Biography of Julius Caesar
The Emperor strikes back
12 July 100 Bc15 March 44 BC.
Gaius Julius Caesar was born in Rome in 100 BC was part of the ancient and noble "gens Julia", descended from Iulus, the son of Aeneas and, according to myth, a son of the goddess Venus. He was also linked to the plebeian class, because her Aunt Julia had married Gaius Marius. After his studies, to sixteen, departed with Marco Thermo towards Asia, where a war was underway. In the East he met Nicomedes, King of Bithynia, where he stopped for almost two years. Eighteen-year-old returned to Rome, Caesar married, at the behest of father, Cossutia, but death, disowned to take in the beautiful wife Cornelia, daughter of Cinna, Lieutenant of Mario sparking the wrath of the powerful dictator Silla, which had realized the qualities of the young.
The provisions of the tyrant Caesar'd disown his wife Cornelia predicted that, as a daughter of one of the leaders of the Democratic Party. Caesar refused: the thing cost him his death sentence and confiscation of dowry; the sentence later on intervention mutual friends, was changed into exile. Exiled in East, we made important military experiences, by land and sea. He returned again to Rome in 69, began the so-called "cursus honorum": he was elected to the offices of Quaestor, thanks to the votes bought with money given to him by Crassus. The charge earned him the governorship and a military command in Spain, where for some time he faced the rebels, and returned home with a reputation for great soldier and administrator. Three years later he was appointed propraetor in Spain but, full of debts, could leave only after having settled all disputes, which he did thanks to a loan than usual Crassus.
He also became Pontifex Maximus in 63 and praetor in 62. In Spain almost subdued the Iberians, brought a huge booty and the Senate granted him the triumph, in which Caesar had to delay your return to Rome. In this way he was prevented from submitting his application to the Consulate, in fact the candidacy could not be made in the absence of the applicant. Caesar went to Rome, leaving the army outside the city. Here, squeezed his Alliance agreements financier Crassus and Pompey, at that moment politically isolated: three, then formed a Pact of a private nature, consolidated by a solemn oath of mutual loyalty which had as its goal, through an appropriate distribution of tasks, the complete conquest of power (July of 60).
The Pact is known as the "first triumvirate". Meanwhile, ties with Pompey were tight through the latter's marriage with Julia, daughter of Caesar. In the year 58, at the end of his term, Caesar made elect as his successors Gabinio and Piso; the second married daughter Calpurnia, in that he had divorced his third wife, Pompea, following a scandal in which he was involved. At the same time asked and obtained the consulship of Gaul. Caesar had chosen this land with good reason: he knew that he needed to be able to aspire to the supreme power, to carry out military feats of great importance and, above all, a strong impact. The Gauls, from this point of view, would in fact offered the opportunity to conquer territory rich in natural resources and to subjugate a people well-known for their military virtues and greatly feared.
The facts fully confirmed the calculations of Caesar. Indeed, he managed to obtain results that went beyond what he himself would have dared to hope. The war offered him the chance to be a loyal army personnel and ensure everlasting fame and fabulous wealth. It was in particular the final phase of the conflict, when he had to quell a rebellion led by Prince Vercingetorix, to highlight the extraordinary military capabilities of Caesar, who managed to defeat the enemy within its territory and minimal losses for the Romans. The campaign began in 58 BC and ended in 51 BC, was minutely-and beautifully-narrated by Caesar in his ri (the famous "Gallic wars"). Dead Crassus, defeated and killed at Carre (53 BC) during an expedition against the Parthians, the triumvirate broke up. Pompey, left alone in Italy, assumed full powers with the unusual title "Consul without colleague" (52 BC). At the beginning of 49 BC, Caesar refused to obey the orders of Pompey, which claimed, with the support of the Senate, which he gave up to his army and recapture Rome as an ordinary citizen. In reality Caesar replied asking to turn that even Pompey withdraw simultaneously its powers, or, Alternatively, that the province and troops were allowed until the meeting of the rallies, in front of which he would present to the second time his candidacy at the Consulate.
