He came, he saw, he conquered.
A brilliant military leader and politician, Julius Caesar’s feats were so spectacular that many languages have borrowed his name to mean the word ‘ruler’ — Kaiser in German and Czar in Russian. The month of July owes its name to him. He reformed the calendar, which, with one slight adjustment, is the one in use today.
He was born on July 12, 100 B.C. He invaded Britain twice. He came close to being emperor of Rome and paved the way for the collapse of the Republic.
The rise
Julius Caesar was born into the aristocratic Julian clan. He was tall, fair-haired and well-built. When he was 15, his father Lucius died. From then on, his rise was meteoric. An incredibly talented public speaker, Caesar served as the Governor of the Roman province of Spain by 60 BC. He made a pact with Pompey and Crassus, who helped him get elected as consul. Shortly after this, he was appointed the Governor of Roman Gaul and he added the whole of modern France and Belgium to the Roman empire.
He made two expeditions to Britain, in 55 BC and 54 BC. After this, Caesar returned to Italy, defying the authority of the Senate, and famously crossed the Rubicon which marked the boundary between the Roman province and Italy proper. The crossing of this virtual stream became one of ancient history’s most pivotal events, as from it sprang the Roman empire.
Caesar was now a Consul and Dictator, while Mark Antony was second in command. He was not merely a conqueror but a visionary statesman who established order, brought in measures to reduce congestion in Rome, draining large tracts of marshy lands. He passed a law that restricted purchase of luxuries, and another that rewarded families for having many children.
He withstood the siege of Alexandria and later defeated the Pharaoh’s forces at the Battle of Nile in 47 BC. He installed Cleopatra as ruler. Caesar and Cleopatra celebrated their victory with a triumphal procession on the Nile where the royal barge was accompanied by 400 more ships!
By 44 BC, Rome was more than a city — it was the capital of an empire. Not everyone was happy with Caesar’s phenomenal success and a group of disgruntled senators, led by Cassius, killed him on the Ides (15) of March in 44 BC. When he saw that his friend Brutus was among the conspirators, Caesar (according to Shakespeare) said, “Et tu, Brute?” (You too, Brutus?). But historians say that when he saw Brutus, he pulled his toga over his head and did not utter a word. He was stabbed 23 times.
