Opening Thought  “Veni, Vedi, Vici: I came, I saw, I conquered,” -Julius Caesar

Roman Reformers  Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus (Brothers)  Attempting to help the landless poor, they took land from the rich and gave to the poor  They were killed  Marius (General)  Promised soldiers land in exchange for loyalty to him and not the state  Turned the legions into a professional army  One of his lieutenants, Lucius Sulla, went further…

The Dictatorship of Sulla

 81 BC: General Sulla lost his command in Asia Minor and marched on Rome  Sulla institutes a reign of terror and seizes Rome itself  Sulla gave power to the Senate, eliminated popular assemblies, and then abdicates  After causing complete mayhem, he just leaves and goes home!  Sulla believed that he was creating a firm foundation for the republic  Actually established precedent that destroyed the republic

The First Triumvirate

Three Kings  Julius Caesar: Famous for his war against Vercingetorix and conquering Gaul  Marcus Crassus: The richest man in Rome  Fought Spartacus  Ordered the crucifixion of 6000 men along the Appian Way  Pompey Magnus: Commander of Spain and conqueror of Jerusalem  Lieutenant of Sulla  Established Herodean Dynasty recorded in the Bible

Caesar: Tactician and Politician  Caesar: Tactician  Considered one of the greatest military minds in history along with Alexander the Great, Hannibal Barca, and Napoleon  Routinely defeated superior armies  Used engineering and geography to win battles  Caesar: Politician  Wrote his own biography and military records  Once claimed he defeated 430,000 enemies with less than 5000 soldiers and did not lose a single soldier  Caesar’s accounts made him very popular with the people

The Battle of Alesia  The Gallic War: September, 52 BC  Vercingetorix has Caesar on the run through guerrilla tactics  Withdraws to Alesia  Caesar’s army numbers 40,000  Vercingetorix’s army numbers 330,000  Stations 80,000 in Alesia  250,000 in relief forces outside the city  Caesar excels at siege warfare and cements his legacy as a great military commander

Civil War  Caesar’s triumph in Gaul made him extremely popular with the people  Caused him to be feared by the Senate  Crassus dies in 53  The Senate backs Pompey and orders Caesar to give up his command and threatened the tribunes who support him  Caesar refuses and marches on Rome  His army crossed the Rubicon River, igniting civil war, and creating the phrase  Followed the precedent established by Sulla  Claimed to be defending the tribunes: representatives of the people

Caesar’s Victory  Caesar defeated Pompey at Pharsalus, in 48 BC  Pompey flees to Egypt and is assassinated by agents of Ptolemy and Cleopatra  Caesar returns to Rome and is hailed as “dictator” in 47 BC  Established Julian Calendar, based on the Egyptian Solar Calendar, which lasted 365 days  Basis of our modern calendar  Julian Calendar lasts until 1582, when it is replaced by the current Gregorian calendar  The month of July was named in his honor

The Darkest Day

The Ides of March  Several senators feared Caesar’s ambition including Marcus Brutus, a close friend of Caesar  March 15, 44 BC: Assassination Day  Mark Antony, Caesar’s lieutenant, was warned of the plot the night before but was unable to inform Caesar  Caesar’s wife Calpurnia had a dream of the assassination and warned him not to go to the Forum on Capitoline Hill  A soothsayer warned Caesar to “beware the ides of March”  Caesar was stabbed 23 times, only one wound was lethal  Julius Caesar died at 55 years of age  The average U.S. President is inaugurated at 54