Roman general and statesman.

Julius Caesar, in Latin Caius Julius Caesar. Rchétype conqueror has, of the dictator and of any applicant to the empire - his name gave Kaiser and tsar -, César became, as of the shortly after its assassination, a triple myth: policy, moral and literary.

Caius Julius Caesar is resulting from a patrician family which claims to go down from Enée, the son of Venus and the indirect founder of Rome: such an assertion impressed only most credulous of its contemporaries.

His/her grandfather had a girl and two sons: Julia, who married Marius, the winner of Jugurtha, Cimbres and the Teutonic ones, consul with seven recoveries; the elder one, the father of Julius Caesar, who died shortly after the exercise of préture (towards 86-85?), whereas his/her single son was only sixteen years old, and Sextus, the junior, who became consul into 91.  

Engagement “marianist”
Died Marius, it is Cinna which succeeds to him. Consul from 87 to 84, it gives his Cornelia daughter in marriage to Julius Caesar, promoted with the very honorary priesthood of flamine of Jupiter. But the return of Sylla and the establishment of the dictatorship oblige Julius Caesar to be exiled. Because he refuses to repudiate his wife, Julius Caesar loses its priesthood, the dowry of Cornelia and most of its heritages. Of this first political commitment, it preserves fidelity at the memory of Marius and finds a model in Sylla, which had gone twice on Rome in charge of its army, had been made name dictator and had reformed the republic.

César leaves to make its first weapons in Asia and, at the time of the catch of Mytilène, is decorated for its bravery. After the death of Sylla, it returns to Rome, into 73, where the college of the pontiffs co-opted it to replace a cousin deceased.  

Its political career proceeds normally until 63: in spite of its opinions “marianists”, who arrange it in the popular party, he is successively elected military powerful orator, questeur, municipal official and praetor. He is made like plebs by organizing sumptuous plays and by giving him works of art at the time of his municipal administration, but also as a militant for measurements of amnesty, an agrarian law and the re-establishment of the powers of the powerful orators of the plebs decreased by Sylla.  

Its alliances place it at the sides of the most influential men, Crassus, richest of the Romans, and Pumped, most prestigious, of which it supports the claims with great Eastern commands. Become widowed, he marries Pompéia, the grand-daughter of Sylla.  

Quaestorship with préture
During its quaestorship, he visits Beats it padane, where he encourages the cities to claim the granting of the Roman citizenship, and Spain, considered as one of the ends of the world.

In 63, under the consulate of Cicéron, César its first exploit against famous competitors succeeds: to be elected by the people like large pontiff, thanks to the funds provided by Crassus. Like this last, there remains external with the plot fomented by Catilina against Cicéron, but he pleads in favor of leniency to the accomplices and marks his hostility with the setting in state of siege (senatus consultum ultimum), which suspends the legal guarantees.  

The following year, cover of debts, Julius Caesar leaves to control Spain Ultérieure; he wars against the Lusitanians north of Tage and pushes a recognition until the course Finisterre, close of Corogne. Its Hispanic propréture enables him to pay its creditors partly, to improve the administration of this province all while developing its customers to with it and to receive the title of imperator there decreed by its soldiers.  

Of return to Rome, it finds Pompée covered of glory, but in hillock with the hostility of the senators, who refuse to ratify his decisions taken in the East, and to give grounds to its demobilized soldiers.

In front of the obstruction practiced by the senators in answer to its private bills, César makes publish the reports of the meetings of the senate and is addressed directly to the people for approval. Its agrarian law distributes grounds to the veterans of Pumped; it confirms the king of Egypt on his throne, with the help of the payment of an enormous amount to the triumvirs; another law reduced of a third sums which had by the farmers general in the provinces; another still worsens the sorrows of the guilty of misappropriation governors of province.  

Bibulus, occupying with César the load of consul, is tiny room to the impotence and prepares the lawsuits in nullity of the voted laws. César makes ratify the work of Pumped in the East and his/her only daughter in marriage gives him. Itself divorces to marry Calpurnia, the girl of a praetor.  

