Julius Caesar, Roman Emperor

Julius Caesar (Wikipedia)

Most of us remember Julius Caesar (100-44 BCE) as that unfortunate Roman guy who was murdered by his friends on the "Ides of March." But there was more to him than this.

To begin with, Caesar was a first-rate general. By conquering much of England and the intervening countries between there and Rome, he expanded the Roman Empire in ways that are still felt today. Spain, France, and Portugal speak Latin-derived languages, and Caesar's conquests led to the founding of Londinium--modern London.

In addition to his military genius, Caesar was an exceptional writer of Latin prose. Much is known of his military career through his works, The Gallic War and The Civil War. Every school boy used to be familiar with the opening of the former: "Gallia est omnis divisa in partes tres" ("All Gaul is divided into three parts"). Elsewhere he elegantly described his victory over the Persians in a trial of only five days: "Veni, vidi, vici" ("I came, I saw, I conquered").

This propensity for strategy combined with eloquence was the source of his success as a politician, a career that would have gone farther had it not been for that little incident in the Senate. So successful was he that his name, Caesar, was later used as a title for the Roman emperors. (It would be like calling the 46th American president "Joe Washington," for example.) Many other languages, too, used it to mean "King" or "Emperor," including the German title Kaiser and the Russian Czar.

Anyway, blind ambition was the cause of his death. After his military victories abroad, the law prohibited him from bringing his armies into Rome. Nevertheless, he left his home province and led a legion across the Rubicon River, committing him to successfully fighting a civil war. (Today "to cross the Rubicon" still means to pass a point of no return.) He followed up this action with further intrigues that led to his being named "dictator in perpetuity" (a position usually granted for only a limited period). At last, with his power increasing, the conspirators put a sudden stop to his career. His successor, Augustus Caesar, became the first Roman Emperor, though some historians ascribe this honor to Julius Caesar himself.

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PRACTICE:

Vocabulary: Match the words to their meaning. Correct answers are below.

1. ambition
2. ascribe
3. conquests
4. eloquence
5. exceptional
6. first-rate
7. in perpetuity
8. intervening
9. propensity
10. unfortunate

1. located between
2. different from (and usually better than) most
3. forever
4. assign; attribute
5. victories
6. unlucky
7. tendency; inclination
8. beautiful speech
9. desire to succeed
10. excellent; superb

QUESTIONS TO ANSWER:

Answer the following questions in your own words. Suggested answers are below.

1. When was Julius Caesar murdered?
2. How were Spain, France, and Portugal affected by the military career of Julius Caesar?
3. What does "Veni, vidi, vici" mean?
4. Where did we get the German title Kaiser and the Russian Czar?
5. Why was Julius Caesar murdered?

QUESTIONS TO THINK ABOUT:

These questions do not have "right" or "wrong" answers. They only ask your opinion.

1. How do you think Caesar's military abilities and his eloquence contributed to his success?
2. How can the power of leaders be limited without assassinating them?
3. Caesar was not officially an emperor. Why do you think some historians call him one?

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ANSWERS:

Practice: 1. I; 2. D; 3. E; 4. H; 5. B; 6. J; 7. C; 8. A; 9. G; 10. F

Questions to Answer: 

1. He was murdered on the "Ides of March" in 44 BCE (March 15).
2. He conquered those countries, and their modern languages come from Latin.
3. "Veni, vidi, vici" means "I came, I saw, I conquered."
4. We got those titles from the name "Caesar."
5. Caesar was murdered because some of his colleagues felt he was too ambitious and pushed his power too far.

Questions to Think About do not have any single correct answer. However, any answers you give should be supported by what you read or by things you know ("I think... because...").