Introduction
Julius Caesar is a renowned ancient ruler of Rome who considerably transformed the country by expanding its borders and introducing an imperial system. Caesar gained popularity due to his military competence, impeccable political skills, and support from Rome’s oppressed middle and lower-class people (Orlin 2021). His achievements have had a significant influence throughout history and on modern culture. Caesar’s political, economic, and social reforms initiated positive changes in history, while his dictatorship led to the downfall of the Roman Republic.
The History of Julius Caesar
Caesar was born in 100 BCE, and his parents were Aurelia Cotta and Gaius Julius. His father was a governor, while his uncle Marius was a general. His parents believed in the Popular ideology, which preferred a democratic government and more freedom and rights for the oppressed lower class. This creed conflicted with the Optimate belief, which upheld noble families’ dominance and traditional values that favored the upper class in Rome (Caesar 2019). When Caesar was 16 years, his father died, leaving him under his uncle’s care. There emerged internal strife between Caesar’s uncle Marius and Cornelius Sulla, the Roman leader (Tranquillus 2016). Caesar married Cornelia in 84 B.C., and they had a daughter named Julia (Simkin n.d.a.). Nevertheless, in 82 B.C. Sulla won the civil war and coerced Caesar to have an annulment, but he rejected the idea and left Rome to join the military (Livius n.d.). In 80 B.C., he received a civic crown for his bravery at the siege of Mytilene and became an influential military man.
Caesar came back to Rome in 78 B.C., after the demise of Sulla. He became a renowned prosecutor famous for his oratory aptitude (Chrissanthos 2019). In 75 B.C., as Caesar traveled to Greece to study oratory, he was abducted by pirates at the Aegean Sea. Although he was later released after his ransom was paid, he contracted a private fleet that executed and crucified the pirates (Plutarch 2019). After returning to Rome, he became a military tribune and later governed one of Rome’s provinces. When Cornelia died, he married Pompeia, Sulla’s granddaughter, in 67 B.C (Caesar 2019). He also supported Gnaeus Pompeius (Pompey the Great) to the position of general. Caesar also established close ties with Marcus Crassus, who helped him become the chief priest in 63 B.C. He was voted as praetor in 62 B.C. and moved to Spain in 61 B.C., as the governor of Hispania (Livius n.d.). Following successful military and political strategies, he was elected as a senate consul.
In 60 B.C., Caesar established a political treaty with Pompey, and Crassus named the First Triumvirate. Pompey’s marriage to Julia, Caesar’s daughter, further strengthened the alliance. Caesar also got remarried Calpurnia, a Popular senate daughter (Potter 2019). The Triumvirate soon took control over Rome, with Caesar as consul. He pushed for reforms in the Senate in favor of Crassus or Pompey. For example, he rejected the Optimate sentiment and advocated for land redistribution to the oppressed lower class (Chrissanthos 2019). His position as consul safeguarded him against any prosecutions by the Optimate faction. Caesar’s bid to accumulate wealth pushed him to conquer Gaul in 58 B.C., where he became the region’s governor (Fezzi 2020). He also emerged victorious in the subsequent Gallic wars after defeating Vercingetorix, who was the Gallic leader, thus stabilizing the area (Duncan n.d.). He also invaded Britain twice with the help of his large army.
The Triumvirate disintegrated in Rome following Crassus and Julia’s deaths. Consequently, Pompey aligned himself with the Optimate group to secure his position as Rome’s only political and military ruler (Simkin n.d.b.) With the help of the senate, he ordered the termination of Caesar’s leadership in Gaul and recalled him back to Rome to face prosecution for his indiscretions during his tenure as consul. However, Caesar marched his army through the Rubicon River, initiating a civil war between his supporters and Pompey’s allies (Livius n.d.). He defeated Pompey’s army and pursued Pompey to Spain, Greece, and Egypt. Upon reaching Egypt, Pompey was killed by its then King Ptolemy XIII, who feared Caesar’s invasion of Egypt (Westall 2017). Nonetheless, after entering Egypt, Caesar aligned with Cleopatra and ousted King Ptolemy from his throne, making Cleopatra the ruler (Plutarch 2019). The union between Caesar and Cleopatra resulted in a son named Caesarion. Caesar then dedicated the next few years to eliminating his opponents, particularly Pompey’s allies in Africa, the Middle East, and Spain.