Like province, the senate intends to him, by pure provocation, the monitoring of transhumance to Italy; a powerful orator of the plebs makes him allot, for five years, the Cisalpine Gaul and Illyricum with three legions. To move away it, the senate adds to it Beats it Transalpine with a fourth legion; the command of César extends from the central Pyrenees until - beyond Trieste.  

Having neutralized its adversaries with the assistance of the powerful orator of the plebs, Clodius, it leaves Rome. Its absence lasts nine years, but, thanks to its mails, it keeps permanent contacts and often returns to spend the winter Beats padane of it.  

That enables him to renew, in Lucques into 56, its agreement with Pompée and Crassus, which obtain a second consulate into 55, the government of the Iberian provinces for the first, the command of a war against Parthes for the second. The government of César is prolonged for five years and of new legions are allotted to him.  
 
The conquest of Beat

From 58 to 57, the campaigns Beats some are crowned success: the Helvetian ones, which wanted to be established in Saintonge, are pushed back in Geneva and makes destroy the bridge on the Rhone, thus cutting the passage to Helvetian in their migration towards the south.

On the Swiss plate, and the German ones of Arioviste beyond the rhine. The Gallic people, from Besancon in Arras and Angers, join. The following year, the country is completely subjected, of Adour to the North Sea. In 55, César tries to pass to Brittany, but it must give up this project to fight the German ones: it crosses for the first time the Rhine.  

The “war of Beat”
As of autumn 54, the Gallic ones revolt of Orléanais in the Scheldt, and César loses manpower of a legion and half. Hardly the situation restored in the North-West, the rebellion moves towards the south into 52, of Direction and Paris until in Auvergne - Velay, of Mayenne in Burgundy, directly threatening the Cisalpine one by the Cevennes. César seizes Bourges, fails Gergovie, but succeeds in fixing at Alésia the chief of united, Vercingétorix, that imposing armed Gallic cannot deliver. In 51, the fall of this place allows a methodical reconquest of the country until Quercy. Weakened by the loss of a million men and as many prisoners, Beats it is forced to subject itself.  

The passage of Rubicon
In Rome, the political position of César was degraded because of the death of his/her daughter, marries Pumped, and of that of Crassus in the East. The turbid violent ones of 52 and the assassination of Clodius by Milon get for Pompée a consulate without colleague. César requires to be presented to the consular elections into 49 per 48, without losing meanwhile the protection which the function of consul confers against possible political lawsuits, that its enemies would not fail to bring to him. After two years of skirmishes, the agreement is reached enters Pompée and the majority of the senators, and César raised of its command: in the night from Friday to, it crosses Rubicon by exclaiming “Risk jabbered away in is” (the fate is thrown by it), to go on Rome, that Pompée gives up to him.

The dictatorship Cesarean

Exposed to the same dangers as the thirty-five marianists years before, César will succeed in surmounting them and upsetting definitively the republic. This double action is however difficult to seize, because it is registered in a fragmentary way in time and space, and moreover remained unfinished.  

Military campaigns
César is often absent from Rome. In 49, it must besiege and take Marseilles, then to seize the Iberian peninsula. The following year, crossing with difficulty the Adriatic with its army, it crushes Pompée with Pharsale. This last is assassinated in Egypt.  

In 47, César triumphs over a revolt in Alexandria before tasting a few months of rest accompanied by Cléopâtre while subjecting Egypt, then it precipitates to overcome the king of the Bridge with Zéla. From return in Italy, it passes to Africa and crushes an army of the partisans of Pumped in Thapsus. Caton commits suicide in Utique.  

After this quadruple and sumptuous triumph, it must set out again in southernmost Spain to destroy, in March 45, another army pompéienne.  

