Pursuit Of Power In Julius Caesar

Julius Caesar was a strong leader for the Romans who changed the course of the history of the Greco - Roman world decisively and irreversibly. With his courage and strength he created a strong empire. What happened during his early political career? How did he become such a strong dictator of the Roman Empire? What events led up to the making of the first triumvirate? How did he rise over the other two in the triumvirate and why did he choose to take over? What happened during his reign as dictator of Rome? What events led up to the assassination of Caesar? What happened after he was killed? Caesar was a major part of the Roman Empire because of his strength and his strong war strategies. Julius Caesar was a Roman general and statesman whose dictatorship was pivotal in Rome’s transition from republic to empire. When he was young Caesar lived through one of the most horrifying decades in the history of the city of Rome. The city was assaulted twice and captured by Roman armies, first in 87 BC by the leaders of the populares, his uncle Marius and Cinna. Cinna was killed the year that Caesar had married Cinna’s daughter Cornelia. The second attack upon the city was carried our by Marius’ enemy Sulla, leader of the optimates, in 82 BC on the latter’s return from the East. On each occasion the massacre of political opponents was followed by the confiscation of their property. The proscriptions of Sulla, which preceded the reactionary political legislation enacted during his dictatorship left a particularly bitter memory that long survived. Caesar left Rome for the province of Asia on the condition that he divorce his wife because Sulla would only allow him to leave on that condition. When he heard the news that Sulla had been killed he returned to Rome. He studied rhetoric under the distinguished teacher Molon. In the winter of 75-74 BC Caesar was captured by pirated and, while in their custody awaiting the arrival of the ransom money which they demanded, threatened them with crucifixion , a threat which he fulfilled immediately after his release. He then returned to Rome to engage in a normal political career, starting with the quaetorship which he served in 69-68 BC in the province of Further Spain. In the Roman political world of the sixties the dominance of the optimates was challenged by Pompey and Crassus. The optimates, led by Q...

Julius Caesar was the dictator of Rome in his prime. Some say his journey to the top was paved in corruption, other claimed he was a man of the people. His enemies knew to fear him for his ruthlessness. His followers adored him because everything that he had succeeded in was done for them. Unfortunately, his betrayal transpired by his senators who felt he had grown too powerful and stabbed him to death. However, Julius Caesar’s connection to the political world, his innate ability as an army general, and his desire to advocate for the rights of his people made him a great leader.

Julius Caesar was a good leader for the Roman Empire. For starters, "Julius Caesar was a general, a statesman, a lawgiver, an orator, and a historian." (N.S. Gill). He was very powerful and established a popularity among the people of Rome. He reduced slavery, gave more land to people like peasants and soldiers, established roman colonies, and also established tax reforms. Leading him and his soldiers to many victories concluded with him never losing a war. He took over Germany and invaded Britain. (source: softschools Julius Caesar timeline). He made the people of Rome very happy, filled them with hope, and rose to power very quickly. (Sources/authors: mainly by N.S. Gill, softschools, and Ellis and Esler).

Julius Caesar was born into a political family where his father expected him to take a career in the lower part of politics. When Caesar’s father dies he realizes that money runs the political machine in Rome. He then seeks to gain political power by acquiring relationships with political figures that were against the current Roman Dictator Sulla. This gets Caesar caught, eventually pardoned, and set free. He then went into exile.

Julius Caesar, born Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus Augustus, was born into a family of patricians. In fact, he was able to trace his lineage back to Romulus, the first king of Rome (Gill, N.S.). His birth of around July 12, 100 B.C., marked a new beginning for Rome (Julius Caesar). Caesar was a talented negotiator, and that fact helped him on his rise to power. Julius Caesar began his career in politics by becoming a prosecuting advocate. In roughly 68 B.C., he was elected quaestor, which was a Roman official that was elected annually. Becoming a quaestor was needed before becoming a senator. In around 60 B.C., Caesar became a governor of the province of Spain (Gill, N.S.). His rise to power was extremely fast. In 59 B.C., an alliance with his rival Pompey allowed him to be elected a consul, which in the Roman Republic was the highest elected office. Julius Caesar’s political power was quickly rising.

