Julius Caesar 100 B.C. to 44 B.C.

Roman Territory

Early Life Born in 100 B.C. to a patrician family In 85 B.C., Caesar’s father dies suddenly At 16 years old Caesar becomes the head of the family Caesar is also named the “high priest of Jupiter” by his uncle Marius. In 72 B.C., Caesar marries Cornelia He was 18 years old Daughter Julia

Early Life Shortly after the death of his father there was a civil war in Rome between Caesars uncle Marius and Marius’s rival Sulla Following Sulla's final victory, Caesar's connections to his uncle made him a target to Sulla. He was stripped of his inheritance, his wife's money and his priesthood, but he refused to divorce Cornelia. To protect his family, Caesar decides to leave Rome and joins the army.

Caesars Return Hearing of Sulla's death, Caesar felt safe enough to return to Rome. On the way across the Aegean Sea, Caesar was kidnapped by pirates and held prisoner. He maintained an attitude of superiority throughout his captivity. When the pirates thought to demand a ransom of twenty talents of silver, he insisted they ask for fifty. After the ransom was paid, Caesar raised a fleet, pursued and captured the pirates, and imprisoned them. He had them crucified on his own authority, as he had promised while in captivity a promise the pirates had taken as a joke.

Caesar’s Return On his return to Rome, he was elected military tribune, a first step in a political career. In 69 B.C., Caesars wife Cornelia dies Caesar marries Pompeia in 67 B.C.

The First Triumvirate Rome was ruled by a “Triumvirate” (a coalition of three men) in 60 B.C. Pompey A great politician & Caesar’s son-in-law (married Julia) Caesar The famous general Crassus The wealthiest man in Rome

Conquest of Gaul In 59 B.C. Caesar is elected consul to Rome. Caesar had four legions under his command, two of his provinces bordered on unconquered territory, and parts of Gaul were known to be unstable The Romans feared these tribes were preparing to migrate south, closer to Italy, and that they had warlike intent. Caesar raised two new legions and defeated these tribes

Caesar Crossing the Rhine River 55 B.C.

Caesar’s Return Home In 54 B.C. Caesar’s daughter, Julia, dies. Because she was the only real personal tie between Pompey and Caesar, tension flared between the two men. In 53 B.C., Crassus dies. This ends the First Triumvirate and sets Pompey and Caesar against one another. The Senate supported Pompey and he becomes sole consul (like a president) in 52 B.C. Caesar, on the other hand, becomes a military hero and a champion of the people. He was the commander in Gaul and had planned on becoming consul on his return

Caesar crosses the Rubicon In 50 BC, the Senate, led by Pompey, ordered Caesar to disband his army and return to Rome because his term as governor had finished. Caesar thought he would be prosecuted or killed if he entered Rome unprotected Pompey accused Caesar of insubordination and treason. In January 49 BC, Caesar crossed the Rubicon river (the frontier boundary of Italy) with only one legion and ignited civil war

Civil war Pompey flees to Greece and Caesar goes after him hoping to capture him Caesar puts Marc Antony in control of Rome while he is gone Pompey regroups in Greece and after several defeats he then retreats to Egypt Hoping to find support from the Egyptians, Pompey instead is assassinated in 48 B.C. When Caesar arrived in Egypt he was presented with Pompey's head He then had Pompey's assassins put to death

Caesar and Cleopatra Caesar then became involved with an Egyptian civil war between the child pharaoh and his sister, wife, and co-regent queen, Cleopatra. He withstood the Siege of Alexandria and later he defeated the pharaoh's forces at the Battle of the Nile in 47 BC and installed Cleopatra as ruler. Caesar and Cleopatra celebrated their victory with a triumphal procession on the Nile. The royal barge was accompanied by 400 additional ships, and Caesar was introduced to the luxurious lifestyle of the Egyptian pharaohs. Caesar and Cleopatra never married, as Roman law recognized marriages only between two Roman citizens.

Caesar in Rome When he returns to Rome, he is now the “tribune of the people” and declares himself “dictator for life.” Expanded Senate to 900, making it more representative of the Empire Granted citizenship to people in provinces outside Italy Set up public works programs for jobs Created the “Julian Calendar” Based off the Egyptian Calendar

The Play Begins… “The Tragedy of Julius Caesar” was written by and English writer named William Shakespeare The English knew a lot about the Romans back then. They were conquered by Caesar and believed that they were descendants of early Romans. Shakespeare’s audience was also fascinated by Caesar’s life and death (a “dictator” becoming corrupt and ignoring the other branches of government, then being assassinated by his own friends) because in the 1400’s in England the people experienced civil war and the result was the Tudor family (Queen Elizabeth’s family line) taking over. His main source for the play was Plutarch a Greek philosopher who lived around 45-130 A.D.

Characters Julius Caesar: Roman general and political leader Marc Antony: Friend of Caesar and military/political leader Cassius: Roman general and political leader Brutus: A noble Roman and senator Portia: The wife of Brutus

Review A group of senators led by Brutus and Cassius fears that Caesar is becoming too powerful and will become king Together they devise a plot to kill Julius Caesar Caesar is warned by a “soothsayer” to beware the “Ides of March” Ides: the fifteenth of March, May, July or October or the thirteenth day of any other month in the ancient Roman calendar On March 15, 44 B.C., Julius Caesar is stabbed to death by a group of senators He was stabbed 23 times! Unlike in the Shakespeare play, Caesar's last words were not "Et tu, Brute?" ("And you, Brutus?"). Instead they were reported as "You, too, my child?"

Review Angry about Caesars death, Marc Antony wants Brutus and Cassius to pay for their crime. In a speech at Caesars funeral, Antony turns the crowd against Brutus and Cassius.

What happens next? The Second Triumvirate forms: Octavian (Caesars grand-nephew and adopted son) Marc Antony – Caesars friend and military leader Lepidus – A powerful politician Later they also disband and become rivals creating the third Civil War. Octavian vs. Marc Antony Marc Antony flees to Egypt where becomes allies with Cleopatra Octavian's forces defeats Antony’s at the Battle of Actium After their defeat both Antony and Cleopatra commit suicide in 30 B.C. With his victory, Octavian becomes Emperor of the now Roman Empire in 27 B.C.

The legacy of Julius Caesar Julian Calendar Roman Empire! Modern References Caesarian Section (C-Section) Food (Little Caesars Pizza, Orange Julius ) Places: Caesars Palace