State: The Roman Empire
Field of activity: Politics, army
Greatest achievement: He became the founder and emperor of the Roman Empire, thanks to his military and political successes.
Guy Julius Caesar (100-44 BC), Roman commander, statesman and writer, who created the conditions for the formation of the Roman Empire.
The early years of Julius Caesar
July 12 or 13, 100 BC e. in Rome in one of the most worthy Roman families of the genus Julius, a son was born. His uncle, Gaius Marius, was an outstanding military leader and popular leader, with his help he met Lucius Cornelius Cinna, who, as you know, was a fierce opponent of the leader of the Optimates, Lucius Cornelius Sulla. In 84 BC. e. he married his daughter Cornelia, who bore him a daughter, and in the same year was appointed to the priesthood, which was the prerogative of the patricians.
After the appointment of Sulla as dictator (82 BC), he demanded that Caesar divorce his wife. However, Caesar managed to avoid fulfilling this requirement. He was later pardoned thanks to the intercession of Sulla's influential friends. Caesar returned to Rome only after participating in several military campaigns in the East in Cilicia, in Asia Minor in 78 BC. e., after the resignation of Sulla. Then he tried to refrain from direct political participation, but had to act as a prosecutor against several of Sull's followers, accused of extortion.
As Julius was unable to obtain a political appointment, he left Rome and went to Rhodes, where he studied rhetoric. In 74 BC. e. he interrupted his training to go to war in Asia Minor against Mithridates. In 73 BC. e. he returned to Rome and became pontiff of the college of priests, since he was competent in matters of religion of the Roman State, he was able to exert significant political influence there.
Triumvirate
In 71 BC. e. Pompey returned in triumph to Rome, with numerous military merit and victory over the rebels led by Sertor in Spain. A year earlier, Mark Licinius Crassus, a wealthy patrician, had been accused of inciting Spartacus' rebel slaves in Italy.
In 70 BC, they were both elected consuls. In 68 BC. e Caesar was a quaestor and in 65 there was Adil, who knew how to gain popularity among ordinary peopleorganizing costly gladiator games. To carry them out, he borrowed money from Crassus. After the failure of the Catiline conspiracy, he advocated gentle treatment of the conspirators. In 60 BC. e. when Caesar returned from Spain to Rome, an alliance was concluded with Pompey and Crassus to ensure common interests: the first triumvirate (from the Latin “three men). To further strengthen his position, Pompey married the daughter of Julius Caesar.
With the support of the triumvirate, Caesar suppressed the resistance of the Optimat party in 59 BC. The following year, he was appointed consul by special law. He was Proconsul for five years, ruling the provinces of Gaul of Cisalpina, Illyricum and Narbonne Gaul, which allowed him to expand his power against the Senate. In the years that followed, he led the Gallic Wars, during which he conquered all of Gaul, crossed the Rhine twice and entered Britain. These wars were described by him in his autobiographical work "Notes to the Gallic War."
Dissolution of the alliance
In 56 BC. e. The Triumvirate was resumed, despite the cooling that had appeared in the meantime between Pompey and Crassus. At the same time, it was decided that Caesar should remain for another five years in Gaul, and Pompey and Crassus become consul and proconsul.
After that, Caesar left to extinguish the uprising in Gaul. In 53 BC. e. the ambitious Crassus, who had to fight in Syria, was defeated in a military campaign against the Parthians and was killed in the battle of Carrhae, and a year before that, Julius Caesar's daughter, Pompey's wife, had died. After their family relationship was severed, the break between Caesar and Pompey was sealed, a final alienation occurred, and the triumvirate fell apart.
Civil War
In 52 BC. e. Pompey was elected consul, who received exclusive powers. This became necessary due to the exceptional situation in Rome, which was caused by the atrocities of the emperor Claudius.
While Caesar was busy with the war in Gaul, his political opponents openly tried to compromise him and bring him to trial in Rome. Pompey tried to take advantage of favorable circumstances to eliminate his rival and secure his personal rule, and for this he turned with a political proposal to the Senate. Finally, the Senate decided to depose Caesar after being asked in vain to disband his army. In addition, the Senate granted Pompey unlimited powers to fight Caesar. The civil war began in early 49 BC. e., when Caesar, according to legend, with the words: Alea iacta est ("the lot is cast") - crossed the Rubicon, a small border river that separated him from Italy the province of Gallic Cisalpina, and within three months he took control of almost all of Italy ... Then, having conquered six Spanish provinces, practically without the support of Pompey, and finally, after a six-month siege, captured the port city of Massilia (Marseille).
Meanwhile, Caesar returned victorious to Rome, and in 48 BC. e. was elected consul. At the beginning of the same year, he pursued Pompey and defeated him finally at the battle of Pharsalus. Pompey fled where he was killed. Caesar captured Alexandria and settled the dispute over the Egyptian throne in favor of Cleopatra, daughter of the late king Ptolemy XI, who later bore him a son (Caesarion). In 47 BC. he conquered Asia Minor and returned to Rome victorious. His decisive victory over the minions of Pompey occurred in 48 BC. In 46 BC. e. Caesar's troops concentrated their forces in the African provinces, he won the Battle of Thapsus. Then he returned to Rome, where he celebrated several triumphs and received the due honors. After he cracked down in 45 BC. e. with the sons of Pompey under Mandus in Spain, he became an absolute autocrat.
