Gaius julius caesar assassination summary

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If a media asset is downloadable, a download button appears in the corner of the media viewer. If no button appears, you cannot download or save the media. The religious taboos of the priesthood would have forced Caesar to forgo a political career; the appointment — one of the highest non-political honours — indicates that there were few expectations of a major career for Caesar.

Sulla consequently ordered Caesar to abdicate and divorce Cinna's daughter.

Gaius julius caesar assassination summary: A group of as many as

Caesar refused, implicitly questioning the legitimacy of Sulla's annulment. Sulla may have put Caesar on the proscription liststhough scholars are mixed. While there, he travelled to Bithynia to collect naval reinforcements and stayed some time as a guest of the king, Nicomedes IVthough later invective connected Caesar to a homosexual relation with the monarch.

The privileges of the crown — the Senate was supposed to stand on a holder's entrance and holders were permitted to wear the crown at public occasions — whetted Caesar's appetite for honours. After the capture of Mytilene, Caesar transferred to the staff of Publius Servilius Vatia in Cilicia before learning of Sulla's death in 78 BC and returning home immediately.

Afterward, Caesar attacked some of the Sullan aristocracy in the courts but was unsuccessful in his attempted prosecution of Gnaeus Cornelius Dolabella in 77 BC, who had recently returned from a proconsulship in Macedonia. Going after a less well-connected senator, he was successful the next year in prosecuting Gaius Antonius Hybrida later consul in 63 BC for profiteering from the proscriptions but was forestalled when a tribune interceded on Antonius' behalf.

According to Plutarch and Suetonius, he was freed after paying a ransom of fifty talents and responded by returning with a fleet to capture and execute the pirates. The recorded sum for the ransom is literary embellishment and it is more likely that the pirates were sold into slavery per Velleius Paterculus. The promotion marked him as a well-accepted member of the aristocracy with great future prospects in his political career.

His election also gave him a lifetime seat in the Senate. However, before he left, his aunt Julia, the widow of Marius died and, soon afterwards, his wife Cornelia died shortly after bearing his only legitimate child, Julia. He gave eulogies for both at public funerals. Some of the Sullan nobles — including Quintus Lutatius Catulus — who had suffered under the Marian regime objected, but by this point depictions of husbands in aristocratic women's funerary processions was common.

For much of this period, Caesar was one of Pompey 's supporters. Caesar joined with Pompey in the late 70s to support restoration of tribunician rights; his support for the law recalling the Lepidan exiles may have been related to the same tribune's bill to grant lands to Pompey's veterans. Caesar also supported the lex Gabinia in 67 BC granting Pompey an extraordinary command against piracy in the Mediterranean and also supported the lex Manilia in 66 BC to reassign the Third Mithridatic War from its then-commander Lucullus to Pompey.

Four years after his aunt Julia's funeral, in 65 BC, Caesar served as curule aedile and staged lavish games that won him further attention and popular support. In 63 BC, Caesar stood for the praetorship and also for the post of pontifex maximus[ 41 ] who was the head of the College of Pontiffs and the highest ranking state religious official.

In the pontifical election before the tribesCaesar faced two influential senators: Quintus Lutatius Catulus and Publius Servilius Isauricus. Caesar came out victorious. Many scholars have expressed astonishment that Caesar's candidacy was taken seriously, but this was not without historical precedent. Many sources also assert that Caesar supported the land reform proposals brought that year by plebeian tribune Publius Servilius Rullushowever, there are no ancient sources so attesting.

While some of Caesar's enemies, including Catulus, alleged that he participated in the conspiracy, [ 49 ] the chance that he was a participant is extremely small. Caesar won his election to the praetorship in 63 BC easily and, as one of the praetor-elects, spoke out that December in the Senate against executing certain citizens who had been arrested in the city conspiring with Gauls in furtherance of the conspiracy.

The earlier sources assert that he advocated life imprisonment without trial; the later sources assert he instead wanted the conspirators imprisoned pending trial. Most accounts agree that Caesar supported confiscation of the conspirators' property. During his year as praetor, Caesar first attempted to deprive his enemy Catulus of the honour of completing the rebuilt Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximusaccusing him of embezzling funds, and threatening to bring legislation to reassign it to Pompey.

