Prior to Julius Caesar completely seizing control of the Roman Republic, various Consuls of Rome took advantage of their power and utilized it to be in sole control of the Republic. Two prominent examples include Marius and Sulla, who rose up the ranks of Roman politics to Consul and disheveled Rome. While these two men provide a sneak peak of what Julius Caesar would do, they did not come to close to matching Caesar’s influence on the Roman Republic. Caesar separated himself from these two men through political, social, and militaristic endeavors that led him to seize power. This process struck hard to the Roman political landscape because at the time of Caesar’s death the Republic was completely ended. Caesar intended for this to happen
Caesar saw this group of people as the ones who had been suppressed for such a lengthy time and that now it was time for them to speak up. The fact that he was seen as someone who cared for the common man increased his power because this way the people were in favor of anything that he proposed. For example while he was away fighting Gaul he had two of his Tribunes of the People in Rome passing legislation such as the grain dole, which gave free grain to the urban poor. Implications from Caesar’s social influence include the fact that he was the only man while still alive to have his face molded onto the coinage of Rome. This allowed for his popularity to increase throughout the Republic and then his whole aurora about him to be shrouded in an almost god-like reverence. The people would see his rise to power and his current status, while still looking out for the common man, as the ideal Roman citizen and truly representing what pietas means. This idea of pietas was very prevalent in Roman society and highlighted key manners of life that one should abide by: loyalty to the gods, to the Roman state, and to your ancestors. Caesar showed this vital aspect of Roman culture through his stressing of the Roman family and the worshiping of Roman gods through architecture. For example, when he launched a massive building program to erect his own Forum, he made sure to have a statue to the goddess of his ancestry Venus Genetrix. This veneration of a goddess helped illustrate his dedication to uphold pietas in the daily lives of the citizens of Rome. By being socially active from listening to the desires of Plebeians and implementing pietas in the daily activities of the city, Caesar was able to accumulate more power socially than other ruler had before him in the Roman
According to an article titled “Julius Caesar Biography” by Biography.com Editors stated “He reformed the Roman calendar and reorganized how local government was constructed. In addition he resurrected two city-states, Carthage and Corinth, which had been destroyed by his predecessors, and he granted citizenship to a number of foreigners.” He also invited some of his defeated rivals to join him within the Government of Rome. Julius Caesar understood his political alignment and always continued to make his empire stronger and bigger than any of his predecessors, one could also assume that he allowed foreigner’s access into Rome to assist in keeping his likability gain in his favor to obtain his political position. “But Caesar was also careful to solidify his power and rule. He stuffed the Senate with allies, and required the same body to grant him honors and titles.” (Biography.com Editors: accessed 2016) This is another example of how Julius Caesar used his understanding of political alignment to further his successes in government. Between the articles written about Julius Caesar and the author’s account of Julius Caesar within the text book accounts show some distinct differences. The textbook titled “The Making of the West: PEOPLES AND CULTURES: Volume I: To 1750” by: Lynn Hunt wrote that Julius Caesar “provoked strong reactions among
He believed that not only does a man need to have authority over his people, but he also has to confidently be able to lead no matter what circumstances are thrown his way. Caesar was faced with bribery, being overwhelmed by power, and so many other things. Though the hardships were apparent and caused him to lose sight of himself, he concerned with the greatness of Rome. At the end of the day, to Suetonius, that was the bigger picture. The Roman Republic definitely experienced many trials and tribulations. The man who were put in charge of it, tried their best to succeed when it came to conducting things in such a manner that would benefit the citizens of Rome, but after each one of their reigns, it seemed as if once a new leader came into power, all of the hard worked that was established quickly plunged due to the inconsistency with the rules set in
For thousands of years people have been talking about the great powerful Caesar. He is one of the greatest known dictators known to people today mostly because of all of the things he was able to accomplish during his rein as emperor. After reading primary sources about Caesar, it has given me a better understanding of what other people thought of him during this time period. It’s safe to say that Caesar was obsessed with power and respect from other people that would explain his thirst for war and land, which is one of his greatest strengths and helped in making Rome a great empire.