Caesar's dictatorship and his death
Caesar's strength was based on his positioning as a dictator. This vocation accompanied his life (dictator perpetuus), although, according to the constitution of the republic, he was limited in power by exceptional situations. Although Caesar renounced the title of emperor, whom the republican forces especially hated, his reign bore strong monarchical features. In 45 BC. e. he was elected consul, and for ten years had the following powers: he was the supreme commander of the army, he was allowed to wear the golden crown of a victorious general and he was recognized as the pontiff with the power to make decisions on all religious issues.
His reign included a broad reform program to reorganize the state and provinces. Among other things, he reformed the calendar, provided land to his veterans and simplified the conditions for acquiring Roman citizenship.
Caesar's authority faced opposition, especially in the circles of the opposition Senate families. In 44 BC. e. A group of Republican senators, including Guy Cassius Longinus and Marcus Junius Brutus, planned a coup, stabbed and killed Caesar on March 15 as he was about to enter the Senate building.
Personal life
After his death in 68 BC. Cornelia's first wife, Caesar married Pompey, the granddaughter of Sulla, who belonged to the secret fertility cult of the Good Goddess, in which men were forbidden under the strictest conditions. When in the house of Caesar, where there was a holiday in her honor, the dogmas of the cult of the Goddess were violated, because Clodius saw Pompeia in women's clothing, a public scandal occurred, as a result of which Caesar parted with Pompey.
Since no boy was born to him after his third marriage to Calpurnia (59 BC), he made his grandson Octavian heir, who would later become the first Roman emperor.
Caesar, a man of extensive literary education, is also known as a gifted writer with a simple syllable and classical style. He wrote seven books on the Gallic War, Notes on the Gallic War, in which he described his victory in Gaul, providing an important source of information on the early Celtic and Germanic tribes, as well as a three-volume work on the Civil War (Notes on the Civil War).
The results of the life of Guy Julius Caesar
Estimates and ideas about the personality of Caesar are very controversial. Some position him as a ruthless tyrant striving to deliver certain problems, others recognize and appreciate precisely his intransigence, meaning that the Republic at that time was already on the verge of death, and Caesar faced the need to find new form rule to bring Rome to at least some stability and to protect from chaos.
In addition, he was clearly an excellent military leader who knew how to motivate his soldiers and was distinguished by special loyalty. As one of the most impressive images of antiquity, it has been immortalized in numerous works of world literature, including the dramas Julius Caesar (1599) and Caesar and Cleopatra (1901) by George Bernard Shaw, or the Ides of March (1948) by Thornton Wilder Brecht.
Guy Julius Caesar - Ancient Roman statesman and politician (consul, dictator, great pontiff), commander, writer. His works "Notes on the Gallic War" and "Notes on the Civil War" are used to study the Latin language.
Brief biography of Julius Caesar
Julius Caesar (lat. Gaius Iulius Caesar) was born on 12 or July 13 at 100 (according to some sources - in 101 or 102) BC.
The house where Caesar grew up was in Subure - an area of \u200b\u200bRome that had a reputation for dysfunction. As a child, he studied Greek, literature, rhetoric at home. He also went in for physical: swimming, horse riding.
A prominent rhetorician is known among the teachers of young Guy Gniphonewho was also one of the teachers Cicero... Around 85 BC. e. Caesar lost his father: according to Pliny the Elder, he died, stooping to put on his shoes.
After the death of his father, Caesar, who passed the initiation ceremony, actually headed the entire Julian family, since all the closest male relatives older than him died.
Caesar's career
Guy soon became engaged to Cossutia, a girl from a wealthy equestrian family. Descended from an ancient patrician family, Caesar consistently pursued all ordinary Roman positions and made a name for himself in the fight against conservative senators (optimates).
First triumvirate
In 60 BC. e. organized first triumvirate together with two influential politicians - Gnei Pompey the Great and Mark Licinius Crassus. Through agrarian laws, Julius Caesar acquired a large number of adherents who received land. Strengthening the triumvirate, he gave his daughter in marriage to Pompey.
Gallic war
From 58 BC e. spent more than eight years on the territory of modern Switzerland, France, Belgium, Germany and Great Britain in Gallic War, having annexed to the Roman Republic a huge territory from the Atlantic Ocean to the Rhine and gaining fame as a talented military leader.
Civil War
After the death of Crassus in 53 BC. e. the triumvirate fell apart. Pompey, in his rivalry with Julius Caesar, led the supporters of the traditional Senate republican rule. The Senate, fearing Caesar, refused to renew his powers in Gaul.
At the beginning of 49 BC. e. started civil war due to irreconcilable disagreements with senators on the details of his return to Rome and on guarantees of judicial immunity for malfeasance (electoral bribery, bribery officials, violation of contracts, violent actions and other violations).
Within four years, supporters of the Senate, grouped around Pompey, were defeated by Caesar in Italy, Spain (twice), Greece and Africa, and the troops of the rulers of Egypt and Pontus were also defeated by him.
Sticking to politics mercy, but at the same time executed a number of his key opponents. Having achieved complete victory over his opponents, he concentrated in his hands the power of the consul and the extraordinary powers of the dictator (in the end - in the form of a life position), carried out a series of reforms in all spheres of society.