In 46 B.C., Caesar returned to Rome after defeating the Optimate group. He became a dictator and initiated various reforms that aligned with the interest of the oppressed lower and middle class (Potter 2019). Many historians perceive his tenure as a dictator to be the most prosperous era for Rome. Nevertheless, due to the threat of Caesar’s power to the remaining Optimate faction and the senators, he was killed by a section of senators in 44 B.C. (Rattini 2019). His death triggered a cycle of civil unrest leading to the collapse of the republic and the reign of his heir Gaius Octavius (Augustus Caesar), as the region’s first emperor.
Why Caesar Is Significant in History
Throughout his life, Caesar achieved many successes that have had a considerable impact on the lives of many people in history. One of his main achievements was the conquering of Gaul, which contributed to the expansion of Rome. Caesar is popular for his military aptitude which assisted him to emerge victorious during the Gallic Wars from 58 B.C. to 50 B.C. (Simkin n.d.b.) His position as an outstanding commander was portrayed through the many battles that he won. For example, in 81 B.C., he was awarded the civic crown following the siege of Mytilene. In addition, during the Gallic Wars, he invaded Britain twice and appointed a king who was an ally of Rome. He also won the Roman civil war fought from 49 B.C. to 45 B.C. by defeating Pompey (Jordanes n.d.). Caesar also vanquished the Egyptian Ptolemy XIII in the Battle of Nile in 47 B.C. (Livius n.d.). Another achievement of Caesar was his rise to become a political leader. Although he was not from a noble family, his military prowess assisted him in becoming a prominent Roman leader.
Caesar invented the Julian calendar, which was predominant in European countries before the introduction of the Gregorian calendar. During his reign, the Roman calendar was incorrect and manipulated to serve the politicians’ interests (Anirudh 2016). However, Caesar created a new calendar founded on the Egyptian chronology; it was implemented from January 1, 45 B.C. to the 16th century. He also ordered the rebuilding of the ancient cities of Corinth and Carthage. The early Roman Republic administration had destroyed these ancient towns during different wars. However, Caesar helped rebuild them, making them operational again (Anirudh 2016). This reconstruction can be viewed as one of his influences on western civilization in addition to extending the Roman culture into Britain and France. Caesar also integrated the Roman Empire by granting Roman citizenship to communities living outside Italy. Most of these communities had been displaced during the social war from 91 B.C. to 88 B.C. (Stothard 2020). For example, all the residents of Cisalpine Gaul were given Roman citizenship in 49 B.C.
Caesar’s dictatorship rule introduced reforms that aligned with the interests of the oppressed in society. In this case, he formed new settlement areas for the veterans of his army. Additionally, he ordered land redistribution to low-income families, which benefited close to 20,000 families (Anirudh 2016). To curb the widespread unemployment, Caesar provided jobs by reconstructing ancient towns, such as Corinth. He also reformed the Roman duty policies by increasing taxes on luxury importations to encourage domestic production and make the wealthy pay more for their imports. He also regulated the distribution of grains to ensure that both the wealthy and the poor got enough food (Fezzi 2020). Caesar’s reign as a dictator helped relieve the Roman administration’s debt level. His political reforms include expanding the senate to represent more people and restructuring the municipal governments all over Italy (Stothard 2020). Thus, Caesar was an exemplary leader who made many significant contributions to Rome and other parts of the globe.
What Were the Failures of Caesar as a Leader?
