GAIUS JULIUS CAESAR

INTRODUCTION

Julius Caesar Biography: Early Life

Gaius Julius Caesar was born on the 12th of July, in either 100 or 102 BC. His family
claimed to have been descendants of Iulus, the son of the Trojan prince Aeneas who claimed to
be the descendant of the Goddess Venus. His father, also named Gaius Julius Caesar was a
praetor, the second highest rank within the Roman Republic’s senate. He governed the province
of Asia. His mother Aurelia Cotta came from an influential family of Rome. Julius Caesar had
two sisters, both of whom were named Julia.
In 85 BC Julius Caesar’s father died suddenly and the 16 year old Julius became the head
of his family. The year after that he was nominated to be the new Flamen Dialis or the High
Priest of Jupiter. The holder of this position had to be a patrician (which he was) and had to be
married to another patrician. Towards this end, he broke off his engagement to Cossutia, to
whom he had been engaged since childhood as she came from a wealthy equestrian family. He
then got married to Cornelia, the daughter of Cinna.

Julius Caesar’s Life: Early Background of Military Life

Around 82 BC Sulla had conquered Mithridates and returned to Rome. Cinna had already
been killed by his mutineering soldiers. As the nephew of Sulla’s arch rival Marius, and the son-
in-law of another of Sulla’s enemies Cinna, Caesar was his next target. Julius Caesar lost his
inheritance, his wife’s dowry and his priesthood and was forced to go into hiding. He refused to
divorce Cornelia. His mother’s family, however, included the supporters of Sulla and the Vestal
Virgins. They all intervened and Sulla gave up.
However, Caesar did not return to Rome. The fact that he was not a priest anymore
allowed him to join the army. So he did just that and served in Asia and Cilicia. He won the Civic
Crown for his service in the siege of Mytilene. He then spent a considerably long time at the
court of King Nicomedes to secure the King’s aid in his mission to Bythinia. This incident
created rumors of his being the King’s secret lover.
When Sulla died in 78 BC, Caesar finally returned to Rome. He began his career as a legal
advocate and became quite well known as an exceptional orator. His speeches were known to
be passionate, full of gestures and he used his high pitched voice with great effect, often
prosecuting former governors for extortion or corruption. His oratorical skill invited Cicero’s

1
remark: "Does anyone have the ability to speak better than Caesar?"

Julius Caesar Chronology of Events

102/100 BCE: Gaius Julius Caesar was born of Aurelia and Gaius Julius Caesar, a praetor. His
family had noble, patrician roots

72 BCE: Caesar was elected military tribune. (Note that Pompey and Crassus were the consuls
for 70 BCE.)

68/67 BCE: Caesar was elected quaestor and obtained a seat in the Senate; he married
Pompeia, a granddaughter of Sulla.

65 BCE: He was elected curule aedile and spent lavishly on games to win popular favor; large
loans from Crassus made these expenditures possible.

63 BCE: Caesar spent heavily in a successful effort to get elected pontifex maximus (chief
priest); in 62 he was elected praetor. In 61 he was sent to the province of Further Spain as
propraetor.

60 BCE: He returned from Spain and joined with Pompey and Crassus in a loose coalition
called by modern historians “The First Triumvirate”.

59 BCE: Caesar was elected consul against heavy Optimate opposition led by Marcus Porcius
Cato. Caesar married his only daughter, Julia, to Pompey to consolidate their alliance; he
himself married Calpurnia, the daughter of a leading member of the Popular faction.

58 BCE: Caesar left Rome for Gaul; he would not return for 9 years, in the course of which he
would conquer most of what is now central Europe.

56 BCE: Caesar, Pompey, and Crassus met in Caesar's province to renew their coalition, since
Pompey had been increasingly moving toward the Optimate faction.

54 BCE: Caesar led a three-month expedition to Britain. Meanwhile, Caesar's coalition with
Pompey was increasingly strained, especially after Julia died in childbirth in 54.

51 BCE: The conquest of Gaul effectively completed, Caesar set up an efficient provincial
administration to govern the vast territories. The Optimates in Rome attempted to cut short
Caesar's term as governor of Gaul.