Attitude to the personality of Julius Caesar
During the life of Caesar, his deification began, the honorary title of the victorious commander "Emperor" became part of his name, however, he renounced the power of the ancient Roman kings. After the assassination of Caesar by a group of senators led by By Mark Junius Brut great-nephew of Caesar Guy Octavius took his name and received most of the inheritance by will, later becoming the first emperor.
Caesar was treated differently during his lifetime, and this tradition was preserved in the Roman Empire: his name was whitewashed in every possible way by the supporters of the rulers, and the opposition praised his victims and conspirators. Caesar's personality was very popular in Middle Ages and New time.
Apart from political and military activitiesCaesar is also known as literary man... Due to the simplicity and clarity of style, his compositions are considered classics of ancient Roman literature and are used in teaching the Latin language. Titles go back to the name of Julius Caesar kaiser and king, as well as the name of the seventh month of the year in many languages \u200b\u200bof the world - july.
Name: Gaius Julius Caesar
Age: 56 years
Place of Birth: Rome, Italy
A place of death: Rome, Italy
Activity: Ancient Roman general
Family status: was married
Guy Julius Caesar - biography
He is still reminded of the words symbolizing power - king, Caesar, Kaiser, emperor. Julius Caesar Guy was endowed with many talents, but he remained in history thanks to the main one - the ability to please people
Origin played a significant role in the success of Caesar - the Julian family, according to the biography, was one of the most ancient in Rome. Julia's ancestry was from the legendary Aeneas, the son of the goddess Venus herself, who fled from Troy and founded the dynasty of Roman kings. Caesar was born in 102 BC, when the husband of his aunt, Guy Marius, defeated an army of thousands of Germans near the borders of Italy. His father, who was also called Gaius Julius Caesar, did not reach heights in his career. He was the proconsul of Asia. However, the relationship of Caesar Jr. with Mary promised the young man a brilliant career.
At sixteen, Guy Jr. married Cornelia, daughter of Cinna, Mary's closest associate. In 82 or 83 BC. they had a daughter, Julia, the only legitimate child of Caesar, despite the fact that he began to bear illegal children in his youth. Often leaving his wife to be bored alone, the descendant of Venus roamed the taverns in a cheerful company of drinking companions. He was distinguished from his peers only by his love of reading - Guy read all the books in Latin and Greek that he could find, and more than once amazed his interlocutors with knowledge in various fields.
Being a fan of ancient sages. he did not believe in the continuity of his life, peaceful and secure. And he was right - after the death of Mary in Rome, a civil war broke out. The leader of the aristocratic party, Sulla, came to power, and began repressions against the Marians. Guy, who refused to divorce Tsinna's daughter, was deprived of his property, and he himself was forced to hide. "Look for the wolf cub, a hundred Marievs are sitting in it!" the dictator demanded. But Caesar had already left for Asia Minor by that time, to the friends of his recently deceased father.
Not far from Miletus, his ship was captured by pirates. The smartly dressed youth caught their attention, and they demanded a large ransom for him - 20 talents of silver. "You appreciate me inexpensively!" - answered Caesar and offered 50 talents for himself. Having sent his servant to collect the ransom, he spent two months "visiting" the pirates.
Caesar behaved very impudently with the robbers - he forbade them to sit in his presence, called them boors and threatened to crucify them on the cross. Having finally received the money, the pirates were relieved to let the impudent go. Caesar immediately rushed to the Roman military authorities, equipped a couple of ships and overtook his captors in the same place where he was held captive. Having taken the money away from them, he actually crucified the robbers - however, those who were attractive to him, he had previously ordered to strangle.
Sulla had died by that time, but his supporters from the party of the Optimists retained influence, and Caesar did not rush back to the capital. He spent a year in Rhodes, where he studied eloquence - the ability to make speeches was necessary for the politio, which he was determined to become.
From the school of Apollonius Molon, where Cicero himself studied, Guy emerged as a brilliant orator, ready to conquer the capital. He made his first speech in 68 BC. at the funeral of his aunt, widow Maria, - he fervently praised the disgraced commander and his reforms, causing a commotion among the Sullans. It is curious that at the funeral of his wife, who died in an unsuccessful birth a year earlier, he did not say a word.
The speech in defense of Mary was the beginning of his election campaign - Caesar announced his candidacy for the post of quaestor. This insignificant post made it possible to become a praetor, and then a consul - the highest representative of power in the Roman Republic. Having borrowed from anyone a huge amount, a thousand talents, Caesar spent it on luxurious feasts and gifts to those. on whom his election depended. At that time, two generals, Pompey and Crassus, were fighting for power in Rome, to whom Caesar alternately offered his support.
This earned him the position of quaestor and then aedil, the official in charge of the festivities in the Eternal City. Unlike other politicians, he generously gave out to the people not bread, but entertainment - either gladiator fights, or musical competitions, or the anniversary of a long-forgotten victory. Simple Romans were delighted with him. He earned the sympathy of an educated public by creating a public museum on Capitol Hill, where he exhibited his rich collection of Greek statues. As a result, he was easily elected to the post of Supreme Pontiff, that is, a priest.
Believing in nothing but your luck. Caesar found it difficult to maintain seriousness during lavish religious ceremonies. However, the post of pontiff made him inviolable. This saved his life when Catalina's conspiracy was revealed in 62. The conspirators were going to offer Caesar the post of dictator. They were executed, but Guy survived.
