Julius Caesar
100–44 BC 4 entries
Biography
Gaius Julius Caesar was a Roman general, statesman and writer, one of the most famous figures of the ancient world. Born into an old patrician family, he rose through the offices of the Republic and in 60 BC formed an alliance with Pompey and Crassus. As governor he conquered Gaul in a series of campaigns between 58 and 50 BC, which he described himself in his Commentaries on the Gallic War. In 49 BC he crossed the Rubicon with his army, starting a civil war against Pompey and the Senate.
Victorious, he was made dictator for life and carried out reforms, among them the Julian calendar, the forerunner of the calendar we use today. His power alarmed many senators, and on the Ides of March, 15 March 44 BC, he was stabbed to death by conspirators led by Brutus and Cassius. His death brought the end of the Republic and the rise of his adopted heir Octavian, the first Roman emperor, Augustus.
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