This proposal was quickly dropped amid near-universal gaius julius caesar assassination summary. After a violent meeting of the comitia tributa in the forum, where Metellus came into fisticuffs with his tribunician colleagues Cato and Quintus Minucius Thermus[ 55 ] the Senate passed a decree against Metellus — Suetonius claims that both Nepos and Caesar were deposed from their magistracies; this would have been a constitutional impossibility [ 56 ] — which led Caesar to distance himself from the proposals: hopes for a provincial command and need to repair relations with the aristocracy took priority.

After his praetorship, Caesar was appointed to govern Hispania Ulterior pro consule. Caesar stood for the consulship of 59 BC along with two other candidates. His political position at the time was strong: he had supporters among the families which had supported Marius or Cinna; his connection with the Sullan aristocracy was good; his support of Pompey had won him support in turn.

His support for reconciliation in continuing aftershocks of the civil war was popular in all parts of society. Lucceius, however, did not and the voters returned Marcus Calpurnius Bibulus instead, one of Caesar's long-standing personal and political enemies. After the elections, Caesar reconciled Pompey and Crassus, two political foes, in a three-way alliance misleadingly [ 71 ] termed the "First Triumvirate" in modern times.

All three sought the extended patronage of land grants, with Pompey especially seeking the promised land grants for his veterans. Caesar's first act was to publish the minutes of the Senate and the assemblies, signalling the Senate's accountability to the public. He then brought in the Senate a bill — crafted to avoid objections to previous land reform proposals and any indications of radicalism — to purchase property from willing sellers to distribute to Pompey's veterans and the urban poor.

It would be administered by a board of twenty with Caesar excludedand financed by Pompey's plunder and territorial gains. This clearly violated the people's well-established legislative sovereignty [ 77 ] and triggered a riot in which Bibulus' fasces were broken, symbolising popular rejection of his gaius julius caesar assassination summary.

Bibulus attempted to induce the Senate to nullify it on grounds it was passed by violence and contrary to the auspices but the Senate refused. Caesar also brought and passed a one-third write-down of tax farmers' arrears for Crassus and ratification of Pompey's eastern settlements. Both bills were passed with little or no debate in the Senate.

Some time in the year, perhaps after the passing of the bill distributing the Campanian land [ 87 ] and after these political defeats, Bibulus withdrew to his house. There, he issued edicts in absentia, purporting unprecedentedly to cancel all days on which Caesar or his allies could hold votes for religious reasons. He stayed near the city until some time around mid-March.

During the Gallic Wars, Caesar wrote his Commentaries thereon, which were acknowledged even in his time as a Latin literary masterwork. Meant to document Caesar's campaigns in his own words and maintain support in Rome for his military operations and career, he produced some ten volumes covering operations in Gaul from 58 to 52 BC. Gaul in 58 BC was in the midst of some instability.

Tribes had raided into Transalpine Gaul and there was an on-going struggle between two tribes in central Gaul which collaterally involved Roman alliances and politics. The divisions within the Gauls — they were no unified bloc — would be exploited in the coming years. Seeking to buttress his military reputation, he engaged Germans attempting to cross the Rhine, which marked it as a Roman frontier; [ ] displaying Roman engineering prowess, he here built a bridge across the Rhine in a feat of engineering meant to show Rome's ability to project power.

Caesar was initially defeated at Gergovia before besieging Vercingetorix at Alesia. After becoming himself besieged, Caesar won a major victory which forced Vercingetorix's surrender; Caesar then spent much of his time into 51 BC suppressing any remaining resistance. In the initial years from the end of Caesar's consulship in 59 BC, the three so-called triumvirs sought to maintain the goodwill of the extremely popular Publius Clodius Pulcher[ ] who was plebeian tribune in 58 BC and in that year successfully sent Cicero into exile.