In the same 62 year he became praetor, but accumulated so many debts that he was forced to leave Rome and go to Spain as governor. There he quickly made a fortune, ravaging the rebellious cities to the ground. He generously shared the surplus with his soldiers, saying: "Power is strengthened by two things - the army and money, and one is unthinkable without the other." Grateful soldiers declared him emperor - this ancient title was given as a reward for a major victory, although the governor did not win a single such victory.
After that, Caesar was elected consul, but this position was no longer the limit of his dreams. The republican system lived out last days, it was going to autocracy, and Guy was determined to become the true ruler of the Eternal City. To do this, he had to enter into an alliance with Pompey and Crassus, whom he briefly reconciled.
In 60, a triumvirate of new allies seized power. To consolidate the union, Caesar gave his daughter Julia to Pompey, and he himself married his niece. Moreover, rumor attributed to him a relationship with the wives of Crassus and Pompey. And other Roman matrons, according to rumors, were not spared the attention of the loving descendant of Venus. The soldiers sang a song about him: "Hide your wives - we are leading a bald lecher to the city!"
He really went bald early, he was embarrassed about it and got permission from the Senate to constantly wear the laurel wreath of triumphant on his head. Bald head. according to Suetonius. was the only flaw in Caesar's biography. He was tall, well built, had fair skin, and his eyes were black and lively. He was moderate in food, he also drank very little for a Roman; even his enemy Cato said that "Caesar was one of all made a coup d'etat, being sober."
He also had one more nickname - "the husband of all wives and the wife of all husbands." According to rumors, in Asia Minor, young Caesar had an affair with the king of Bithynia Nicomedes. Well, the morals in the then Rome were such that it could well turn out to be true. In any case, Caesar never tried to shut the mouth of the scoffers, confessing fully modern principle “No matter what they say, just say”. They said mostly good things - in his new post, he still generously supplied the Roman mob with spectacles, to which bread was now added. Popular love was not cheap, the consul again got into debt and in irritation called himself "the poorest of citizens."
He breathed a sigh of relief when, after a year in office as consul, he, according to Roman custom, had to resign. Caesar got the Senate to send him to rule Schlya, present-day France. The Romans owned only a small part of this rich country. For eight years, Caesar managed to conquer the whole of Schlya. But, oddly enough, many Gauls loved him - having learned their language, he asked with interest about their religion and customs.
Today, his "Notes on the Gallic War" is not only the main source of biography about the Gauls, who went into oblivion not without the help of Caesar, but one of the first examples of political PR in history. In them Caesar boasted. that he stormed 800 cities, destroyed a million enemies, and enslaved another million, giving their lands to the Roman veterans. Grateful veterans told at all corners that on campaigns Caesar walked with them, encouraging the laggards. He rode a horse like a born rider. He slept in a wagon in the open air, only in the rain, hiding behind a canopy. At a halt, he dictated to several secretaries two or even three letters on different topics.
So lively in those years, Caesar's correspondence was explained by the fact that after the death of Crassus in the Persian campaign, the triumvirate came to an end. Pompey, however, increasingly distrusted Caesar, who had already surpassed him in fame and wealth. At his insistence, the senate recalled Caesar from Gillia and ordered him to appear in Rome, leaving the army at the border.
The decisive moment has come. At the beginning of 49, Caesar approached the border river Rubicon north of Rimini and ordered five thousand of his soldiers to cross it and move to Rome. They say that while he uttered another historical phrase - "the lot is cast." In fact, the die was cast much earlier, even when young Guy was mastering the intricacies of politics.
Even then, he realized that power is given into the hands of only those who sacrifice everything else for it - friendship, family, a sense of gratitude. Former son-in-law Pompey, who helped him a lot at the beginning of his career, now became the main enemy and, not having time to gather strength, fled to Greece. Caesar with his army went after him and. without giving him time to recover, he defeated his army at Pharsalus. Pompey fled again, this time to Egypt, where local dignitaries killed him, determined to earn Caesar's favor.
Togo was quite happy with this outcome, especially since he gave him the opportunity to send an army against the Egyptians, accusing them of murdering a Roman citizen. Having demanded a huge ransom for this, he was going to pay off the army, but everything turned out differently. The young Cleopatra, sister of the reigning king Ptolemy XTV, who appeared to the commander, unexpectedly offered herself to him - and at the same time her kingdom.
Before leaving for Gaul, Caesar married a third time - to the wealthy heiress Calpurnia, but was indifferent to her. He fell in love with the Egyptian queen as if she had bewitched him. But she, too, over time experienced a real feeling for the aging conqueror of the world. Later, Caesar, under a hail of reproaches, received Cleopatra in Rome, and she listened to even worse reproaches for having gone to him, the first of the Egyptian rulers to leave the sacred Nile Valley.
In the meantime, the lovers were besieged by the rebellious Egyptians in the harbor of Alexandria. To escape, the Romans set fire to the city. destroying the famous library. They managed to hold out until the arrival of reinforcements, and the uprising was suppressed. On the way home, Caesar casually defeated the army of the Pontic king Pharnaces, reporting this to Rome with the famous phrase: "I came, I saw, I won."
He had to fight twice more with the adherents of Pompey - in Africa and Spain. Only in 45 he returned to Rome, ruined civil wars, and was declared a dictator for life. Caesar himself preferred to call himself emperor - this emphasized his connection with the army and military victories.
