Julius Caesar: man, myth, or legend?

Julius Caesar was famous in the Roman Republic long before he became its ruler from 49 to 44 BCE. One reason Caesar was so famous was because he wrote his own histories of the events that made him famous. In them, Caesar made himself look brave and wise. His writings are also some of the most important sources historians today have about this period in Roman history.

Julius Caesar was from a wealthy Roman family and became involved in politics at a young age. When he was in his 30s and 40s, he also became famous for being a military leader.

How did Caesar become famous as a great general?

Caesar won many military victories in Gaul, or present-day France, from 58 BCE to 50 BCE. Caesar defeated many different groups in Gaul so badly that some of them decided to join Caesar afterward. That way, they would never have to fight him again.

Pompey's choice: friend or country?

Many Romans thought Pompey was the best general they had ever had. But Pompey was also good friends with Julius Caesar. Choosing to obey the Senate was difficult for Pompey because it meant starting a war against one of his oldest friends. Throughout the war, he tried to convince both sides to stop fighting with each other.

Have you ever had to go against a friend because you were obeying the rules? How did that make you feel?

Pompey agreed to help the Senate and try to prevent Caesar from becoming more powerful. Read the passage.

In January of 49 BCE, Caesar was with his army far away from Rome. Pompey wrote to Caesar and demanded that Caesar give up his army and return to Rome.

Caesar faced an important choice. On the one hand, he could obey Pompey and give up his army. But he knew the Senate didn't like him, and he worried that he would be arrested. On the other hand, he could refuse to give up his army. But then the Senate would probably think that Caesar wanted to start a war. After thinking about it for a long time, Caesar chose the second option. He decided to attack Pompey and the Senate before they could raise an army to stop him.

Crossing the Rubicon

While Caesar was deciding whether or not to obey Pompey, he was camped with his army next to the Rubicon River. At the time, the Rubicon was the boundary between Gaul and Italy. So, Caesar knew that if he crossed the Rubicon river and set foot in Italy, he would start a war with Pompey and the Senate.

Although Caesar wrote that it made him feel sick to do so, he eventually did order his soldiers to cross the river. Today, people sometimes say they "crossed the Rubicon" when they describe a big decision that they can't undo.

Whom did Caesar look up to?

Caesar greatly admired his uncle, a famous Roman named Marius. Marius was famous for three main reasons:

• Marius was a skilled general who fought against the Gauls and other enemies of the Roman Republic.

• Marius believed that everyday Roman people were being mistreated by wealthy Roman senators.

• Marius became the leader of the Roman Republic for many years in a row. He chose to punish everyone who had gone against him before, which led to a large rebellion.

Once Caesar thought he was going to win the civil war, he and Mark Antony started thinking about how to put the Roman Republic back together. They thought the republic had some serious problems, so they proposed two ideas about how to change it for the better:

1. Give the Roman Republic a more powerful leader to prevent Roman generals from thinking they could easily take control of Roman territory in the future.

2. Give everyday Romans more say in Roman government.

The new face of the Roman Republic

In 44 BCE, Julius Caesar issued coins that had his face on the front. While Roman coins usually had people's faces from the past on them, they had never shown the face of a living person. To many Romans, doing so showed that Caesar thought he was as important as the Romans' greatest heroes, kings, and even gods.

At the beginning of 44 BCE, Caesar's supporters in the Senate appointed him dictator in perpetuity. In other words, Caesar could be in charge of the Roman Republic for as long as he wished. Normally, two Roman leaders had to share power and could only be elected to serve for one year at a time. Many people were glad about Caesar's appointment. But for others, Caesar's appointment was proof that he was becoming far too powerful.

Julius Caesar's death surprised both his friends and his enemies. They weren't quite sure what to do next. Many Romans thought he was their hero, one of the greatest Romans ever to live. But many other Romans thought he was a traitor and a tyrant.

Famous leaders are remembered in different ways

For example, Napoleon Bonaparte was a general and politician who helped France take over much of Europe from 1789 to 1815. Many European people thought Napoleon was the greatest leader since the Roman Republic. Even when he was finally defeated in 1815, some people kept celebrating his birthday for decades afterwards.

But many other people in Europe thought Napoleon was a tyrant who was cruel to his people and who wanted to take over all of Europe. When Napoleon was defeated, they celebrated his downfall for many decades as well.

Can you think of any other leaders that some people love but others strongly dislike?

For hundreds of years after Julius Caesar's death, many Romans honored Caesar's legacy. A legacy is what a person leaves behind after they are gone.

Romans honored Caesar's life and accomplishments in many different ways. In 42 BCE, Romans built a temple for making sacrifices and praying to Julius Caesar. This was a way to honor Caesar's legacy through their religious practices. Romans also changed their calendar to include the month of Julius, or July, to remember him in Roman daily life. When the Roman Republic became an empire, emperors were given the title "Caesar." This was a way of honoring Caesar's legacy in Roman politics.

Why did Romans honor Julius Caesar after he caused a civil war?

After Julius Caesar's death, the first Roman emperor, Caesar Augustus, realized that he needed to win over Julius Caesar's supporters in order to control the empire. So, Augustus decided to publicly honor Julius Caesar by building a temple dedicated to him in 42 BCE.

Augustus honored Caesar by building a temple to him in 42 BCE. The Senate honored Caesar by renaming the seventh month of the Roman calendar "Julius," after Julius Caesar.