Julius Caesar

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1. Early life

Julius Caesar was born on July 13, 100 B.C. Though he was a descendent of the oldest patrician family, Julius Caesar grew up in a very poor district of Rome called Subura. As a child, he studied martial arts, history, and law (“Julius Caesar”). At the age of seventeen, Julius married Cornelia, the daughter of Luciussulla, who was a dictator of Rome. Because Luciussulla did not approve of the marriage, he tried to force the two to divorce, but they both refused. Julius Caesar studied philosophy and oratory in Greece. Soon after returning to Rome, Cornelia became pregnant. Named after her father, the baby’s name was Julia. Cornelia died in 68 B.C., leaving Caesar to care for their daughter (Gruen,12).

Still fairly young, Caesar became interested in public affairs, and tried to gain favor of the Roman people. In 65 B.C., Caesar was elected to office in the position of aedile. By setting up a time and place for public games, Caesar received popularity. They truly loved him. Caesar continued to spend more and more money for recreational purposes. Slowly, he began to fall into debt (Gruen,12). Luckily, in 62 B.C., Caesar was elected praetor, which was a very high ranking political position (“Julius Caesar”;Gruen,12).

2. Career

Unfortunately for Caesar, many aristocratic people tried to disgrace or embarrass him. They revolted against him, but his political career was stable and was not harmed (Gruen,12). Thinking in his best interest, Julius Caesar allied himself with Gnaeus Pompey. First Triumvirate seemed to hold great, high power. Being a great military leader and idol to many, Pompey helped Caesar be elected as consul in 59 B.C. Though they used violence and wrong bribery, this was a major v...

... middle of paper ...

.... His direct writing style made his book an example for other historical writings (Gruen,14). Because of this book, Caesar was considered a true hero (Combee,95).

6. Honors and titles

Known as a general, a political icon, a dictator, and, to some, even king, Caesar had many honors and titles. After defeating Pompey’s sons, Caesar was named dictator for life. Soon after, he was offered the position of king. Because of the Romans hatred for kings, he refused. (Gruen, 13). Julius Caesar was considered “supreme over all” (Combee, 95).

Works Cited

Combee, Jerry H. History of the World in Christian Perspective. Pensacola, FL: A Beka Book, 1995. Print.

Gruen, Erich S. “Caesar, Julius.” World Book Encyclopedia. 2009 ed. Print.

“Julius, Caesar: First Man of Rome.” 4 Jan. 2010. Web. 3 March 2010 .

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