Having achieved the desired power, Caesar managed to do three important things. First, he reformed the Roman calendar, which the malicious Greeks called "the worst in the world." With the help of Egyptian astronomers. sent by Cleopatra, he divided the year into 12 months and ordered to add an extra leap day to it every four years. The new Julian calendar turned out to be the most accurate of the existing ones and lasted one and a half thousand years, and the Russian Church still uses it. Second, he gave amnesty to all his political opponents. Third, he began to mint gold coins, on which instead of the gods the emperor himself was depicted in a laurel wreath. After Caesar, they became officially called the Son of God.
It was only a step from this to the royal title. Flatterers had long offered him a crown, and Cleopatra had just given birth to his son Caesarion, who could become his heir. Caesar found it tempting to found a new dynasty, uniting the two great powers. However, when the closest associate Mark Antony publicly wanted to put on him a golden royal crown, Caesar pushed him away. Maybe he decided that the time had not come yet, perhaps he did not want to turn from the only emperor in the world into an ordinary king, of which there were many around.
The smallness of what was done is easy to explain - Caesar peacefully ruled Rome for less than two years. The fact that at the same time he was remembered for centuries as a great statesman, is another manifestation of his charisma, acting on descendants as strongly as on contemporaries. He planned new transformations, but the Roman treasury was empty. To replenish it. Caesar decided on a new military campaign that promised to make the Roman emperor the greatest conqueror in history. He decided to crush the Persian kingdom, and then return to Rome northern route, having conquered the Armenians, Scythians and Germans.
Leaving the capital, he had to leave reliable people "on the farm" to avoid a possible rebellion. Caesar had three such people: his devoted comrade-in-arms Mark Antony, his adopted son Guy Octavian, and the son of his longtime mistress Servilia, Mark Brutus. Antony attracted Caesar with the decisiveness of a warrior, Octavian - with the cold prudence of a politician. It is more difficult to understand what connected Caesar with the already elderly Brutus, a boring pedant, an ardent supporter of the republic. Nevertheless, Caesar promoted him to power, publicly calling him his "dear son." Perhaps, with the sober mind of a politician, he understood that someone should remind of the republican virtues, without which Rome would rot and perish. At the same time, Brutus could reconcile two of his comrades, who clearly disliked each other.
Caesar, who knew everything and everyone. didn't know - or didn't want to know. - that his "son", together with other Republicans, is preparing a conspiracy against him. The emperor was informed about this more than once, but he brushed it off, saying: "If so, it is better to die once than to live in fear constantly." The assassination attempt was scheduled for the Ides of March, the 15th day of the month, when the emperor was supposed to appear in the Senate. Suetonius' detailed account of this event gives the impression of a tragic action, in which Caesar played the role of a victim, a martyr of the monarchist idea, like clockwork. At the Senate building he received a warning note, but he waved it off.
One of the conspirators, Decimus Brutus, distracted the stalwart Antony at the entrance, so as not to interfere. Tillius Cimbre grabbed Caesar by the toga - this is a signal to the others - and Servilius Casca struck him the first blow. Further blows rained down one after another - each of the killers tried to do their bit, and in the junkyard they even wounded each other. Then the conspirators parted, and Brutus approached the barely alive dictator leaning against the column. The "son" silently raised his dagger, and the slain Caesar fell dead, having managed to utter the last historical phrase: "And you, Brutus!"
As soon as this happened, the senators seized with horror, who had become unwitting spectators of the murder, rushed to flee. The murderers also scattered, throwing down their bloody daggers. Caesar's corpse lay for a long time in an empty building, until the faithful Calpurnia sent slaves for it. The dictator's body was burned at the Roman forum, where the temple of the divine Julius was later erected. The month of quintiles in his honor was renamed to July (Iulius).
The conspirators hoped for the Romans' loyalty to the spirit of the republic. but the firm authority established by Caesar seemed more attractive than republican chaos. Very soon, the townspeople rushed to look for the emperor's murderers and put them to a cruel death. Suetonius finished his story about the biography of Gaius Julia with the words: “No one of his killers lived after that for more than three years. They all died in different ways, and Brutus and Cassius struck themselves with the same dagger with which they killed Caesar. "
Caesar Gaius Julius (102-44 BC) Great Roman general and statesman.
The last years of the Roman Republic are associated with the reign of Caesar, who established a regime of sole power. His name was converted into the title of Roman emperors; from him came the Russian words "Tsar", "Caesar", German "Kaiser".
Came from a noble patrician family. The family ties of the young Caesar determined his position in the political world: his father's sister, Julia, was married to Guy Marius, virtually the sole ruler of Rome, and Caesar's first wife, Cornelia, was the daughter of Cinna, Maria's successor. In 84 BC. young Caesar was elected priest of Jupiter.
Establishment of the dictatorship of Sulla in 82 BC led to the removal of Caesar from the priesthood and the demand for a divorce from Cornelia. Caesar refused, which entailed the confiscation of his wife's property and deprivation of his paternal inheritance. Sulla later pardoned the young man, although he was suspicious of him.
After leaving Rome for Asia Minor, Caesar was in military service, lived in Bithynia, Cilicia, and participated in the capture of Mytilene. He returned to Rome after the death of Sulla. For the sake of improving oratory, he went to the island of Rhodes.
Returning from Rhodes, he was captured by pirates, was ransomed, but then brutally revenged, capturing brigands and putting them to death. In Rome, Caesar received the posts of priest-pontiff and military tribune, and from 68 - quaestor.