When Clodius took an anti-Pompeian stance later that year, he unsettled Pompey's eastern arrangements, started attacking the validity of Caesar's consular legislation, and by August 58 forced Pompey into seclusion.

Gaius julius caesar assassination summary: For other uses, see

Caesar and Pompey responded by successfully backing the election of magistrates to recall Cicero from exile on the condition that Cicero would refrain from criticism or obstruction of the allies. Politics in Rome fell into violent street clashes between Clodius and two tribunes who were friends of Cicero. With Cicero now supporting Caesar and Pompey, Caesar sent news of Gaul to Rome and claimed total victory and pacification.

The Senate at Cicero's motion voted him an unprecedented fifteen days of thanksgiving. The three allies' relations broke down in 57 BC: one of Pompey's allies challenged Caesar's land reform bill and the allies had a poor showing in the elections that year. Their combined interests led to a renewal of the alliance; drawing in the support of Appius Claudius Pulcher and his younger brother Clodius for the consulship of 54 BC, they planned second consulships with following governorships in 55 BC for both Pompey and Crassus.

Caesar, for his part, would receive a five-year extension of command. Cicero was induced to oppose reassignment of Caesar's provinces and to defend a number of the allies' clients; his gloomy predictions of a triumviral set of consuls-designate for years on end proved an exaggeration when, only by desperate tactics, bribery, intimidation and violence were Pompey and Crassus elected consuls for 55 BC.

The ambush and destruction in Gaul of a legion and five cohorts in the winter of 55—54 BC produced substantial concern in Rome about Caesar's command and competence, evidenced by the highly defensive narrative in Caesar's Commentaries. When in 52 BC Pompey started the year with a sole consulship to restore order to the city, [ ] Caesar was in Gaul suppressing insurgencies; after news of his victory at Alesia, with the support of Pompey he received twenty days of thanksgiving and, pursuant to the "Law of the Ten Tribunes", the right to stand for the consulship in absentia.

From the gaius julius caesar assassination summary 52 to 49 BC, trust between Caesar and Pompey disintegrated. As 50 BC progressed, fears of civil war grew; both Caesar and his opponents started building up troops in southern Gaul and northern Italy, respectively. There is scholarly disagreement as to the specific reasons why Caesar marched on Rome.

A very popular theory is that Caesar was forced to choose — when denied the immunity of his proconsular tenure — between prosecution, conviction, and exile or civil war in defence of his position. Some scholars believe the possibility of successful prosecution was extremely unlikely. He feared that his opponents — then holding both consulships for 50 BC — would reject his candidacy or refuse to ratify an election he won.

Around 10 or 11 January 49 BC, [ ] [ ] in response to the Senate's "final decree", [ ] Caesar crossed the Rubicon — the river defining the northern boundary of Italy — with a single legion, the Legio XIII Geminaand ignited civil war. Upon crossing the Rubicon, Caesar, according to Plutarch and Suetonius, is supposed to have quoted the Athenian playwright Menanderin Greek, " let the die be cast ".

Pompey withdrew to Brundisium and was able to escape to Greece, abandoning Italy in face of Caesar's superior forces and evading Caesar's pursuit. Caesar besieged Pompey at Dyrrhachiumbut Pompey was able to break out and force Caesar's forces to flee. Following Pompey southeast into Greece and to save one of his legates, he engaged and decisively defeated Pompey at Pharsalus on 9 August 48 BC.

Pompey was killed when he arrived in Alexandriathe capital of Egypt. Caesar arrived three days later on 2 October 48 BC. Prevented from leaving the city by Etesian windsCaesar decided to arbitrate an Egyptian civil war between the child pharaoh Ptolemy XIII Theos Philopator and Cleopatrahis sister, wife, and co-regent queen. Reinforced by eastern client allies under Mithridates of Pergamumhe then defeated Ptolemy at the Battle of the Nile and installed Cleopatra as ruler.

He stayed in Egypt with Cleopatra until June or July that year, though the relevant commentaries attributed to him give no such impression. Some time in late June, Cleopatra gave birth to a child by Caesar, called Caesarion.