49 BCE: Caesar tried to maintain his position legally, but when he was pushed to the limit he
led his armies across the Rubicon River (the border of his province), which was automatic civil
war.

2
48 BCE: In the final battle, on the plains of Pharsalus, Caesar was victorious, though the toll
was great on both sides. Pompey manages to escape, fleeing to Egypt.

October 2, 48 BCE: Caesar landed in Alexandria; he was presented, to his professed horror,
with the head of Pompey, who had been betrayed by the Egyptians. Caesar gets Cleopatra VII
as a useful ally and he supported her right to the throne. Achillas and an army of 20,000
besieged the palace. Caesar managed to hold the palace itself and the harbor.

March, 47 BCE: Caesar had sent for reinforcements, two Roman legions and the army of an
ally, King Mithridates; on March 26 defeated the Egyptian army (Ptolemy XIII died in this battle).

June 23, 47 BCE: Caesar left Alexandria, having established Cleopatra as a client ruler in
alliance with Rome

August, 47 BCE: After leaving Alexandria, Caesar swept through Asia Minor to settle the
disturbances there.

July 25, 46 BCE: The victorious and now unchallenged Caesar arrived back in Rome and
celebrated four splendid triumphs (over the Gauls, Egyptians, Pharnaces, and Juba);

February, 44 BCE: Caesar was named dictator perpetuus.

March 15, 44 BCE: Caesar was assassinated by senate.

Assesment of the Impact of His Actions on Society of the Day And How the World Benefit
From It.

Caesar, Caius Julius (100-44 BC). Probably the greatest general in Rome's history, and
among the most successful of all time, Caesar was also a skilful author who wrote detailed
accounts of his campaigns. His seven books of Commentaries on the Gallic wars, three on the
civil war, along with several books written by some of his officers to fill the gaps in the narrative,
provide more information about Caesar's campaigns than those of any other ancient
commander. The style of these works has had a massive influence on the writing of military
history, down to the present day.
It is important to remember that Caesar was not simply a general, but also a politician. In
Rome politics and war were inseparably linked. Success in war promoted a political career,
which in turn led to greater opportunities for military command. Up until the year 58, Caesar's
career followed the normal pattern for a Roman aristocrat, mixing military with civil posts. He
served as a junior officer (tribune) in the east (80-78), being awarded Rome's highest decoration
for gallantry, the corona civica, for saving a soldier's life at the siege of Mytilene. His first
independent command came with his appointment as governor of Further Spain, where he led a

3
small army in some successful police actions (61-60). However, after his political alliance with
two of the most powerful politicians in Rome, Pompey and Crassus, Caesar received the
consulship for the year 59 and an exceptionally large provincial command including Illyria,
Cisalpine, and Transalpine Gaul in 58. At first his term of office was for five years, which was
later extended to ten, an unprecedentedly long period.

Caesar was massively in debt and needed the profits derived from a successful war of
conquest. He may well have contemplated marching from Illyria against the Dacian kingdom on
the Danube, but the migration of the Helvetii offered him a perfect excuse to intervene in Gaul,
an opportunity he accepted with alacrity (58). In eight years he conquered all of Gaul, defeated
several rebellions, and advanced Rome's power to the Rhine. His victories were celebrated with
public thanksgivings in Rome, and he took care to seize every chance to perform the
spectacular, twice bridging the Rhine and leading expeditions to the strange and distant shores
of Britain. Every winter he returned to Cisalpine Gaul to perform his judicial duties as governor,
but also to keep an eye on the political climate at Rome. Vast quantities of booty and huge
numbers of slaves covered Caesar's debts and made him exceptionally wealthy. He lavished
much of this on his victorious soldiers, further increasing their loyalty to him.