Married to Pompey. Having taken the post of aedile in 66, he was engaged in the improvement of the city, the organization of magnificent celebrations, grain distribution; all this contributed to his popularity. Having become a senator, he participated in political intrigues with the aim of supporting Pompey, who was engaged in this war in the East and returned in triumph in 61.
In 60, on the eve of consular elections, a secret political alliance was concluded - a triumvirate between Pompey, Caesar and Crassus. Caesar was elected consul in 59, together with Bibulus. Through agrarian laws, Caesar acquired a large number of adherents who received land. Strengthening the triumvirate, he gave his daughter in marriage to Pompey.
Becoming proconsul of Gaul, Caesar conquered new territories for Rome. In the Gallic war, Caesar's exceptional diplomatic and strategic skill was manifested. Having defeated the Germans in a fierce battle, Caesar himself then, for the first time in Roman history, undertook a campaign across the Rhine, ferrying troops across a specially built bridge.
He made a campaign in Britain, where he won several victories and crossed the Thames; however, realizing the fragility of his position, he soon left the island.
In 54 BC. Caesar urgently returned to Gaul in connection with the uprising that had begun there. Despite desperate resistance and superior numbers, the Gauls were again subdued.
As a commander, Caesar was distinguished by decisiveness and at the same time caution, he was hardy, on a campaign he always went ahead of the army with his head uncovered, both in heat and cold. He knew how to tune the warriors short speech, personally knew his centurions and best soldiers and enjoyed extraordinary popularity and authority among them
After the death of Crassus in 53 BC. the triumvirate disintegrated. Pompey, in his rivalry with Caesar, led the supporters of Senate republican rule. The Senate, fearing Caesar, refused to renew his powers in Gaul. Realizing his popularity in the army and in Rome, Caesar decides to seize power by force. In 49, he gathered the soldiers of the 13th Legion, delivered a speech to them and made the famous crossing of the Rubicon River, thus crossing the border of Italy.
In the first days, Caesar occupied several cities, not meeting resistance. Panic began in Rome. Confused, Pompey, the consuls and the senate left the capital. After entering Rome, Caesar called the remainder of the Senate and offered cooperation.
Caesar quickly and successfully campaigned against Pompey in his province of Spain. Returning to Rome, Caesar was proclaimed dictator. Pompey hastily assembled a huge army, but Caesar inflicted a crushing defeat on him in the famous battle of Pharsalus. Pompey fled to the Asian provinces and was killed in Egypt. In pursuit of him, Caesar went to Egypt, to Alexandria, where he was presented with the head of a slain rival. Caesar refused a terrible gift and, according to the stories of biographers, mourned his death.
While in Egypt, Caesar plunged into the political intrigues of Queen Cleopatra; Alexandria was subdued. Meanwhile, the Pompeians were gathering new forces based in North Africa. After a campaign in Syria and Cilicia, Caesar returned to Rome and then, in the battle of Thapsus (46 BC) in North Africa, defeated the followers of Pompey. The cities of North Africa have shown their obedience.
Upon his return to Rome, Caesar celebrates a magnificent triumph, arranges grandiose spectacles, games and treats of the people, rewards soldiers. He is proclaimed a dictator for 10 years, receives the titles of "Emperor" and "Father of the Fatherland." Carries out numerous laws on Roman citizenship, reforming the calendar that bears his name.
Statues of Caesar are erected in temples. The month of July is named after him, the list of Caesar's honors is written in gold letters on silver columns. He arbitrarily appoints and dismisses officials from power.
In society, especially in republican circles, discontent was ripening, rumors circulated about Caesar's desire for royal power. His connection with Cleopatra also made a negative impression. There was a conspiracy to assassinate the dictator. Among the conspirators were his closest associates Cassius and the young Mark Junius Brutus, who, it was claimed, was even Caesar's illegitimate son. In the Ides of March, at a meeting of the Senate, the conspirators attacked Caesar with daggers. According to legend, seeing young Brutus among the murderers, Caesar exclaimed: "And you, my child" (or: "And you, Brutus"), stopped resisting and fell to the foot of the statue of his enemy Pompey.
Gaius Iulius Caesar is a military leader, politician, writer, dictator, high priest. He came from the ancient Roman family of the ruling class and consistently sought all government posts, led the line of political opposition to the senatorial aristocracy. He was merciful, but sent a number of his main opponents to execution.
The Yuliev clan originated from a noble family, which, according to legend, descended from the goddess Venus.
Julius Caesar's mother - Aurelia Kotta (Avrelia Kotta) was from a noble and wealthy Aurelian family. Paternal grandmother descended from the ancient Roman family of Marcii (Marcii). Ancus Marcius was the fourth king Ancient Rome from 640 to 616 BC e.
Childhood and youth
The exact date of birth of the emperor has not reached us. Today it is generally accepted that he was born in 100 BC. e., however, the German historian Theodor Mommsen believes that it was 102 BC. e., and the French historian Jerome Carcopino points to 101 BC. e. Both 12 and 13 July are considered birthday.
Gaius Julius spent his childhood in the poor Roman region of Subura. Parents gave their son a good education , he studied Greek, poetry and public speaking, learned to swim, rode horseback and developed physically. In 85 BC. e. the family lost a breadwinner and Caesar, after initiation, became the head of the family, since none of the older male relatives survived.