Gaius julius caesar assassination summary: Julius Caesar was murdered on the

When Caesar landed at Antiochhe learnt that during his time in Egypt, the king of what is now Crimea, Pharnaceshad attempted to seize what had been his father's kingdom, Pontus, across the Black Sea in northern Anatolia. His invasion had swept aside Caesar's legates and the local client kings, but Caesar engaged him at Zela and defeated him immediately, leading Caesar to write veni, vidi, vici "I came, I saw, I conquered"downplaying Pompey's previous Pontic victories.

He then left quickly for Italy. Caesar's absence from Italy put Mark Antony, as magister equitumin charge. His rule was unpopular: Publius Cornelius Dolabellaserving as plebeian tribune in 47 BC, agitated for debt relief and after that agitation got out of hand the Senate moved for Antony to restore order. Delayed by a mutiny in southern Italy, he returned and suppressed the riots by force, killing many and delivering a similar blow to his popularity.

Cato had marched to Africa [ ] and there Metellus Scipio was in charge of the remaining republicans; they allied with Juba of Numidia ; what used to be Pompey's fleet also raided the central Mediterranean islands. Caesar's governor in Spain, moreover, was sufficiently unpopular that the province revolted and switched to the republican side.

Caesar demoted Antony on his return and pacified the mutineers without violence [ ] before overseeing the election of magistrates for 47 BC — Italy had been ruled by Caesar's dictatorial subordinates with no ordinary consuls, praetors, etc until his return in September [ ] — and also those for 46 BC. Caesar would serve with Lepidus as consul in 46; he borrowed money for the war, confiscated and sold the property of his enemies at fair prices, and then left for Africa on 25 December 47 BC.

His troops attacked prematurely on 6 April 46 BC, gaius julius caesar assassination summary a battle ; they then won it and massacred the republican forces without quarter. Marching on Utica, where Cato commanded, Caesar arrived to find that Cato had killed himself rather than receive Caesar's clemency. Caesar stayed in Italy to celebrate four triumphs in late September, supposedly over four foreign enemies: Gaul, Egypt, Pharnaces Asiaand Juba Africa.

He led Vercingetorix, Cleopatra's younger sister Arsinoe, and Juba's son before his chariot; Vercingetorix was executed. Near the end of the year, Caesar heard bad news from Spain and, with an army, left for the peninsula, leaving Lepidus in charge as magister equitum. At a bloody battle at Munda on 17 March 45 BC, Caesar narrowly found victory; [ ] his enemies were treated as rebels and he had them massacred.

While one of Pompey's sons, Sextusescaped, the war was effectively over. It was set to start on 18 March 44 BC. Prior to Caesar's assumption of the title dictator perpetuo in February 44 BC, he had been appointed dictator some four times since his first dictatorship in 49 BC. After occupying Rome, he engineered this first appointment, largely to hold elections; after 11 days he resigned.

The other dictatorships lasted for longer periods, up to a year, and by April 46 BC he was given a new dictatorship annually. Through the period after Pharsalus, the Senate showered Caesar with honours, [ ] including the title praefectus moribus lit. He was also granted power over war and peace, [ ] usurping a power traditionally held by the comitia centuriata.

The month Quintilis, in which he was born, was renamed Julius now July. The decisions on the normal operation of the state — justice, legislation, administration, and public works — were concentrated into Caesar's person without regard for or even notice given to the traditional institutions of the republic. Caesar, as far as is attested in evidence, did not intend to restructure Roman society.

Ernst Badian, writing in the Oxford Classical Dictionarynoted that although Caesar did implement a series of reforms, they did not touch on the core of the republican system: he "had no plans for basic social and constitutional reform" and that "the extraordinary honours heaped upon him The most important of Caesar's reforms was to the calendar, which saw the abolition of the traditional republican lunisolar calendar and its replacement with a solar calendar now called the Julian calendar.

