The life, legacy, and betrayal of Julius Caesar.

2. Julius Caesar is ancient Rome’s most
famous figure. A brilliant politician and
general, his accomplishments and
influence were so significant that other
languages have words meaning “ruler”
that derive from his name, such as
“kaiser” in German and “czar” in
Russian.

3. Another lasting tribute: He’s even got his
own month; Quintilis, the month in which
Caesar was born, was renamed Julius (July)
in his honor. Find out more about the man
who famously proclaimed after one brief,
decisive military campaign: “Veni, vidi, vici,”
or “I came, I saw, I conquered.”

4. A politically adept and
popular leader of the
Roman Republic, Julius
Caesar significantly
transformed what
became known as the
Roman Empire, by
greatly expanding its
geographic reach and
establishing its imperial
system

5. Gaius Julius Caesar,
one of the world’s
greatest military
leaders, was born into
a senatorial, patrician
family and was the
nephew of another
famous Roman
general, Marius.

6. Contrary to popular belief,
it’s unlikely he was born
by caesarean section.
Although the procedure
existed at the time, it was
usually fatal to the mother
and therefore only
performed when a
pregnant woman was
dead or dying, in an effort
to save a child.

7. In fact, Caesar’s mother, Aurelia, lived
until 54 B.C., nearly half a century
after her son’s birth. According to
some, the origin of the Caesar name
is attributable to one of Caesar’s
forebears who was “caesus,” (Latin
for “cut”) from his mother’s womb.
Other origins of the name have been
suggested, including the possibility
that the founding member of
Caesar’s family branch might have
had “caesaries,” or long, flowing hair.

8. While it has long been
disputed, it's estimated that
Julius Caesar was born in
Rome on July 12 or 13, 100
BC.
Although he hailed from
Roman aristocrats, his family
was far from rich.
I am not
Caesar…

9. He also had two
sisters, both called
“Julia.”
Julia Caesaris Minor
married Marcus
Balbus, giving birth
to Octavian.
He was to become
Augustus, Rome’s
first emperor.

10. The Rome of Caesar's
youth was unstable. An
element of disorder ruled
the Republic, which had
discredited its nobility and
seemed unable to handle
its considerable size and
influence.

11. When his father Marius
died suddenly in 85 BC,
the 16-year-old Caesar
was forced to go into
hiding.
Marius was involved in a
bloody power struggle,
which he lost. In order to
stay away from the new
ruler Sulla and his possible
revenge, Caesar joined the
army.

12. Most kids today look forward to getting their learner's permit or driver's
license at the age of 16. For Julius Caesar, 16 was the age to settle down
and get married. Caesar married his first wife, Cornelia, in the year 84
B.C. Cornelia was the daughter of the Roman noble Lucius Cornelius Cinna.

13. Unfortunately for Caesar, his father-in-law was an enemy of the Roman
dictator Lucius Cornelius Sulla. Sulla did not care for political opposition
and gave Caesar two options: divorce his wife Cornelia or face certain
death.

14. Julius Caesar did not like to be bossed around, even if the ruler of Rome
was the one doing the bossing. Caesar found a third option in the 'divorce
or die' ultimatum; he refused to divorce Cornelia, and instead ran away
from Rome and became an outlaw.

15. After years of running from the law, Caesar was eventually allowed to
return to Rome after his friends and family convinced the dictator Sulla to
calm down. In 76 B.C., Caesar and Cornelia had a daughter named Julia
Caesaris. Cornelia died 7 years later in 69 B.C.

16. In 75 BCE, while sailing to Greece, Caesar was kidnapped
by pirates and held for ransom. In keeping with the high
opinion he had of himself, it is said that when the pirates
told him he would be ransomed for twenty talents,
Caesar claimed he was worth at least fifty.

17. While he was held captive by them, Caesar
was treated well and consistently maintained
a friendly relationship with the pirates.

18. He is said to have repeatedly told them that,
upon his release, he would hunt them down and
have them crucified for the affront to his family
and personal dignity and this threat the pirates
understood as a joke.

19. Upon his release, however, Caesar made good on that threat.
He had the pirates’ murdered before crucifixion, however, in a
show of leniency owing to their easy treatment of him in
captivity. This determination of Caesar’s, to do exactly what he
said he would do, became one of his defining characteristics
throughout his life.

20. When he returned to
Rome, Caesar turned
to the courts. He was
a successful lawyer
and his speaking was
very highly praised,
though he was noted
for his high-pitched
voice. He particularly
liked prosecuting
corrupt government
officials.

21. He returned to military and political life soon.
He was elected a military tribune and then
quaestor – a travelling auditor – in 69 BC. He
was then was sent to Spain as a governor.

22. He was elected to the top religious position in
Rome, Pontifex Maximus (he had been a priest as a
boy) and two years later he was governor of a large
part of Spain where his military talent shone
through as he defeated two local tribes.

23. Caesar knew that popularity could be bought. He staged a
massive gladiator show, apparently to honor his father,
who had died 20 years previously. New Senate laws on
gladiator numbers limited the display to 320 pairs of
fighters. Caesar was the first to use gladiators as such
public, crowd-pleasing spectacles.

24. His relationship with
Cleopatra was one of the
most famous love affairs in
history. Plutarch gives a
vivid description in his
historic account “Life of
Julius Caesar” of how she
entered past Ptolemy’s
guards rolled up in a carpet
that Apollodorus the
Sicilian was carrying.

25. Cleopatra was 21 years old
when they met and Caesar
was 52. They became
lovers during Caesar’s stay
in Egypt between 48 BC
and 47 BC. Cleopatra
claimed that Caesar was
the father of her son and
wished him to name the
boy his heir; but Caesar
refused, choosing his
grandnephew Octavian
instead.

26. The boy, who was
born nine months
after Cleopatra
and Caesar’s first
meeting, was
nicknamed
“Caesarian,” or
“Little Caesar.”

27. Caesar was killed on 15 March (the Ides of
March) by a group of as many as 60 men.

28. The plotters included Brutus, who Caesar believed was his
illegitimate son. When he saw that even he had turned
against him he is said to have pulled his toga over his head.
Shakespeare, rather than contemporary reports, gave us the
phrase ‘Et tu, Brute?’

30. Caesar’s rule was part
of the process of
turning Rome from a
republic into an
empire. Sulla before
him had also had
strong individual
powers, but Caesar’s
appointment as
Dictator for life made
him an emperor in all
but name. His own
chosen successor,
Octavian, his great
nephew, was to
become Augustus, the
first Roman Emperor.

31. Though his name has
come to mean
monarch or ruler,
Julius Caesar was
never an Emperor of
Rome. However, first
as Consul then as
Dictator for life, he
paved the way for the
end of the Republic
and the dawn of the
Empire. A victorious
general, popular
political leader and
prolific author, his
memoirs are a vital
historical source for
the era.