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Julius Caesar: General in Gaul Julius Gaius Caesar was a great Roman general and statesman who laid the foundations of the Roman imperial system. Born in Rome on July 12 or 13, 100 b. c. , Caesar belonged to the prestigious Julia clan; yet from early childhood his life was plagued with controversy. His uncle by marriage was Gaius Marius, leader of the Populares. This party supported agrarian reform and was opposed by a reactionary senatorial faction known as the Optimates. Marius was seven times consul (chief magistrate), and the last year he held office, just before his death in 86 b.
c. , he exacted a terrifying toll on the Optimates. At the same time, he saw to it that young Caesar was appointed flamen deals, one of their archaic priesthood with no power. This identified him with his uncle+s extremist politics, and his marriage in 84 by to Cornelia (who died in 68 by), the daughter of Marius+s associate, China, further confirmed him as a radical. When Lucius Cornelius Sulla, Marius+s arch-enemy and leader of the Optimates, was made dictator in 82 b. c. , he issued a list of enemies to be executed.
Although Caesar was not harmed, he was ordered by Sulla to divorce Cornelia. Refusing that order, he found it prudent to leave Rome. He did not return to the city until 78 b. c. , after Sulla+s resignation. Caesar, who was now 22 years old, was unable to gain office. He left Rome again and went to Rhodes, where he studied rhetoric; he returned to Rome in 73 b.
c. a very persuasive speaker. The year before, while still absent, he had been elected the the pontificate, an important college of Roman priests. At that time, Celtic Gaul to the north was still independent, but the Aedui, a tribe of Roman allies, appealed to Caesar for help against another Gallic people, the Helvetii, during the first year of his governorship. Caesar marched into Celtic Gaul with six legions, defeated the Helvetii and forced them to return to their home area. Next, he crushed Germanic forces under Ariovistus (flourished about 71 - 58 b.
c. ) By 57 b. c. , following the defeat of the Nerve, Rome was in control of northern Gaul. (A last revolt of the Gauls, led by Vercingetorix, was suppressed in 52 b. c. ) While Caesar was in Gaul, his agents attempted to dominate politics in Rome. This however threatened Pompey+s position and it became necessary for the triumvirs (Caesar, Crassus, and Pompey) to arrange a meeting at Luca in 56 b. c. which brought about a temporary reconciliation.
It was decided that Caesar would continue in Gaul for another five years, while Pompey and Crassus would both be consuls for 55 b. c. ; after that each would have proconsular control of provinces. Caesar then went off to raid Britain and put down a revolt in Gaul. Crassus, ever eager for military glory, went to his post in Syria. Provoking a war with the Parthian Empire, he was defeated and killed at Carrhae in 53 b. c.
This removed the last buffer between Caesar and Pompey since their family ties had been broken by the death of Julia, Caesar+s daughter and Pompey+s wife, in 54 b. c. In 52 b. c. , with Crassus out of the way, Pompey was made sole consul.
Combined with his other powers, this gave him a formidable position. Jealous of his younger rival, he was determined to break Caesars power, and objective that could not be achieved without first depriving him of his command in Gaul. In order to protect himself, Caesar suggested that he and Pompey both lay down their command simultaneously, but this was rejected; goaded by Pompey, the Senate summarily called upon Caesar to resign his command and and disband his army, or else be considered a public enemy. The tribunes, who were Caesars agents, vetoed this motion but they were driven out of the Senate chamber. The Senate then entrusted Pompey with providing for the safety of the state. His forces far outnumbered Caesar+s, but they were scattered throughout the provinces, and his troops in Italy were not prepared for war.
Early in 49 b. c. , Caesar crossed the Rubicon, a stream separating his province from Italy, and moved swiftly southward. That gave us our term today to mean an unreconcilable decision. Pompey fled to Brundisium and from there to Greece.
In three months, Caesar was master of all Italy; his forces then took Spain and the key port of Massilia (today it+s Marseille). In Rome, Caesar became dictator until elected consul for 48 b. c. At the beginning of that year he landed in Greece and smashed Pompey's forces at Pharsalus. Pompey escaped to Egypt where he was assassinated.
When Caesar arrived there, he installed Cleopatra, daughter of the late King Ptolemy XI (who lived about 112 - 51 b. c. ) as queen. In 47 b. c. he pacified Asia Minor and returned to Rome to become dictator again. By the following year, all Optimates forces had been defeated and the Mediterranean world pacified.
The basic reason for Caesar+s continuation in power was the dictatorship-for-life. According to the traditional Republican constitution, this office was only to be held for six months during a dire emergency. That rule, however, had been broken before. Sulla had ruled as dictator for several years, and Caesar now followed suit. In addition, he was made consul for ten years in 45 b. c.
and received the sanctity of tribunes, making it illegal to harm him. Caesar also obtained honors to increase his prestige: He wore the robe, crown, and scepter of a triumphant general and used the title imperator. Also as Pontifex Maximus, he was head of the state religion. Above all, though, he was in total command of the armies, and this remained the backbone of his power.
As a ruler, Caesar instituted various reforms. In the provinces he eliminated the highly corrupt tax system sponsored colonies of veterans, and extended Roman citizenship. At home he reconstituted the courts and and increased the number of senators. His reform of the calendar gave Rome a rational means of recording time.
However, a number of senatorial families felt that Caesar threatened their position, and his honors and powers made them fear that he would become a king, a title they as republicans hated. Accordingly, in 44 b. c. , and assassination plot was hatched by a group of senators, including Gaius Cassius and Marcus Brutus (2 guys we in analysis of lit. are all to familiar with). On March 15 of that year, when Caesar entered the Senate house, the group killed him, ending the life of who is arguably the best general the world has ever seen.
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