Life of Julius Caesar

Julius Caesar is one of the most prominent historical figures in worldwide, who greatly impacted the path of Rome. However, like all historical figures, Caesar did not get to where he did only by coincidence. In order to understand Caesar and what he did throughout his life, one must first understand his rise to power, his achievements, and his death.

According to “Julius Caesar” in the year 100 BC, Julius Caesar was born on July 12th or the 13th in Rome (his actual date of birth is unknown), under the birth name of Gaius Julius Caesar.

Caesar was born into the prestigious Julian clan. Caesar’s birth marked the beginning of a new chapter in Roman history (“Julius Caesar”). Christina Boggs states that although Caesar’s parents were a part of a noble class, they did not have much money, thus they had very little influence in Rome. The family legend says that Caesar’s family was descendants from the Roman goddess, Venus, but it didn’t make their family any more important in the eyes of the other Romans.

As a result of this, very few of his family members held positions of power. When Julius was 16 years old, his father passed away. In the same year of his father’s death, Julius married his first wife Cornelia, who was the daughter of an influential noble. Caesar married Cornelia because he knew it would be a smart move for his political career, and it could get him in with the higher class. After the current dictator of Rome demanded Julius divorce his wife, Caesar refused, and joined the army so as to avoid the death punishment for not obeying orders. He left Rome, and began to make a name for himself. After Caesar was allowed to return to Rome years later, he was granted permission to become a prosecuting advocate, which was something like a lawyer at that time. Two years after leaving, Caesar and Cornelia had their first and only child, a daughter named Julia Caesaris (“Julius Caesar’s Early Life & Parents”).

As said in a BBC article on Julius Caesar, Caesar quickly began working his way up through the Roman political system. He became a succession quaestor (a financial administrator), aedile (official who was responsible for public works and games), and a praetor (official ranked below, but having the same role as a consul). Following these positions, Julius Caesar quickly jumped from role to role in the Roman government. He then jumped from governor of the Roman province of Spain, to the consul of that same province, and a year later governor of Roman Gaul where he stayed for nearly eight years. During his time as governor of Roman Gaul, Caesar managed to add all of modern France and Belgium to the Roman Empire. On top of this, he made his part of the empire safe from Gallic invasions. After having many jobs in his life, Caesar finally landed himself master of Rome. Being in that position granted him the power to declare himself consul and dictator, which he did immediately. During his time as master, Caesar relieved debt, enlarged the senate, and revised the calendar, all of which are among many more things he did to improve the Roman Empire. At this time in Rome, becoming dictator was considered to be a temporary job, but Caesar declared he would fill the role of dictator for the rest of his life (“History – Julius Caesar”).

As it states in “The ides of March: Julius Caesar is murdered”, Caesar’s success and ambition, was not liked by everyone. A group of over 60 noblemen plotted against Caesar, and concluded that, together, they would take Caesar down and murder him. One of the noblemen included Caesar’s brother-in-law, Marcus Brutus, who was convinced to take part in the conspiracy by Cassius Longinus, who was said to be the man who started the plot against the dictator. It is even said Caesar should have known he was in grave danger, yet he dismissed his security from the hall. He even received a warning note, but he chose to disregard it. When Caesar entered the hall of the meeting, he was immediately surrounded by all the noblemen with their daggers. Caesar was stabbed up to 23 times all over his body, and he died. Caesar’s great legacy ended by the hands of his own men (“The ides of March: Julius Caesar is murdered”).

Julius Caesar is considered one of history’s best leaders, and a founder of the Roman Empire. Caesar had a deep impact on the Roman Empire, improving it beyond what anyone thought was possible. He was a fearless leader, and a brave dictator. He rose to power and maintained his power through his own leadership skills and hard work. In the famous words of Julius Caesar, “Veni, vidi, vici.” He went, he saw, and he conquered.

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