Crassus had fallen at Carrhae in 53 and by the end of the Gallic wars, Pompey was
unwilling to accept Caesar as a political equal and rival. He sided with Caesar's ardent
opponents in the Senate who were determined to prosecute him as soon as the Gallic
command expired. This led to the outbreak of the civil war in 49, when Caesar led his troops
across the Rubicon, the narrow stream separating his province, where he legally exercised
command, with Italy, where he did not. He secured Italy in a matter of weeks, with hardly a blow
being struck. Then he moved to Spain and manoeuvred a Pompeian army into a hopeless
position, forcing it to surrender at Ilerda. In 48 he crossed to Macedonia and after a hard
campaign defeated Pompey himself at Pharsalus. Following Pompey to Egypt, he wintered
there, making Queen Cleopatra his mistress, and fighting with small forces against a serious
rebellion. In 47 he moved against Pharnaces, king of Bosphorus, who had overrun much of
Asia, and defeated him in a few days at Zela. It was of this rapid victory that he made the
famous comment, ‘Veni, Vidi, Vici’ (I came: I saw: I conquered). In 46 he smashed another
Pompeian army at Thapsus in Africa, before finally crushing the last resistance at Munda in
Spain in 45. Returning to Rome he was made dictator for life, but was murdered by a senatorial
conspiracy on 15 March 44, a few weeks before he was to have embarked on a series of major
campaigns, first against Dacia, then Parthia.

4
 Like many great commanders Caesar did little to reform his army, but took the existing
Roman army organization and raised it to the peak of efficiency. He instituted a rigorous
programme of training, with regular exercises and route marches which he often led in person.
As a leader he was inspirational. Conspicuous bravery was lavishly rewarded with decorations,
promotions, and a larger share of the booty. In particular he rewarded his centurions, who figure
prominently in his Commentaries for their loyalty and courage. Caesar was also skilled at
fostering unit pride. When his army was reluctant to march against Ariovistus, Caesar
announced that he would go on alone with the X Legion. The Tenth responded to the flattery
with enthusiasm and the rest of the army was shamed into emulating their behaviour. During the
civil war many of the Tenth were long overdue for discharge and mutinied at the prospect of
another campaign. Caesar quelled the disturbance with a single word, addressing them as
Quirites, civilians rather than soldiers. The legion gave the ringleaders up for execution and won
the day for Caesar at Munda.

As a commander Caesar's most striking quality was his speed of action. He always tried to
seize the initiative, launching counter offensives in winter with whatever troops were
immediately available against the Gallic rebellions in 54 and 52. Crossing the Rubicon with a
single legion, and invading Macedonia in the civil war were equally bold actions. In battle,
Caesar moved around his army, ever present where there was a crisis, and willing to go into the
front line himself if the situation was desperate. Modern scholars have criticized Caesar for his
rashness, pointing out that his genius was all too often exercised in extricating his army from the
poor position which his recklessness had placed it in. Yet this type of behaviour was typically
Roman. The Romans expected a general to be very bold, ranking luck as important an attribute
of a successful commander as ability.

Julius Caesar Leadership from the Standpoint of Various Aspect

In government Caesar accomplished the following:

1. He gave additional rights of self-government to towns in Italy.

2. He extended citizenship privileges to many people in the provinces.

5
 3. He reformed the administration of the provinces; corrupt governors were removed from
office. 1

Synopsis Of His Political Career

Julius Caesar grew up in a period of unrest and civil war in Rome. When, Caesar was
fifteen years old, his father Lucius died, with him died the fatherly expectations that Caesar
should engage on a modest political career. Instead Caesar now set out to better himself. But,
Caesar left Rome when he was nineteen in order to save his life from Sulla (a dictator of Rome).
And so Caesar left Rome to join the army as a military assistant to a provincial governor. Then
Caesar left the army, yet it was still considered unwise for him to return to Rome.
Instead he spent some time in the south of Italy improving his education, in particular rhetoric.
Caesar later proved an incredibly talented, if not genial, public speaker and much of this will
undoubtedly have come from his training in rhetoric. When he returns from exile, he was elected
aedile and held lavish games and spectacles also Caesar used it to his fullest advantage.