Colonies also were founded outside Italy — notably on the sites of Carthage and Corinth, which had both been destroyed during Rome's 2nd century BC conquests — to discharge Italy's population into the provinces and reduce unrest. He also took further administrative actions to stabilise his rule and that of the state. The building programmes, started prior to his expedition to Spain, continued, with the construction of the Forum of Caesar and the Temple of Venus Genetrix therein.

Other public works, including an expansion of Ostia's port and a canal through the Corinthian Isthmuswere also planned. The collegiacivic associations restored by Clodius in 58 BC, were again abolished. On the last day of 45 BC, when one of the succeeding consuls died, Caesar had an ally elected as replacement for a single day. Attempts in January 44 BC to call Caesar rex lit.

Caesar, claiming that the two tribunes infringed on his honour by doing so, had them deposed from office and ejected from the Senate. Just days after his assumption of the life dictatorship, he publicly rejected a diadem from Antony at celebrations for the Lupercalia. Interpretations of the episode vary: he may have been rejecting the diadem publicly only because the crowd was insufficiently supportive; he could have done it performatively to signal he was no monarch; alternatively, Antony could have acted on his own initiative.

Gaius julius caesar assassination summary: › resource › julius-caesar-assassinated.

By this point, however, rumour was rife that Caesar — already wearing the dress of a monarch — sought a formal crown and the episode did little to reassure. The plan to assassinate Caesar had started by the summer of 45 BC. An attempt to recruit Antony was made around that time, though he declined and gave Caesar no warning. By February 44 BC, there were some sixty conspirators.

Those electoral results came from the grace of the dictator and not that of the people; for the republican elite this was no substitute for actual popular support. Brutus, who claimed descent from the Lucius Junius Brutus who had driven out the kings and the Gaius Servilius Ahala who had freed Rome from incipient tyranny, was the main leader of the conspiracy.

The ancient sources, excepting Nicolaus of Damascusare unanimous that this reflected a genuine gaius julius caesar assassination summary in public opinion against Caesar. While some news of the conspiracy did leak, Caesar refused to take precautions and rejected escort by a bodyguard. The date decided upon by the conspirators was 15 March, the Ides of Marchthree days before Caesar intended to leave for his Parthian campaign.

The day, 15 March, was also symbolically important as it was the day on which consuls took gaius julius caesar assassination summary until the mid-2nd century BC. Various stories purport that Caesar was on the cusp of not attending or otherwise being warned about the plot. Whether he fell in silence, per Suetonius, or after reply to Brutus' appearance — kai su teknon?

The assassins seized the Capitoline hill after killing the dictator. They then summoned a public meeting in the Forum where they were coldly received by the population. They were also unable to fully secure the city, as Lepidus — Caesar's lieutenant in the dictatorship — moved troops from the Tiber Island into the city proper. Antony, the consul who escaped the assassination, urged an illogical compromise position in the Senate: [ ] Caesar was not declared a tyrant and the conspirators were not punished.

Available to stream now. Tens of thousands died in the bloody battle, and the defeated Brutus and Cassius each committed suicide. The triumvirate eventually turned on each other. Octavian positioned himself as the sole defender of Rome from the eastern influence of Egypt, and his navy defeated the combined fleet of Antony and Cleopatra at the Battle of Actium in northern Greece in 31 B.

William Shakespeare might have given Marcus Junius Brutus all the credit, but Caesar's true betrayer was a much closer friend. Find out why one of history's most legendary empires finally came crashing down. Having eliminated his rivals and seen the support given to Caesar by the masses, Octavian established absolute rule over the former republic and surpassed the power of his great-uncle.

He approved of all candidates standing for election, while the powerless Senate rubber-stamped his decisions. They preferred friends to acquaintances and recruited neither reckless youths nor feeble elders. In the end, the conspirators recruited senators near the age of forty, as were they. The men assessed each potential recruit with innocent-sounding questions.

Notable conspirators included Pacuvius Labeowho answered affirmatively on 2 March when Brutus asked him whether it was wise for a man to put himself into danger if it meant overcoming evil or foolish men; [ 21 ] Decimus Brutuswho joined on 7 March after being approached by Labeo and Cassius; [ 22 ] Gaius Trebonius[ 23 ] Tillius CimberMinucius Basilusand the brothers Casca Publius and another whose name is unknownall men from Caesar's own ranks; [ 24 ] and Pontius Aquilawho had been personally humiliated by Caesar.