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The beginning of a political career
In Asia
In the 80s BC. e. the military leader Lucius Cornelius Cinna proposed the person of Gaius Julius to replace the flamines, priest of the god Jupiter. But for this he needed to marry according to the solemn ancient rite of confarreatio and Lucius Cornelius chose his daughter Cornelia Cinilla as his wife to Caesar. In 76 BC. e. the couple had a daughter, Julia (Ivlia).
Today, historians are no longer sure about the inauguration of Julius. On the one hand, this would have prevented him from engaging in politics, but, on the other, the appointment was a good way to strengthen the position of the Caesars.
After the betrothal of Gaius Julius and Cornelia, there was a riot in the troops and the military attacked Cinna, he was killed. The dictatorship of Lucius Cornelius Sulla was established, after which Caesar, as a relative of the opponent of the new ruler, was outlawed. He disobeyed Sulla, refused to divorce his wife and left. The dictator searched for the disobedient for a long time, but after a while, he pardoned him at the request of his relatives.
Soon Caesar joined Marcus Minucius Thermus, the governor of the Roman province in Asia Minor.
His father was in this position ten years ago. Julius became the equites of Marcus Minucius, who fought on horseback as a patrician. The first task that Term gave to his contubernal was to negotiate with the Bithynia king Nycomed IV. As a result of successful negotiations, the ruler hands over a flotilla to Therma to capture the city of Mytlene on the island of Lesvos, which did not accept the results of the First Mithridates War (89-85 BC) and resisted the Roman people. The city was successfully captured.
For the operation on Lesvos, Gaius Julius received a civil crown - a military award, and Mark Minucius resigned. In 78 BC. e. in Italy, Lucius Sulla dies and Caesar decides to return to his homeland.
Roman events
In 78 BC. e. the military leader Marcus Lepidus organized a revolt of the Italians (Italici) against the laws of Lucius. Caesar then did not accept the invitation to become its participant. In 77-76. BC e Gaius Julius tried to sue the supporters of Sulla: the politician Cornelius Dolabella and the commander Antonius Hybrida. But he did not succeed, despite the brilliant accusatory speeches.
After that, Julius decided to visit the island of Rhodes (Rhodus) and the school of rhetoric of Apollonius Molon (Apollonius Molon), but on the way there he was captured by pirates, from where he was later rescued by Asian ambassadors for fifty talents. Wishing to take revenge, the former prisoner equipped several ships and himself took the pirates prisoner, executing them with crucifixion. In 73 BC. e. Caesar was included in the collegial governing body of the pontiffs, where his uncle Gaius Aurelius Cotta previously ruled.
In 69 BC. e. died in childbirth of the second child of Caesar's wife - Cornelia, the baby also did not survive. At the same time, Caesar's aunt, Ivlia Maria, also perishes. Soon, Gaius Julius becomes a Roman magistratus, which gives him the opportunity to enter the Senate. He was sent to Far Spain (Hispania Ulterior), where he took over financial matters and the execution of orders from the propraetor Antistius Vetus.
In 67 BC. e. Caesar married Pompeia Sulla, Sulla's granddaughter. In 66 BC. e. Guy Julius becomes the caretaker of Rome's most important public road, Via Appia, and finances its renovation.
College of magistrates and elections
In 66 BC. e. Gaius Julius is elected to the magistrates of Rome. His responsibilities include expanding construction in the city, supporting trade and social events. In 65 BC. e. he held such memorable Roman games with gladiators that he managed to amaze his sophisticated townspeople.
In 64 BC. e. Guy Julius was the head of the judicial commission (Quaestiones perpetuae) for criminal trials, which allowed him to hold accountable and punish many of Sulla's henchmen.
In 63 BC. e. died Quintus Metellus Pius, vacating the life-long seat of the Great Pontiff (Pontifex Maximus). Caesar decides to nominate his own candidacy for her. The opponents of Gaius Julius are the consul Quintus Catulus Capitolinus and the commander Publius Vatia Isauricus. After numerous bribes, Caesar wins the elections by a large margin and moves to live on the Via Sacra in the state housing of the pontiff.
Conspiracy
In 65 and 63 years. BC e. one of the political conspirators, Lucius Sergius Catilina, twice attempted a coup d'état. Marcus Tullius Cicero, being an opponent of Caesar, tried to accuse him of participating in conspiracies, but could not provide the necessary evidence and failed. Marcus Porcius Cato, the informal leader of the Roman Senate, also testified against Caesar and got Gaius Julius out of the Senate pursued by threats.
First triumvirate
Pretura
In 62 BC. BC, using the powers of the praetor, Caesar wanted to transfer the reconstruction of the plan of Capitoline Jupiter (Iuppiter Optimus Maximus Capitolinus) from Quintus Catulus Capitolinus to Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, but the Senate did not support this bill.
After the proposal of the tribune Quintus Caecilius Metellus Nepos, supported by Caesar, to send Pompey with troops to Rome to pacify Catiline, the Senate removed both Quintus Cicelius and Gaius Julius from office, but the second was quickly restored.
In the fall, a trial was held over the conspirators of Catiline. One of its participants, Lucius Iulius Vettius, who opposed Caesar, was arrested, as was the judge Novius Nigerus, who accepted the report.