In 60 BC, Caesar's in the age of 41, he was awarded the post of praetor from the Senate
and sends him to a troubled region, Spain. In the next year, Caesar returned to Rome and
formed a valuable pact with two of the most prominent Romans of the day, Pompey and
Crassus (The ‘first triumvirate'). The triumvirate helped Caesar achieve his greatest ambition to
that day. He was elected consul, the highest office of Rome. As his one-year term of office as
consul came to an end, Caesar needed to think of finding a new office into which to retire from
his current position. He therefore obtained for himself the governorship of Cisalpine Gaul,
Illyricum and - due to the sudden death of that governor.

Military Career of Julius Caesar

Based on his experience during in Spain, Julius Caesar managed to handle his army to
expanded Roman Empire with his army. Caesar's successful campaigning in any terrain and
under all weather conditions owes much to the strict but fair discipline of his legionaries, whose
admiration and devotion to him was proverbial. Caesar's infantry and cavalry was first rate, and
he made heavy use of formidable Roman artillery; additional factors which made him so
effective in the field were his army's superlative engineering abilities and the legendary speed
with which he maneuvered (Caesar's army sometimes marched as many as 40 miles a day).

1 > Excerpts from "A WORLD HISTORY" by Daniel Roselle, copyright 1963, pgs 121-125

6
 There are several Roman fought by Caesar command. In 58 BC, Battle of the Arar (Saone),
Battle of Bibracte :Caesar engages and defeats the Helvetii. In the next years, Caesar involved
in Battle of the Axona (Aisne) and he,s army defeated the Belgae. Then Battle of the Sabis
(Sambre): Caesar defeats the Nervii.

In 52 BC, Avaricum: Caesar takes this city by siege and then allows his soldiers to
massacre its 40,000 inhabitants. Battle of Alesia: Caesar lays siege to Alesia and is
simultaneously lain under siege by the Gallic leader Vercingetorix; Caesar defeats
Vercingetorix. In 51 BC Battle of Uxellodunum: Caesar lays siege to Uxellodunum, the last
Gallic outpost in open revolt. Caesar defeats these last rebels, and then proceeds to cut off the
hands of all those who survived the siege, and scatter them throughout Gaul. In the 48 BC: July
10 – Battle of Dyrrhachium: Caesar lays siege to Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus (Pompey the
Great) at Dyrrhachium and withdraws before his forces can be decisively beaten. Then the
Battle of Pharsalus: Caesar engages and defeats Pompey. Next, in 48 BC, Caesar lays siege to
Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus (Pompey the Great) at Dyrrhachium and withdraws before his forces
can be decisively beaten in the Battle of Dyrrhachium. After that, in the Battle of Pharsalus:
Caesar engages and defeats Pompey.

In the 47 BC, in the Battle of the Nile: Caesar engages and defeats King Ptolemy XIII of
Alexandria and Egypt. On the same years, Battle of Zela: Caesar engages and defeats King
Pharnaces II of Pontus ("I came, I saw, I conquered"). In the 46 BC, Caesar defeats the
Pompeian army of Metellus Scipio in North Africa in the Battle of Thapsus. Lastly, – Battle of
Munda: Caesar defeats the Pompeian forces of Titus Labienus and Gnaeus Pompeius

Economic Situation During Julius Caesar Empire

Caesar did not rule the Roman Empire for too long. But he has made to attract his people by his
kind and generous and also brings several accomplishments to the economics of Rome.

Among Caesar's accomplishments in economics were the following:

1. He developed colonies that could serve as farming settlements for the unemployed.

2. He introduced a fairer system of taxation for the colonies.

3. He started a program of public works so that there would be additional jobs for the
unemployed.

4. He tried to limit the number of slaves who could work on estates, in order to provide jobs
for free farmers.

7
 5. He distributed land to the poor.

6. He established a law of bankruptcy, that is, a law to help people who could not pay their
debts. 2

The Religious Aspect of Julius Caesar

Widespread ignorance hides the Pontifex Maximus Gaius Julius Caesar

He was not just a leader of armies and a masterful politician. Caesar was, contrary to the
popular perceptions of him today, the champion of the common man. It was his political
adversaries who were notoriously feared for their violence, ruthlessness, power-grabbing and
greed. Yet there is another aspect of Gaius Julius Caesar even more unexpected and
contradictory of modern perceptions of him: Julius Caesar had enormous religious power and
authority. Indeed, they were so great they endured long after his death, and the religious impact
of his life and deeds was so far-reaching that we might not be capable of appreciating the full
extent. Also his most important political power was based upon his being Pontifex Maximus: the
highest priest of Rome. This means Julius Caesar had a religious prominence of the highest
magnitude—and this was established before any his—now—far more famous military
achievements.