Throughout the course of the Roman Republic, there were major conspiracies, alliances, and power struggles, but no person was able to establish political dominance for life and carry on that power until Julius Caesar. Although there was an assortment of people seeking political dominance, the Republic was able to last for hundreds of years. When Julius Caesar entered Rome after the leader of the old government, who declared Caesar an enemy, retired, he became an orator. This position propelled him to a political career, and he continued to improve his position. After Caesar launched a Civil War with him crossing the Rubicon River, he successfully defeated his main rival, Pompey. As a result of his victory, Caesar became the dictator of the Roman Republic and held the position until his assassination. Caesar’s rule as dictator marks the start of the Roman Empire since he passed down his position to his nephew, Octavian, and he had many of the powers that an emperor would have later on in the Empire. Julius Caesar was the first person to permanently change the already corroded Roman Republic into an Empire.

Julius Caesar was born on July 12 , 100 BC and died on March 15, 44 BC. Caesar was born into a patrician family. This meant that they were noble and were wealthier than the plebeians, who were the common people. (Julius Caesar -- Britannica School) “H is family traced their lineage back to the goddess Venus.” (Julius Caesar -- Britannica School) His uncles and cousins were all consuls and this put Caesar in a place of more power, but higher expectations. His parents were Gaius Caesar, his father, who died when Caesar was 16, and Aurelia, his mother, who greatly influenced his life. (Julius Caesar -- Britannica School ) “Caesar’s political ambitions developed under these circumstances. From the start he probably aimed at winning office, not just for personal glory but also to achieve the power to save Rome from decay.” (Julius Caesar -- Britannica School) On ce he was travelling to Rhodes and was captured by pirates. His ransom was paid, and then Caesar hunted his captors down and had them crucified. (Julius Caesar -- Britannica School) Then he began to climb the ladder of power in the Roman government and eventually was elected as a consul. While consul, he was sent to govern the province of Gaul and set out to conquer the entirety of Gaul. As this was going on, the senate decided that Caesar had to be put out of power, because there was too much risk of an uprising led by Caesar. ...

Power is how much control and support one has. Power can be controversial because the people who want it sometimes don't know how to handle it. In Julius Caesar, written by Shakespeare, many different people possess power. They gain the power in varied ways and react to having it differently. Since there are so many situations in Julius Caesar, power shifts are very common because diverse times call for the amounts of power to vary between different people.

His first contribution to Rome’s downfall came in the form of the formation of the First Triumvirate, which enabled him to illegally take Gaul, and further undermine the senate. Caesar made his way to power by gaining important alliances. Unlike Marius, he was born into a fairly important high class family in Rome. The First Triumvirate, formed in 60BC was composed of himself, Crassus and Pompey. Crassus was the wealthiest man in Rome at the time, and Pompey had just been awarded his third Triumph. The mere existence of such a group undermined the ideals of the senate, as it worked on the basis that no one man could have enough power to do anything without the support of the senators. The Triumvirs worked to achieve their own individual goals, whilst simultaneously supporting one another. Caesar was consul in 59BC, with Marcus Bibulus, and made the sheer influence of the three men public with the introduction of his land redistribution law. Crassus and Pompey supported this proposal, and Pompey filled Rome with his soldiers. Bibulus tried to void the law but Caesar’s armed supporters drove him out of the senate and forced him into house arrest. This meant that Caesar essentially had a sole consulship and gained enough power and support to overturn his proposed governorship and allowed himself

From 100 BC to 44 BC, Julius Caesar changed Rome through his rise to political power, conquest, feuds and assassination. Over time Caesar gained acclaim through his multiple political roles in Rome such as Pontifex, governor and Praetor, leading him to become dictator. He formed an alliance with Crassus and Pompey that ruled Rome for seven years, but led to a civil war later on. Julius Caesar conquered many countries that helped him change the map such as the conquest of Gaul. Caesar played a vital role in the fall of the Roman Republic and the rise of the Empire, which cause him to be assassinated and make rise to Octavian as the next ruler. All of these aspects are what allowed Julius Caesar to change Rome.