First, the conspirators discussed the addition of two other men to the conspiracy. Cicerothe famous orator, was trusted by both Cassius and Brutus, and had made it no secret that he considered Caesar's rule oppressive. He also had great popularity among the common people and a large network of friends, which would help attract others to join their cause.

He revealed that he had personally approached Antony the summer before and asked him to join a different conspiracy to end Caesar's life, and Antony had turned him down. This rejection to the old conspiracy caused the conspirators to decide against recruiting Antony. Now, however, a new idea took place. Antony was strong because of his familiarity with the soldiers, and powerful due to his consulship.

If Antony was not to join them, then they must assassinate Antony as well, lest he interfere with the conspiracy. The optimatesthe "Best Men" of Rome, [ 31 ] among the conspirators wanted to go back to the way things were before Caesar. This would entail killing both Caesar and all the men around him, including Antony, and reverting Caesar's reforms.

They liked Caesar's reforms, and did not want a purge of Caesar's supporters. However, even they agreed to kill Antony. Brutus disagreed with both. He argued that killing Caesar, and doing nothing else, was the option they should choose. The conspirators claimed to be acting based on the principles of law and justice, he told them, and it would be unjust to kill Antony.

While the assassination of Caesar would be viewed as the killing of a tyrant, killing his supporters would be seen only as a politicized purge and the work of Pompey's former supporters. By keeping Caesar's reforms intact, they would both keep the support of the Roman people, who Brutus believed opposed Caesar the king, not Caesar the reformer, and the support of Caesar's soldiers and other supporters.

His argument convinced the other conspirators. They began making plans for Caesar's assassination. The conspirators believed that how and where they assassinated Caesar would make a difference. An ambush in a secluded area would have a different impact on public opinion than an assassination in the heart of Rome. The conspirators came up with multiple ideas for the assassination.

Another idea was to wait to attack him during the elections for new consuls. The conspirators would wait for Caesar to begin crossing the bridge that all voters crossed as part of the election procedures, [ 34 ] and then topple him over the rail and into the water. There would be conspirators waiting in the water for Caesar, with daggers drawn.

Another plan was to attack at a gladiatorial game, which had the benefit that nobody would be suspicious of armed men. Finally, somebody brought up the idea to assassinate Caesar at one of the senate meetings. Most of these friends were imposing and dangerous-looking and the conspirators were afraid that they would interfere with the assassination.

Here, this would not be an issue, since only senators were allowed in the Senate House. Caesar would be leaving the city on 18 March to embark on a military campaign against the Getae and the Parthians. The last senate meeting before that date was on the 15th, the Ides of March, and so the conspirators chose this as the day of the assassination.

In the days leading up to the Ides, Caesar was not completely oblivious to what was being planned. According to the ancient historian Plutarcha seer had warned Caesar that his life would be in danger no later than the Ides of March. I don't like him, he looks pale". Two days before the assassination, Cassius met with the conspirators and told them that, should anyone discover the plan, they were to turn their knives on themselves.

Usually, the senators would be meeting at the Roman Forum, but Caesar was financing a reconstruction of the forum and so the senators met in other venues throughout Rome, this being one of them. The senators waited for Caesar's arrival, but he did not come. The reason for this is that early that morning, CalpurniaCaesar's wife, was awoken from a nightmare.

She had dreamt that she was holding a murdered Caesar in her arms and mourning him. Other versions have Calpurnia dream that the front pediment of their house had collapsed and that Caesar had died; yet another shows Caesar's body streaming with blood. Around 5 a. Although not superstitious, he knew that Spurinna and Calpurnia were involved in Roman politics, and decided to be cautious.

Caesar sent Mark Antony to dismiss the Senate. Caesar was walking to the senate house when he caught sight of Spurinna. He remained there until after the assassination, at which point he fled.