Julius Caesar

Conquered Gaul, crossed the Rubicon, became dictator for life, and was finally assassinated in the Senate.

Life

Declining Nobility

Caesar came from an impoverished noble family and rose through oratory and political skill. In 60 BCE he formed the "First Triumvirate" with Pompey and Crassus, and the following year became consul.

Conquered Gaul

From 58 to 50 BCE he conquered Gaul and wrote the Commentaries on the Gallic War. In 49 BCE, defying the Senate's orders, he led his army across the Rubicon and marched on Rome, defeated Pompey in the civil war, and became master of Rome. He carried out reforms and introduced the Julian calendar.

The Rubicon and assassination

In 44 BCE he was appointed dictator for life, and on March 15 of that year he was assassinated in the Senate by Brutus, Cassius and others.

Legacy

Caesar's name became a byword for "emperor" (both the German Kaiser and the Russian tsar derive from it), and he ended the old order of the Roman Republic.

Major works & achievements

• Commentaries on the Gallic War
• Commentaries on the Civil War

Did you know? "I came, I saw, I conquered" was the dispatch he wrote after his swift victory at the Battle of Zela.

Key dates

• 60 BCEForms the First Triumvirate
• 58 BCEBegins the conquest of Gaul
• 49 BCECrosses the Rubicon
• 46 BCEIntroduces the Julian calendar
• 44 BCEMade dictator for life; assassinated