Despite his successful conquests that expanded the borders of Rome, Caesar engaged in several illegal dealings, which ruined his reputation. For example, he was elected as consul through underhand methods with the help of Crassus’ wealth. In addition, during this tenure as a consul, he made a lot of radical reforms based on his gains and the interests of Crassus and Pompey (Caesar 2019). This depicts him as a bad leader because his decisions did not solely revolve around the interests of the citizens but also on selfish gains. Likewise, Caesar had little or no regard for other elected leaders, particularly the senate. He overstepped his boundaries as a consul and then became a dictator (Chrissanthos 2019). Similarly, he showed no respect for the Roman administration and its people by extending its citizenship to communities outside Italy (Stothard 2020). Caesar also had immense greed for wealth; most of the lands he conquered, such as Gaul, were due to his ambitions to accumulate wealth. Therefore, Caesar’s dictatorship actions and greed for wealth negatively affected Rome and its people.
Caesar’s dictatorial actions contributed to the fall of the Roman Republic. He incited a civil war that destroyed Rome’s economy, and social and political structure (Jordanes n.d.). By leading his army across the Rubicon River, he triggered a war between his supporters and Pompey’s allies, which left the city in chaos and great debt. Additionally, after he came back to Rome in 46 B.C., he became a dictator, where he restructured the government and disregarded the constitution by creating his policies (Osgood 2018). These actions portray him as a bad ruler because all leaders should respect the law and collaborate with other stakeholders to meet their citizens’ needs. Hence some of the characteristics portrayed during Caesar’s reign are the traits of a bad leader, which have adverse effects on a country’s political, social, and economic frameworks.
How did Caesar Contribute to Modern Culture?
Caesar is one of the key leaders in history who remain relevant in modern society. He considerably contributed to the political, cultural, and social structure of society. In this case, Caesar invented the Julian calendar, although the Gregorian calendar later replaced it in the 16th century (Anirudh 2016). When Caesar was a leader, the Roman calendar was disorganized, and the politicians used the loopholes to add days and months in line with their interests. However, Caesar used the Egyptian chronology to create a new Roman calendar with 365 days and alternating months of 30 and 31 days except for February, set at 29 days (Anirudh 2016). Even though the calendar is not used today, this invention immensely helped many western civilizations. Additionally, Caesar invented the Caesar ciphers (codes), often used to pass messages on the battlefield. Today the Caesar ciphers are used in children’s toys; a Caesar shift of thirteen is also incorporated in the ROT13 algorithm, which is used in online platforms to conceal puzzle solutions, spoilers, and offensive materials, amongst others (Holden 2017). Therefore, some of Caesar’s inventions are still applicable to the world today.
Caesar was a renowned author who wrote several books still studied today. In this case, he gives accounts of his military strategies through a series of publications, such as the Commentaries on the Gallic Wars (Simkin n.d.a.). Through these commentaries, historians can get first-hand accounts of how the war occurred and understand the ancient Gaul and the Celtic people. There are also a lot of insights that can be learned from his political and military tactics by leaders in today’s society. For example, Caesar’s support for the lower and middle class is an approach that world leaders should emulate in society. This is because the majority of people in the lower class struggle to gain basic needs with no help from their governments. Likewise, his impact is not felt in history alone but also in literature. His life and leadership inspired William Shakespeare to write a play on The Tragedy of Julius Caesar. This play is still popular today and is used in literature classes. Thus, the relevance of Caesar may continue dominating the world in the future due to his contributions to history.
Conclusion
Caesar is among the most influential leaders in world history. Through his military and political prowess, Rome extended its borders to other regions, such as Gaul. During his leadership, he also restructured the Roman administration by turning it from a republic into a monarchy. Some of his significant achievements include the invention of the Julian calendar and his contribution to modern culture and language. Caesar also reconstructed ancient towns in Europe, such as Corinth, making them operational and at the same time providing jobs to many unemployed people. His political reforms, including the restructuring of the municipal governments and increasing the number of senators, helped improve citizens’ lives. He was also sympathetic to the struggles of the lower class that he made changes in the distribution of grains and land. However, he may have failed as a leader due to his disregard for the law and other elected leaders. His conquests were also mainly driven by his greed for personal gain. Despite his viciousness, Caesar continues to be celebrated as a key figure in history.
References
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