Julius Caesar Chapter VI part V

Trouble at Home

By 70 B.C., Rome controlled all the land around the Mediterranean Sea. They controlled an area about the size of the United States. But this expansion brought about change in the Republic.

The army was now made up of professional soldiers, mostly poor citizens who couldn't find any other work. They were fighting for money, not for Rome, but only if they won!

These soldiers were only loyal to the generals who hired them and paid them with land and money. Power-hungry generals fought one another for control of the government.

One of those generals was Julius Caesar.

Caesar was born into the Julii family. This was one of the oldest families of the patricians. They claimed to be descendants of Venus.

He was raised by his father, C. Julius Caesar, and his mother, Aurelia, in the subura. The subura was a heavily populated area in Rome.

Eventually the leader of Rome at this time, Sulla, became angry with Caesar and his family. Sulla wanted Ceasar killed, but Caesar was able to escape. During his escape, Caesar was kidnapped and held for ransom by pirates.

While Caesar was away Sulla died. Rome was no longer under the control of a dictator.

He soon became a member of the Senate.

In 70 B.C., Pompey and Crassus were the new Consuls. Caesar was elected military tribute.

In 68 B.C., Caesar was elected questor (treasury official). He later got the position of curule aedile (responsible for maintaining public buildings and holding festivals).

In 65 B.C., Caesar’s next position was as proraetor (a Roman magistrate in charge of a province) of Spain.

In 60 BCE, Caesar formed an alliance with Pompey and Crassus. This became known as the “The First Triumvirate”. He promised to support their interests if they would help him become a consul.

In 59 B.C., Caesar his alliance helped him to be elected consul. He did not allow the other consul, Bibulus to do much. This created quite a few enemies for him, including Cato.

Caesar strengthened his alliance with Pompey by giving him his daughter Julia to marry. Caesar himself got married also that year to Calpurnia.

In 58 B.C. Caesar got a five year position as proconsol (governor) of Gaul (modern day France).

He spent the next nine years conquering the land.

While in Gaul, Caesar learned that his daughter, Julia, had complications while giving birth. Both she and her child died. His relation with Pompey began to strain.

After nine years Caeser was ready to return to Rome.

Caesar's successes in Gaul worried many senators in Rome. They feared that Caesar was becoming too powerful. His army was twice as large as the one Sulla had returned with.

Even though he had been successful, they persuaded the rest of the Senate to declare Caesar a public enemy. The Senate decided to order Caesar to return to Rome without his army.

But Caesar believed that if he did, he would be killed. Instead he decided to lead his army to Rome.

In January 49 B.C., Caesar was told of the decree of the Senate. He had only one legion with him, but leaving orders for the others to follow, he at once began to march toward the Rubicon.

The Rubicon was the stream which divided his province from Italy. Caesar knew that if he crossed the stream with his army, it would be a declaration of war.

So momentous was the decision, that as Cæsar drew near to the Rubicon he hesitated. Looking down upon the stream, he stood for a time deep in thought, while his soldiers watched him anxiously from the distance.

On January 11, 49 B.C., Caesar and his army crossed the Rubicon River, which divided Northern Italy from the rest of Italy.

Since it was treason, a crime against Rome, for a general to leave his assigned province and bring his army to Rome, this was a serious action. Caesar knew he would be challenged, and that he must win or die.

The senators sent an army, led by Pompey, to stop Caesar. That meant civil war! It lasted for 3 years.

During this time Pompey escaped to Egypt for help. While there he was murdered by his own guards. They had been paid off by the Egyptian eunuch Pothinus, who was running the country for the twelve year old pharaoh, Ptolemy XIII.

Caesar arrived with 4000 soldiers in pursuit of Pompey. Pothinus greeted him with the head of Pompey as a gift.

While Caesar was in Alexandria, Egypt, Cleopatra VII (20-21 yrs old) who was in hiding at the time, snuck into see him.

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In 46 B.C. he returned to Rome with Cleopatra and their newborn son. declared himself dictator.

A Dictator is a ruler who has absolute power.

Earlier Roman dictators had been chosen for emergencies.

In 458 B.C., Cincinnatus, a citizen farmer, laid down his plow to lead the Roman army. His fellow citizens made him "dictator" or "highest ruler".

According to legend, within 16 days he had defeated the neighboring tribe. But then Cincinnatus did something different which the Romans admired; he gave up being the highest ruler, and went back to his farm!

But when Caesar made himself dictator he planned to be the absolute ruler for life! Julius Caesar ended the republican system.

As absolute ruler, one of Julius Caesar's actions was to make the Roman calendar fit the seasons of the year. He added 3 months to the calendar. Because this was a good thing, the Senate named the month of July after him.

THE EARLY EMPIRE ESTABLISHING PEACE AND ORDER

As a dictator, Julius Caesar seemed to have little respect for the constitution (the Roman laws). A Roman leader was supposed to share power with the senators.

For example, he reorganized the government and lowered taxes. He created new colonies in distant lands and gave Roman people that land to farm.

He hired people to build temples and public buildings. He made citizens of many people in the colonies.

But many senators thought Caesar acted as if he did not have to obey the law. They thought he treated them as servants. They saw his behavior as proud and insulting.

Many began to think of him as an enemy.

One of Caesar’s most loyal officers (Marc Anthony) wanted to crown him king, but Caesar had declined.

Sixty angry senators met secretly. They planned how they would assassinate Caesar- murder him for political reasons. One leader of the group was Brutus, a friend of Caesar.

It was early in the year 44 B.C. “Beware the ides of March,” the fortuneteller whispered in Julius Caesar's ear. "I have seen many warnings of danger in your future."

But Caesar, confident of his power, simply went on about his business. He even refused to have bodyguards. He is said to have said, "It is better to suffer death once, than always to live in fear of it."

However, March 15, which in the Roman calendar is the "ides" of March, turned out to be the day of Caesar's death! As Caesar walked confidently into the senate that day, a group of men gathered around him as if to pay their respects.

One of them took hold of Caesar's robe and said, "Friends, what are you waiting for?” That was the signal to attack. Several men drew daggers from their robes and began stabbing Caesar. He tried to defend himself, but then he recognized one of the men.

It was Brutus, a man Caesar thought was his friend. "Et tu, Brute?" ("You too, Brutus?") Caesar asked.

Realizing that even his friend had turned against him, he stopped resisting. Caesar fell to the floor and died. He had been stabbed 23 times.

Brutus jumped up, waving his bloody knife. He announced that he and his men had saved the Roman Republic by killing Caesar.

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Many Roman citizens were angry about Caesar's murder. Caesar was well liked because he made many changes that improved people's lives.

It was now Mark Antony whom they wished to rule, and with the help of the people he soon made himself master of Rome. But he was not left long to enjoy his power undisputed. For Cæsar's heir Octavius came to Rome in the month of May, to claim his inheritance.

Octavius was only eighteen years of age, but he had a will resolute beyond his years. He had already made up his mind to punish the assassins of Cæsar, and to make himself as powerful as might be in the State.

Octavius also gathered together an army, with which to attack Antony. The Senate now declared Antony a public enemy, for taking up arms. When Octavius attacked his camp and forced Antony to flee, the Senate was greatly pleased.

He took the title Augustus, meaning “exalted one”. The Roman empire was now ruled by one man.