 17, 100 BC and he was assassinated on March 15, 44 BC.

Caesar's rise to power was not an easy one, in 73 BC he was made a pontiff at Rome. He gained a lot of popularity because he sided with those seeking power outside the circle of nobles who at that time dominated the Roman senate, which at that time ruled Rome. He also gained popularity with the Gauls in 68 BC by supporting them for Roman citizenship.

Caesar became governor of Spain in 61 BC after Crassus had helped pay his creditors after some financial issues. Military actions in Spain helped further restore Caesar's financial security. He outwitted his political enemies by passing up his triumph, the traditional victors procession in Rome. He did this in order to win the election to the consulate with the support of Pompey and Crassus. Crassus was the richest man in Rome. Caesar, Pompey, and Crassus formed what was known as the first triumvirate, which means a government of three men, in 60-59 BC. These actions were taken to further their political ambitions. Caesar, Pompey, and Crassus were able to rule despite the anger of the senate. Caesar received governorships of Lllyricum, Cisalpine Gaul, and Transalpine Gaul. He was also given control over a large army that he used to rule over Gaul. He gained a lot of political strength from the Gallic Wars, which lasted from 58 to 51 BC. With Caesar spending most of his time in the north, Pompey gathered most of his power by making a good relationship with the senate. This war was not his most famous war; the War with Pompey was perhaps his greatest.

Although Caesar's daughter, Julia, was married to Pompey, friction between the two great leaders developed. This friction was encouraged by Crassus. The death of Julia in 54 BC, the death of Crassus in 53 BC, and the success of Caesar in Gaul destroyed the two men's relationship. In 52 BC Pompey was made sole consul. In 50 BC Pompey joined with Caesar's opponents for a bid for a second consulate and also ordered Caesar to disassemble his army. Instead, Caesar crossed the Rubicon into Italy and fought against Rome, creating yet another civil war. In many battles he defeated Pompey,