Honor and power is what drives the conspirators to assassinate Julius Caesar in William Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar. Caesar is now the single leader of Rome, and members of the Senate have concerns that he will abuse his sole power. Therefore, they plot and accomplish the assassination of Caesar in an attempt to rebuild the balance of Rome. Rome falls into chaos with an unknown future with no central leader for the people to follow. In Act I, Scene 2, Cassius, a member of the Senate, explains to his friend, Brutus, that Caesar is not the god he makes himself out to be. Instead, he argues both he and Brutus are equal to Caesar and are just as deserving of the throne. Cassius’ speech to Brutus diminishes Caesar’s godly demeanor through
Over the course of Julius Caesars life, he gained both political and social popularity due in fact to the multiple positions he had in Rome. In 69 BC Caesar was elected military tribune, after showing bravery when he was kidnapped by pirates while crossing the Aegean Sea. Being military tribune was the first step in having a political career at the time. Julius entered the course of advancement in the Roman political system as quaestor in 69 B.C. In the Roman Republic, a quaestor was a public official who supervised the financial affairs of the state and conducted audits. In 65 B.C., Julius Caesar was appointed to the position of Pontifex Maximus, this was much to people's disbelief because Caesar was so young. Pontifex Maximus gave Caesar the position of high priest in the College of Pontiffs, which was the most important position in the ancient Roman church. Caesar won against two powerful senators that had greater experience and power. Despite much uproar, Caesar was chosen to be...
The republic was in crisis, and its citizens needed a strong, organized, devoted leader that would reform and bring it back to its former strength and glory. Rome was in a dysfunctional period of its history with rebellions on every street corner and power-hungry politicians killing off their competitors so they could become supreme leader of the then most powerful governmental system in the world. The commoners, or Plebeians, needed a political figure that they could trust, and they needed that politician to give them just the slightest hint of hope to aid them to strive to rebound the falling republic. That is where the well-known Roman leader comes in, and his name was Julius
Gaius Julius Caesar was born in Rome in July 100 BC. Rome was a Republic at this time. He was a statesman, Roman general, Consul, and notable author of Latin prose. He played a significant role in the events that led to the collapse of the Roman Republic and rise of the Roman Empire. He was a leader in a nation where the people were not involved in the government decision-making process. Thus, he had majority of the power in the Republic and was able to form a huge army. He was able to triumph, conquer new lands with the army at his grasp and command. As Caesar acquired more power over the years, som...
When he repeatedly made reforms that aided the poor or veterans, the senate became worried. The senate was mostly concerned with personal gain so when Caesar stepped in and changed the tide, the senate became worried. They saw him as a tyrant with too much power who needed to be stopped. The senate did not like a democratic person taking full control over Rome as they would have no power. The only solution to this was to assassinate Caesar. The opinion of the sentence was, “Achievement was worthy of praise and honor, but excessive achievement was pernicious and a threat to the state.” (Holland). As Caesar grew, he made more laws which aided more growth. This cycle of growth seemed more and more dangerous to the senate, as they feared someone with this level of power. With all of the influence of Rome in one man, many felt Caesar took on a dictatorial
In previous years, Caesar had relied upon the wealth and prestige of others in order to further his own political and military ambitions. Before his governorship of Cisalpine Gaul, he relied heavily upon the financial support of Crassus (whom was his main creditor) to gain favour with the Roman public. However, with his appointment as proconsul of Cisalpine Gaul and Illyricum in 58 B.C.E, Caesar saw an opportunity to increase his own wealth and prestige without relying upon the support of others. To his command of Cisalpine Gaul, he was also later given the command of Transalpine Gaul. His command of the Gallic region had several advantages. Firstly, the Po Valley was an excellent recruiting ground for troops. Secondly through Gaul, Caesar had an opportunity to acquire great wealth, which would be needed to fur...
Julius Caesar was a strong leader of the Romans who changed the course of the history for the Roman world decisively and irreversibly. With his courage and strength, he created a strong empire and guided the empire for almost 20 years. His life was short, but had many adventures. I will tell of some of this man’s remarkable life. He did many things, therefore, I will only discuss a few. His name, part of his reign, one of his greatest battles, and his death will be told.
“Caesar was a brilliant general, a clever engineer, and administrator of genius, and a leader who demanded and commanded loyalty. He also was a corrupt politician” (Dando-Collins 4). Caesar would go on to be a dictator and his gain in power would corrupt him. He often bypassed the Senate, taking their power away. With Caesar’s growing power the Senate feared that they would soon lose their political relevance.
In Act I, Julius Caesar holds the most power throughout Rome because of his "heroic" deeds and his acts of bravery. He has gained his power after conquering the rest of the triumvirate and becoming the lone ruler of Rome. In the eyes of the common people, Caesar is seen as a god, but among
Caesar was born into a traditional influential and respected family. It is this influence that he used to make his way to the top of the Roman leadership. His use in warfare and military conquests are legendary although he had at first concentrated in pursuing political actions. He won the first elections in his political career at the early forties. He was el...
positions he held in Rome, which allowed him to make changes to the Roman Republic. For
The most important characters of the play Julius Caesar are clearly the citizens of Rome. The citizens have an important effect on both the audience and the characters in the play because of their unlimited desire to passionately express their emotions. Throughout the play these emotions are communicated through various events.