Rome & Julius Caesar

Change in Rome There was a change in Romans from the Rome first ideal Roman leaders start to put their own needs first There are a few men who represent this but no one more than Julius Caesar Though they were selfish they still did some good things

Famous Figures Pompey Magnus Marcus Crassus Mark Antony Cleopatra Julius Caesar

Pompey Magnus Also known as Pompey the Great He was a plebian and a Roman general He became famous at a young age for defeating a group of pirates

Pompey Magnus (contd.) He was loved by the people because of his victories in Spain As he grew older and stayed in Rome his fame faded As Julius Caesar became more popular and powerful Pompey sided with the Senate and the rich

Marcus Crassus He was the richest man in Rome He was a patrician and a Roman general He was famous for stopping a famous slave rebellion Spartacus Rebellion

Marcus Crassus (contd.) Crassus was extremely selfish and obsessed with wealth and power He became rich but he never became as famous as he wanted He was older when the two more famous and skilled generals Pompey and Julius Caesar came to power He faded from power as they both rose into positions of power

Mark Antony He was a patrician and a Roman general He was Julius Caesar’s second-in-command He was a great military leader but a failure at everything else He would fight along side his troops

Mark Antony (contd.) He was known for his violent nature, loose moral living, and gambling He was not qualified for the political positions he was given He would become one of the most powerful men in Rome even though he was not very “sharp”

Cleopatra She was the last pharaoh of Egypt She was very plain looking but legend talks about her being very beautiful She was a master of seduction and used that skill to become leader of Egypt She was highly intelligent

Cleopatra (contd.) She originally shared the rule of Egypt with her brother After seducing Julius Caesar she convinced Caesar to make her sole leader of Egypt They would have a love child that would be Caesar’s only son by blood She would do the same thing to another famous Roman

Julius Caesar He was a patrician and a Roman general One of the most famous people in Roman history He was very ambitious He was famous for conquering Gaul (modern day France) and sharing his troops hardships

Julius Caesar (contd.) His popularity grew with the people because of his many victories Caesar was also liked because he talked about changing things to make it better for the people This led to tension between him and the rich and powerful of Rome

The First Triumvirate A group of the three most powerful men in Rome It was made up of Marcus Crassus, Pompey Magnus, and Julius Caesar The group had no official government power They agreed to share power instead of competing against one another

Competition Intensifies The competition became worse as the year went on between Pompey and Julius Caesar They were both friends and Pompey was even married to Caesar’s daughter The competition heated up for a few reasons: Julius Caesar was becoming more popular for his victories

Competition Intensifies Pompey’s popularity fades as he stays in Rome and he sides with the rich Julia, Caesar’s daughter, dies so the men no longer share a family connection Marcus Crassus dies so there is no one to slow the competition down Julius Caesar is talking about making changes to help the common people

The Final Straws Pompey, with the help of the senators, is elected sole consul instead of sharing it with Caesar The Senate decides to vote to force Caesar to come home Caesar is told to leave his army and to return to Rome alone

The Decision Caesar has a decision Return home embarrassed and maybe face criminal charges Invade the city of Rome with his army and break every ancient Roman rule and tradition

Crossing the Rubicon The Rubicon river is the natural border that marks the start of the ancient city of Rome A Roman general could not enter the city of Rome with a battle ready army It was one of the worst crimes a Roman could commit It was one of the biggest insults to the gods

Crossing the Rubicon A Roman army had to remove their armor and weapons once they entered the city of Rome By crossing the Rubicon Caesar is declaring war on Rome It is one of the most important events in Roman history Pompey and the senators are not prepared so they leave Rome to prepare to fight

Civil War Pompey and some important senators fight against Caesar The final battle is in 48 BCE in Brundisium, Greece Caesar & Antony are outnumbered about 2 to 1 They still win Caesar allows the senators who surrender to live Pompey escapes to Egypt

Egypt Pompey goes to Egypt to recruit an army The ruler of Egypt has his head cut off as a peace offering to Caesar Egypt’s ruler wants to stay an independent nation instead of being controlled by Rome Caesar become furious about his friend’s death and demands justice

Egypt (contd.) With his soldiers Caesar replaces the ruler of Egypt with Cleopatra Egypt now become a client kingdom of Rome It is allowed to have its own ruler and laws but they must pay taxes and provide crops to Rome

Caesar in Rome Caesar is forced to return quickly to Rome because Antony cannot run it He begins reforms to make the country better He forgives debts for many people He expands the amount of senators He starts public building projects and puts Romans to work He expands the calendar