There are few rulers in history who had as much power and control as the Roman Julius Caesar. Considered one of the greatest Roman leaders, his role as ruler led to the fall of the Roman Republic and the creation of the Roman Empire.

Few periods of history carry more wisdom than the rise and fall of the Roman Empire. Most notably, the rise and fall of Julius Caesar. Using brute force and violence will make you feared and even admired, but with that will come those awaiting your collapse. Even one moment of vulnerability could be your downfall. Julius Caesar had so much power that others feared his rule and thought it had to be brought to an end. Call Julius Caesar greedy or call others jealous, either way the imbalance will always lead to conflict as history has taught us.

Julius Caesar as a Youth

Born in 100 BC into a patricianjulius caesar family, Gaius Julius Caesar was raised in a time of much bloodshed. His family, though ancient, had limited power in the world of politics, and the time was filled with wars led mostly by the dictator at the time, Lucius Cornelius Sulla, who was attempting to rid Rome of his personal enemies.

He became the head of his family and the new high priest of Jupiter at the age of sixteen, after the death of his father. The wars, however, eventually targeted his family because of his marriage to Cornelia, the daughter of Lucius Cinna. Julius was stripped of his title as high priest, but it gave him the opportunity to take up a military career.

After a brief military stint, he entered the world of politics, and became elected as Consul in 59 BC. Four years later, he invaded Britain. The remainder of his life was filled with his many conquests and his ability as a politician, all giving him power and security for his future position as ruler of Rome.

The Life of a Dictator

Julius Caesar’s achievements as a military general gave him unmatched power. When ordered by the Senate to end his command of the military, Julius refused and led a revolt through which a civil war sprang forth. In the end, Julius rose as the ruler of Rome, the government under his control.

He made many reformations in both social and governmental situations, eventually being proclaimed as “dictator for life”. One of his most important reformations was the establishment of a police force.

Julius Caesar was given many honors, including having coins with his face engraved on them. These sorts of honors were given only to a king, however, and his assassins would later use these honors as justification for his death.

Julius Caesar Secrets

  • Julius Caesar never became Emperor of Rome. He only wanted to be a ruler of Rome, in this case, a dictator. The reason why many people call him the “emperor” is because of the name “Caesar”. For his proceeding successors, they took on the name “Caesar” to symbolize their rule as emperor. For Julius, the name “Caesar” was simply a family name.
  • He was the first Roman general to cross both the English Channel and the Rhine.
  • He reformed the calendar, creating the Julian calendar, a take on the Egyptian calendar which was ruled by the sun’s movements.
  • The month July, previously known as Quintilis, was named after him.

The End of Julius Caesar

Julius Caesar came to a grisly end, being on the receiving end of 23 knife wounds. The attending physician later concluded that only one wound had been fatal. The assassination was carried out by a group of senators, including Marcus Junius Brutus, who had grown fearful of Julius’ power.

The death of Republican Rome’s ruler led to the breakout of more civil wars. In the end, the Republic of Rome was never restored, and the Empire of Rome came into being, beginning with Octavian, later known as Augustus, Julius’ adopted heir.

By Daniel

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