But Caesar's proposals fell into the void: took the difficult decision to cross the Rubicon River in delimiting the geographical area, so it had to be interdicted at legions (it was on this occasion that he uttered the famous phrase: "Alea iacta est" — "the die is cast"). Was the civil war, which would last from 49 to 45. It too was very well told by Caesar, with his usual clarity and effectiveness, "De bello civili" Crossed the Rubicon, Caesar marched on Rome. The Senate, terrified, hastened to proclaim him dictator, a position he held until the following year, when he was given the Consulate. Pompey, undecided about what to do, took refuge in Albania. Was defeated at Pharsalus in 48 BC, in a battle that probably is the masterpiece of Caesar's military: the latter, with an army of twenty thousand infantry and 1,000 Cavalry, infantry and 50,000 to 7,000 head was held successfully at the Knights fielded by Pompey, lost only 200 men, killed 15,000 and captured twenty thousand. Pompey fled to Egypt, where he was murdered by the men of Ptolemy XIV, who believed in doing so to ingratiate himself with Caesar. Caesar, however, who had chased the opponent in Egypt, was terrified when he presented the head of Pompey. In Egypt, Caesar found in the need to arbitrate an entangled dispute over succession issues and gave the throne to Cleopatra, with whom he had an intense love story (he was born a son, Caesarion). In Rome he made 45-now master absolute solemn entrance into the city, celebrating its fifth triumph.
From that moment on, Caesar held power as an absolute ruler, but making sure to exercise it within the Republican order. In fact, it looked good from attributed new titles, becoming instead grant and concentrating in their hands the powers which were divided among several magistrates. He therefore a de facto power dictatorial (first term and then, perhaps from 45 BC, for life), which he associated as magister equitum to the emerging Mark Antony. No less important were the tribunes of the Plebs, holding the prerogatives of progressive of whom Caesar assumed the right of veto and the personal inviolability, and the attribution of the permanent title imperator (Commanding General of the army) in 45 BC, finally, to his person were attributed extraordinary honors, such as the right to bring in the dress of the winner (the purple and Laurel) , to sit on a golden throne and to mint coins with his image. In addition, the fifth month of the old year was given its name (July = Julius) and in the Temple of Quirinus was erected a statue: it seems that Caesar was revered as a God by the name of Jupiter-Iulius. In the period from 47 to 44 BC.
Caesar carried out many reforms, many of which contained the key elements of the future Principality, including the reduction in the power of the Senate and of the rallies. From an economic point of view promoted certain reforms in favor of farm workers free, reducing the number of slaves and founded colonies in Carthage and Corinth; promoted many public works and the reclamation of the pontine marshes; It also introduced the calendar reform, according to the Sun and no longer according to the phases of the moon. The ill-feeling against a character of such great abilities and ambitions, in Rome, had never dormant. There was, for example, fear that Caesar wanted to transfer to a successor the powers acquired (had adopted Octavian, the future emperor Augustus), and at the same time, it considered inevitable, or at least highly probable, a monarchical drift of human adventure and politics of Julius Caesar.
For this, the most nostalgic traditionalists and old laws Republicans was hatched a conspiracy against him, led by Senators Cassius and Brutus, who murdered 15 March of 44 BC (go down in history as the "IDEs of March"). Among the many portraits of him there have been preserved, two are particularly significant, namely that relating to physical appearance, traced by Suetonius (in "lives of the Twelve Caesars"), and that moral, drawn by its great adversary Cicero in a passage of the second "Tirade". Here's one of Suetonius: "Caesar was tall, had a light complexion, florida health [...] In body care was quite meticulous to the point that not only cut his hair and shaved diligently, but even he plucked, which some rebuked him. Bear terrible hair defect for which often was insulted and ridiculed. For this he was accustomed to pull down from the top of the head a little hair [...] They say it was researched in dress up: he used a laticlave fringed until hands and wearing always on top of it with a belt very slow. " No less incisive to Cicero: "he had talent, balance, memory, culture, activities, promptness, diligence. The war had made great feats, although fatal for the State. Had not had for many years other ambition that power, and with great difficulties and dangers had been made. The ignorant multitude had conquered with gifts, buildings, donations of food and banquets. His bought them with rewards, opponents with manifestations of leniency, in short, had given a city, who had been free, the habit of serving, in part for fear, partly to resignation".
Article contributed by the team of collaborators.