Gaius Julius Caesar

Born	12/13 July 100 BC, Rome
Died	15 March 44 BC, Rome
Occupation	Statesman, general, author
Early Public Offices	Flamen Dialis (High Priest of Jupiter) Military Tribune Quaestor (69 BC)
MidâCareer Offices	Aedile (65 BC) Pontifex Maximus (63â44 BC) Praetor (62 BC) Governor of Hispania Ulterior (61 BC)
Senior Offices	Consul (59 BC) Proconsul of Gaul (58â50 BC) Dictator (49â44 BC) Consul (48 BC, 46 BC, 45 BC, 44 BC)
Spouse(s)	Cornelia Pompeia Calpurnia
Children	Julia

For the famous play by Shakespeare, see Julius Caesar (play).
Gaius Julius Caesar (July 12/13, 100 B.C - March 15, 44 B.C) He was a Roman military & political leader and one of the most influential people in history. A brilliant general, he laid the groundwork for the future Roman Empire.

Early Career

Gaius Julius Caesar began his public life in the final years of the Roman Republic, rising from minor priesthoods and junior magistracies to positions of increasing responsibility. Born into the ancient but politically quiet Julian clan, Caesarâs early advancement was shaped by family connections, the MarianâSullan conflict, and his own determination to secure a place in Roman public life.

Caesarâs first recorded office was that of Flamen Dialis (High Priest of Jupiter), a prestigious but restrictive priesthood traditionally reserved for patricians. He was appointed at the tender age of just 16 years old (c.86 AD), largely through the influence of his uncle by marriage, the sevenâtime consul Gaius Marius. The office required strict religious observances and normally prevented military service, but Caesarâs tenure was cut short when Lucius Cornelius Sulla became dictator and purged Marian allies. Sulla stripped Caesar of the priesthood and ordered him to divorce his wife Cornelia; Caesar refused, earning Sullaâs hostility but also early respect for his resolve.

After Sullaâs retirement, Caesar resumed his public career. He served as a Military Tribune, gaining his first experience in command and earning the loyalty of local communities. His next step was election as Quaestor in 69 BC, the traditional entry into the Senate. As quaestor he served in Hispania, where he handled financial administration and delivered funeral orations that increased his popularity in Rome.

By the end of his quaestorship, Caesar had established himself as a capable speaker, a loyal supporter of the populares faction, and a rising figure in Roman politics. His early career laid the foundation for the rapid advancement that followed.

Mid Career

In 60 B.C. Julius Caesar joined with the wealthy Marcus Crassus and the powerful Roman general and statesman Pompey the Great to rule Rome as the first triumvirate. In 59 B.C. Julius Caesar became consul and used his position to gain favor with the public, such as by distributing grain to the poor.

Julius Caesar then made himself the provincial ruler (proconsul) of Gaul (modern-day France). He conquered vast amounts of territory for Rome and, while fighting abroad, sent written reports back to Rome of the victories he was winning to sustain his popularity and to ensure that the people did not forget him. Back in Rome, Julius Caesarâs plan was working, and Pompey became increasingly jealous (by this time, Crassus had died in battle). Pompey, with the support of the Senate, objected to Julius Caesarâs actions and ordered him to disband his army and return to Rome. He refused, and in an act of direct defiance to the Senate, led his loyal troops across the Rubicon River to Rome and conquered it in 49 B. C. The expression, âcrossing the Rubiconâ is used today to describe an act from which there is no turning back. Julius Caesar went on to defeat Pompey at the Battle of Pharsalus in 48 B.C. This left Julius Caesar firmly in control of Rome, and he then took his veteran army on campaigns in Egypt (where he installed ally Cleopatra as queen), Asia Minor, Africa and Spain before returning to Rome again in 45 B.C. Rome ruled much of the Western civilized world as result of these military campaigns. It is interesting to note that Caesar did not start his string of incredible military victories until he was well into middle age. The Roman Senate appointed Julius Caesar as dictator for life in 46 B.C.

Later Career and Death

The Roman Senate was less than pleased with Caesar's actions as dictator. In a conspiracy famously recounted in Shakespeareâs play âJulius Caesar,â Cassius and Brutus and up to 60 others agreed to stab and kill Julius Caesar when he entered the Senate on the âIdes of Marchâ (March 15, 44 B.C.). After he died, Rome fell into chaos for 13 years as rivals strove for power. Julius Caesar had named his 18-year-old grandnephew, Gaius Octavius, to be his heir. Gaius Octavius also intended to inherit his adopted father's political power. Others wanted Mark Antony. Cassius and Brutus also had armies of their own. First a triumvirate of Octavian, Antony and Lepidus defeated the armies of Cassius and Brutus, and that ended the republican rule by the Senate. Octavius went on in history to become Augustus, the first Roman Emperor.

Military Actions

In Prophecy

It has long been accepted by many commentators that Julius Caesar appears directly in Daniel 11. This position is best relayed in [[Commentary: Daniel 11, Anthony's Historicist Study Aid#Daniel_11_17a |Anthony's Historicist Study Aid]] wherein his political ambition, the formation of the First Triumvirate rising him to the Consulship, his demotion to Govenor of Gaul, the invasion of the British Isles, the summons to stand trial for his life, the intiation of the Civil War and his eventual murder.

Contributions

adopted later by a pope and used to this day. Julius Caesar also granted religious rights to the Jews in Palestine, so that the Jewish religion could be practice outside the requirements of Roman religious law. An uneasy practice of the Jewish faith thus continued in the Roman empire up to and through the time of Christ. Julius Caesar, as all Roman generals, campaigned strenuously on behalf of his veterans, in particular with regards to the gifting of land. Roman culture flourished in the struggles during the lifetime of Julius Caesar, and those which followed his assassination.

Casesar's influence extends even to this day in the name of the month of July, and in such titles as Czar (tsar) and Kaiser, both of which were a variant of the title Emperor.