In 62 BC. e. Caesar's wife Pompey organized a festival in their house dedicated to the Good Goddess (Bona Dea), which could only be attended by women. But one of the politicians, Publius Clodius Pulcher, got to the holiday, he disguised himself as a woman and wanted to meet Pompey. The senators found out about the incident, considered it a shame and demanded a trial. Gaius Julius did not wait for the outcome of the process and divorced Pompey, so as not to put his personal life on public display. Moreover, the spouses never had heirs.
In further Spain
In 61 BC. e. Guy Julius's trip to Far Spain as a propraetor was postponed for a long time due to the presence of a large amount of debt. The general (Marcus Licinius Crassus) vouched for Gaius Julius and paid off part of his loans.
When the new propraetor arrived at his destination, he had to face the discontent of the inhabitants of the Roman government. Caesar gathered a detachment of militias and began to fight the "bandits". The commander, with an army of 12,000, approached the Serra da Estrela mountain range and ordered local residents get out of there. They refused to move and Gaius Julius attacked them. Highlanders through Atlantic Ocean went to the Berlenga Islands, killing all their pursuers.
But Caesar, after a series of thoughtful operations and strategic maneuvers, nevertheless conquered the popular resistance, after which he was awarded the honorary military title of the emperor (imperator), the winner.
Gaius Julius was active in the daily affairs of the subordinate lands. He presided over court hearings, introduced reforms to taxation, and eradicated the practice of sacrifice.
During the period of activity in Spain, Caesar was able to pay off most of his debts thanks to the rich gifts and bribes of the inhabitants of the wealthy south. At the beginning of 60 BC. e. Gaius Julius prematurely relinquishes his powers and returns to Rome.
Triumvirate
Rumors of the propraetor's victories soon reached the Senate, and its members considered that Caesar's return should be accompanied by a triumph (triumphus) - a solemn entry into the capital. But then, until the triumphal event, Gaius Julius was not allowed, according to the law, to enter the city. And since he also planned to take part in the upcoming elections to the post of consul, where his personal presence was required for registration, the commander abandons his triumph and begins to fight for a new position.
By bribing voters, Caesar nevertheless becomes consul, along with him the military leader Marcus Calpurnius Bibulus wins the elections.
In order to strengthen his own political position and existing power, Caesar enters into a conspiracy with Pompey and Crassus, uniting two influential politicians with opposite views. As a result of the conspiracy, a powerful alliance of military leaders and politicians appears, called the First Triumvirate (triumviratus - "the union of three men").
Consulate
In the early days of the consulate, Caesar began to submit new bills to the Senate. The first was an agrarian law, according to which the poor could receive plots of land from the state, which it bought from large landowners. First of all, the land was given to large families. To prevent speculation, the new landowners were not allowed to resell their plots for the next twenty years. The second bill concerned the taxation of taxation companies in the province of Asia, their contributions were reduced by one third. The third law dealt with bribes and extortion, it was adopted unanimously, unlike the first two.
To strengthen the connection with Pompey, Gaius Julius married his daughter Julia to him. Caesar himself decides to marry for the third time, this time Calpurnia, daughter of Lucius Calpurnius Piso Caesoninus, becomes his wife.
Proconsul
Gallic war
When Gaius Julius, after the due date, resigned as consul, he continued to conquer lands for Rome. During the Gallic War (Bellum Gallicum), Caesar, with extraordinary diplomacy and strategy, skillfully took advantage of the differences of the Gallic leaders. In 55 BC. e. he defeated the Germans who had crossed the Rhine (Rhein), then in ten days he built a bridge 400 meters long and attacked them himself, the first in the history of Rome. The first of the Roman generals to invade Great Britain, where he conducted several brilliant military operations, after which he was forced to leave the island.
In 56 BC. e. in Lucca (Lucca), a regular meeting of the triumvirs took place, at which it was decided to continue and develop political support for each other.
By 50 BC e. Gaius Julius suppressed all the uprisings, completely subjugating Rome's former territories.
Civil War
In 53 BC. e. Crassus dies and the triumvirate ceases to exist. A struggle began between Pompey and Julius. Pompey became the head of the republican government, and the Senate did not renew the powers of Gaius Julius in Gaul. Then Caesar decides to revolt. Gathering soldiers, who enjoyed great popularity, he crosses the border river Rubicone and, seeing no resistance, captures some cities. Frightened, Pompey and his close senators flee from the capital. Caesar invites the rest of the Senate to rule the country together.
In Rome, Caesar is appointed dictator. Pompey's attempts to prevent Gaius Julius failed, the fugitive himself was killed in Egypt, but Caesar did not accept the enemy's head as a gift, he mourned his death. While in Egypt, Caesar helps Queen Cleopatra (Cleopatra), conquers Alexandria (AIskandariya), in North Africa annexes Numidia (Numidia) to Rome.
Murder
The return of Gaius Julius to the capital is accompanied by a magnificent triumph. He does not skimp on rewarding his soldiers and generals, arranges feasts for the citizens of the city, organizes games and mass shows. Over the next ten years, he was proclaimed "Emperor" and "Father of the Fatherland." He publishes many laws, including laws on citizenship, on the structure of the state, against luxury, on unemployment, on the issue of free bread, changes the time calculation system and others.
Caesar was idolized and rendered great honors by erecting his statues and painting portraits. He had the best security, he was personally involved in appointing persons to government positions and removing them.
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