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Julius Caesar was a Roman general, politician, statesman, and writer, and
emperor of the Roman empire from 49-44 B.C.E. He was born and educated inRome. He already had a reputation as a fine soldier when his politicalcareer began in 68 B.C.E. Julius showed a human spiritual greatness inhis generosity to defeated opponents. When he defeated his enemies andcrossed the Rubican to Italy in 49, he became the most powerful man inRome. He described these victories in three books called De BelloCivili(The Civil Wars). Julius was declared emperor for life and was verypopular with the Roman people. However, a group of senators, led by asenator named Brutus, believed that he was too powerful, and theyassassinated him on the Ides (15th) of March 44.
Julius Caesar played a major role in Roman history, but he is never directly mentioned in Christian scripture. His death was approximately 17to 20 years before the birth of Jesus.
Caesar, Gaius Julius (100-44 BC), Roman general and statesman, who laid the foundations of the Roman Empire.
Early Life
Born in Rome in 100 BC, Caesar belonged to the prestigious Julian clan; yet his uncle by marriage was Gaius Marius, leader of the popular party.This party was opposed by a reactionary senatorial faction. When LuciusCornelius Sulla, leader of that faction, was made dictator in 82 BC,Caesar left Rome until Sulla resigned in 78 BC.
Triumvirate
Between 74 BC and 65 BC, Caesar held a series of public offices and formed alliances with powerful friends. Returning to Rome in 60 BC aftera year as governor of Spain, he joined forces with Roman general Pompeythe Great and the rich patrician Marcus Licinius Crassus in a three-wayalliance known as the First Triumvirate. The triumvirate controlled thegovernment in Rome.
Gallic Wars
Celtic Gaul was still independent in 58 BC. When Roman allies there appealed to Caesar for help against rivals, Caesar marched north intoGaul with six legions of soldiers. By 57 BC Rome controlled most ofnorthern Gaul. While Caesar remained in Gaul, his agents attempted todominate politics in Rome. After Crassus died in 53 BC while waging waragainst Parthia, tension increased between Caesar and Pompey.
Civil Wars
In 52 BC Pompey assumed full power in Rome. The Roman Senate called upon Caesar to resign his command and disband his army. Instead, early in 49BC, Caesar marched his army into northern Italy and moved swiftlysouthward. Pompey fled to Greece. In three months Caesar was master ofall Italy. His forces then took Spain and the key port of Massalía (nowMarseille, France). In 48 BC Caesar landed in Greece and smashed Pompey'sforces at Pharsalus. Pompey escaped to Egypt, but there he wasassassinated. By the following year all forces opposing Caesar had beendefeated.
Dictatorship and Assassination
The basic prop for Caesar's continuation in power was the dictatorship. According to the traditional constitution, this office was only to beheld for six months during a dire emergency. That rule, however, had beenbroken before. Caesar now followed suit. In addition, he was made consulfor ten years in 45 BC. Above all, he was in total command of the armies,and this remained the backbone of his power.
A number of senatorial families felt that Caesar threatened their position and feared for the future of the Roman republic. In 44 BC, anassassination plot was hatched by a group of senators, including GaiusCassius and Marcus Junius Brutus. On March 15 of that year, when Caesarentered the Senate, the group killed him. Since Caesar had no male heirs,in his will he named his grandnephew, Octavius, as successor. It wasOctavius who became Rome's first emperor under the name of Augustus.
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