The interior policy
In Rome even, some of its partisans cause disorders almost each year and sometimes its soldiers, tired, refuse to follow it. The nature of its powers varies, because it alternates front dictatorships and consulates, finally, to obtain inviolability tribunician and the dictatorship with life. It increases the number of the magistrates in order to be better assisted, multiplies the consuls substitutes and names prefects. In this manner, Julius Caesar packs the administration executives, roof of honors and of resources its partisans, rejoins the dissatisfied ones and manufactures a senate more flexible than it changes to eight hundred members, while making there enter until the Gallic ones of Cisalpine.  

Its supports are, in addition to its civic army, the plebs of Rome and the notable ones of the Western provinces. The first is given assignments of grounds (Carthage, Narbonne, Arles, Urso in Bétique, whose charter is preserved) and of distributions of money; the second of banquets, entertainments, great work (large circus, forum, place comitiale), of assignments of grounds for the fathers many, a moratorium of the debts. Moreover, César, while bringing back the number of the recipients to 150 ' 000, tries to ensure of free distributions of cereals neediest.  

The civic ground of Italy, pushed back beyond Po, reached the foot of the Alps, and the laws continue the legal unification of the peninsula, where César wants to limit the number of the shepherds of servile condition. In the provinces, it liberally distributes the established among to individuals, sometimes even in whole cities (Cadiz, Lisbon), to support the homogeneity of the Roman domination.  

With respect to the senators, its pars, his policy has as a watchword leniency, in order to obtain rallyings (in particular that of Cicéron) and to secure a legitimacy in conformity with the traditions. It makes dissolve generating popular associations of disorders.

The assassination

A conspiracy is organized against him, gathering less than twenty-five senators, but who are ensured of the agreement of the majority of their pars, including some césariens tired. Directed by Brutus and Cassius, entreated decide to act in Rome, where the dictator is protected little, with for goal death of the tyrant and restoration of the oligarchical republic, in fact a division of the power. On March 15th, 44 (ides of march), César is assassinated, in full meeting of the senate, with the foot even of the statue of Pumped.  

The legacy of César is very important: its successors will continue during about thirty years its administrative and political work. Auguste draws his legitimacy from his adoption by the dictator: he will preserve the name of César and will transmit it to its successors.  
 
Personality of César

This man with the white dye, with the members well done, the face a little too full, the black and sharp eyes, with the dismantled skull, which suffered from epilepsy, unceasingly seeks to allure; he has many female adventures, in particular with the wives of all his allies, as well as a long connection with Servilia, the mother of Brutus, its protected. Its enemies underline especially its male loves.  

A true worship of its genius develops; at the time of its reform of the calendar, the month of its birth is named July. In the processions, its statue is carried with that of the Victoire, and it receives the title of divus, divine. Does he seek to become king? He is probably tried by a royalty with Eastern (basileia). In imitation of Alexandre, it prepares to this end, at the beginning of 44, a great forwarding against Parthes, in order to erase the memories of the war civil.  

This complex character, ambitious policy and captain of genious, large lord and demagog, never neglected the letters, even at the most active times of his military life or political. It was tested in various kinds with talent; excel speaker, according to his contemporaries, it was interested moreover in the problems of linguistics, grammar and philology.  

Its poems, its treaty of theoretical grammar (On the analogy, dedicated into 52 to Cicéron) and Anticaton (45), a lampoon against Caton d' Utique, are lost today, but most important of its works, and the only one which reached us in entirety, is a work of history, the Comments, formed by two parts: On the war of Beat (De Bello Gallico), that Cicéron admired much, and On the civil war (De Bello Civili).  

They are memories, written with an apparent preoccupation with an objectivity, where César is never put in scene directly, but which, in spite of this voluntarily unobtrusive attitude, were clearly designed in an intention of personal apology. Each book of the War of Beat is devoted to the one of the seven campaigns of César Beats some; the history of the Civil war reports its fights against Pompée, which ended in the defeat of this last with Pharsale. These two parts of the historical work of César are moreover of very unequal value, the second being of much lower than the first.