JULIUS CAESAR

Jacob Swidorsky
 CAESAR
Roman politician
100 BC to 44 BC
Father was Gaius Julius Caesar and his mother was Aurelia Cotta
Great military leader
When his father died, he believed that he had to become the head of his
family
 CAESAR
Therefore, he joined the priesthood and became a high political figure
However, a man named Sulla had just come to power and he threatened
Caesar which caused him to flee.
He lost his position as priest and his connections with his family and he
joined the army
When Sulla died, Caesar returned to Rome and became a lawyer (known
as an orator at the time)
He now had military and public speaking skills
 CAESARS CAPTURE
Caesar was sailing to Greece when he was captured by pirates
He was held for ransom and the pirates told him that they were asking for
twenty talents
He probably found this funny as he told them that he was worth at least
fifty
He told the pirates that when he was freed, he would capture and crucify
them and they took this as a joke
However, when he was freed he found the pirates and slit each of their
throats
This is another trait that he would acquire: Whatever Caesar said, he would
do
 RISE TO POWER
Caesar returned to Rome and was elected military tribune
He became friends with two men: Pompey the Great and Crassus
Pompey had military and political experience and Crassus was considered
the wealthiest man in Rome
At this time, Caesars wife had been involved in a scandal, therefore, he
divorced her and sailed to Spain to become the governor of Hispania
He defeated opposing tribes and gained respect from his legions
 THE FIRST TRIUMVIRATE
He eventually returned to Rome and went
into a business occupation with Pompey
and Crassus; This would be called the First
Triumvirate
Triumvirate simply means a group of three
men that held power and divided it
equally
They would rule Rome successfully for
now
Caesars ideas were supported by Crassus
immense wealth and Pompeys skill in the
military as well as his army.
 CONQUEST OF GAUL
Once his consulship ended however, he was deeply in debt and had to
raise money
Therefore, he targeted Gaul and he traveled there with his legions
He was able to conquer many tribes but the Germanic tribes showed
hostility towards Caesar
However, he built a bridge across the Rhine River and marched his
legions into the land across the Rhine. After they marched so far, he
ordered them to march back and dismantle the bridge
The Germanic tribes understood the message
 THE FALL OF THE FIRST
TRIUMVIRATE
Caesar continued his conquest and defeated a leader of Gaul
He finished his conquest and gained a plethora of wealth
However, back in Rome, Crassus had died in a battle and Pompey had
obtained an enormous amount of power in Rome
Caesar did not return to Rome immediately, knowing that he would be
prosecuted if he did
 HUNTING POMPEY
Caesar marched to Rome with his legions
Pompey eventually fled to Greece and was able to escape to Egypt after
Caesar defeated him at Greece
However, the Egyptians believed Caesar was favored by the gods,
therefore they killed Pompey
Caesar was not happy with this and he took over the royal palace
 RETURN TO ROME
When he returned to Rome he was
granted the title Dictator Perpetuus
He enforced new reforms
He changed the calendar and removed
the current tax system
However, he disregarded the senate and
was gaining too much power for their
liking
On March 15, 44 BC, members of the
senate attacked and assassinated Caesar
 WORKS CITED
http://www.ancient.eu/Julius_Caesar/
http://www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/julius-caesar