Julius Caesar Leadership Qualities and Lessons That Can Be Learned

Firstly he is a Good example in military nowadays.Historians place the generalship of

Caesar as one of the greatest military strategists and tacticians who ever lived, alongside the
likes of Sun Tzu, Alexander the Great, Hannibal, Khalid ibn al-Walid, Genghis
Khan and Napoleon Bonaparte. Caesar suffered occasional tactical defeats, such as Battle of
Gergovia during the Gallic War and the Battle of Dyrrhachium during the Civil War. However, his
tactical brilliance was highlighted by such feats as his circumvallation of Alesia during the Gallic
War, the rout of Pompey's numerically superior forces at Pharsalusduring the Civil War, and the
complete destruction of Pharnaces' army at Battle of Zela.

Caesar was not only a courageous soldier, a skillful organiser and a successful and popular
military leader; he was also a man of culture, appreciative of art and literature,(and the
successful author of his own propaganda and memoirs), and like all leading Roman politicians,
an excellent public speaker. Not for him the sound bite or the ghost writer. Many others,
including American presidents, have also been extremely energetic, but few have been as

2 > Excerpts from "A WORLD HISTORY" by Daniel Roselle, copyright 1963, pgs 121-125

8
efficient. Which American president, especially amongst the recent crew, has been able to rival
the range and quality of Caesar's abilities and achievements?

Secondly,he became from a good anchestor Gaius Julius Caesar was born (by
Caesarean section according to an unlikely legend) of Aurelia and Gaius Julius Caesar, a
praetor. His family had noble, patrician roots, although they were neither rich nor influential in
this period. His aunt Julia was the wife of Gaius Marius, leader of the Popular faction.

Furthermore julius caesar also friendly with other while sailing to Greece for further
study, Caesar was kidnaped by Cilician pirates and held for ransom. When informed that they
intended to ask for 20 talents, he is supposed to have insisted that he was worth at least 50. He
maintained a friendly, joking relationship with the pirates while the money was being raised, but
warned them that he would track them down and have them crucified after he was released. He
did just that, with the help of volunteers, as a warning to other pirates, but he first cut their
throats to lessen their suffering because they had treated him well.

Finally he very assiduous in its work .Caesar was considered during his lifetime to be
one of the best orators and authors of prose in Rome—even Cicero spoke highly of Caesar's
rhetoric and style. Among his most famous works were his funeral oration for his paternal
aunt Julia and his Anticato, a document written to blacken Cato's reputation and respond to
Cicero's Cato memorial. Unfortunately, the majority of his works and speeches have been lost.

Conclusion

Julius Caesar was the first Roman emperor to issue coinage bearing his own name. He was the
first Roman ruler who holds many offices. Apart from this he was a good scholar, author and an
oratist. Julius Caesar got married three times and also had affairs with Cleopatra VII. He was
the last roman Dictator. Caesar decided to use a solar measure of time that became known as
the Julian calendar; his system is the basis of the modern calendar. He changed the name of
the month Quintilis to Julius (July), after his name. Caesar used chippers to secure messages
by using the popularly known crypto - 'Caesar Chipper' .

References :

1. http://www.vroma.org/~bmcmanus/caesar.html
2. http://www.buzzle.com/articles/julius-caesar-biography-and-life-history.html

9
3. http://www.alljuliuscaesar.bravehost.com/julius-caesar-facts.html

4. Daniel Roselle ,A WORLD HISTORY

5. Dana Facaros and Michele Pauls,The South of France
6. Frommers’s 99 Italy, The Best of Cities and Countryside
7. Charles Freeman, Egypt, Greec, and Rome,Civilizations of The Cresent Mediterranient.

10