After his wife’s funeral, he went to serve his quaestorship in Hispania in the spring or early summer of 69 BC. He was elected quaestor in 69 BC and in the same year his wife Cornelia also died. Julius Caesar’s Political Riseįollowing Caesar’s return to Rome, he was elected military tribune which was the first step in a political career. However, he had the pirates’ throats slit before crucifixion in a show of leniency owing to their easy treatment of him in captivity. He hired a private fleet to hunt them down and kill them for their crimes. Once the ransom was paid, Caesar followed through on his threats. He had a relaxed and familiar approach with the pirates, but would often threaten to kill them. For example, the pirates demanded a ransom of 20 talents of silver, but he insisted that they ask for 50. While he was held captive, he maintained an attitude of superiority. In 75 BC, while he crossed the Aegean Sea in route to Rhodes to study philosophy and oratory, Caesar was captured by pirates. Because he had no inheritance, he acquired a modest house in Subura, a lower-class neighbourhood of Rome. He became a successful prosecutor, widely known for his oratory skills. Caesar denied these rumors for the rest of his life.Īfter Sulla’s death in 78 BC, Caesar felt it was safe enough to go home and he returned to Rome. He went on a mission to Bithynia to secure the assistance of King Nicomedes’s fleet, but he spent so long at Nicomedes’ court that rumours arose of an affair with the king. Therefore, Caesar left Rome and joined the army, serving under Marcus Minucius Thermus in Asia and Servilius Isauricus in Cilicia.Ĭaesar served with distinction and earned the prestigious Civic Crown for his courage at the Siege of Mytilene in 80 BC. Losing his priesthood allowed him to pursue a military career, and he felt he was much safer away from Sulla incase he changed his mind. Early Military ServiceĪs a high priest of Jupiter, Caesar was not permitted to touch a horse, sleep three nights outside his own bed or one night outside Rome, or look upon an army. Luckily, the threat against him was lifted by the intervention of his mother’s family, which included supporters of Sulla, and the Vestal Virgins. However, he refused to divorce is wife Cornelia. He was forced to flee Rome and go into hiding, being stripped of his inheritance, his wife’s dowry, and his priesthood. When Sulla won the civil war in 82 BC and declared himself dictator of Rome, Caesar’s connections to the old regime made him a target for the new one. Cinna was an influential member of the Populares. As a priest not only had to be of patrician stock, but married to a patrician, Caesar broke off his engagement to a plebian girl and married the patrician, Cornelia, who was the daughter of Gaius Marius’ ally, Lucius Cornelius Cinna. On the Ides of March (15 March), 44 BC, Caesar was assassinated by a group of rebellious senators led by Brutus and Cassius, who stabbed him to death.Ĭaesar decided that the most benefit to his family following his father death would be for him to join the priesthood, and he managed to have himself nominated as the new High Priest of Jupiter. While his popularity within the lower and middle class grew with his dictatorship, his popularity with those higher up lessened. He also made changes to the calendar, creating the Julian calendar. Many of these laws benefited the lower and middle class. All these events helped to secure him support against Pompey.Īs dictator, Caesar made many changes to Ancient Rome and passed many laws. Despite this alliance dominating Roman politics for a number of years, Caesar ultimately went on to defeat Pompey, his rival, in a civil war.Ĭaesar is also remembered for a string of military victories in the Gallic Wars, extending Roman territory, during which time he both invaded Britain and built a bridge across the Rhine river. Much of Caesar’s military career is documented in works that he composed throughout his life.Ĭaesar was a member of the First Triumvirate, an alliance formed in 60 BC between Caesar, Crassus and Pompey. Caesar also played an important role in the events that led to the demise of the Roman Republic and the rise of the Roman Empire. After many military victories and alliances, Caesar became dictator of the Roman Empire, a rule that lasted for just one year before his death. Gaius Julius Caesar was a renowned general, politician and scholar. Notable Works: Bellum Gallicum, Bellum Civile.Died: 15 March 44 BC (aged 55), Rome, Italy.
0 kommentar(er)
