Who Was Responsible For Julius Caesar's Downfall?

Julius Caesar’s success and reasons behind his eventual downfall

‘I love the name of honour, more than I fear death.’ The words of a man whose passing marked a new chapter in Roman history, who led a life that steered Rome to prosper and become one of the most influential civilizations there has ever been, Gaius Julius Caesar. Gaius Julius Caesar (commonly known as Julius Caesar) was undoubtedly a man of great achievement. Although assassinated before he could carry through with all of his ideas for Rome, what he accomplished throughout the course of his life crowned him as the one in a million who has altered the course of history. His victories led to a senator’s rebellion, and Caesars eventual assassination. As he fell, the vast Roman

Empire followed suit.
Caesars military involvement helped Rome flourish into one of the greatest and most remarkable civilizations in history.

Caesars victories in Egypt, Gaul, Africa and parts of Asia were some of his greatest accomplishments. Gaining power for the Roman Republic led to him gaining the support of Roman citizens and undying loyalty of his soldiers. This backup supplied him with the necessary muscle and resources to seize even more power. In a battle against the Gaul’s, Caesar is said to have put up 65000 men against a whopping 80000 and still emerged the victor. The senate also favoured Caesar. The norm in Roman society was to give a leader one province for a span of 3 years; however Caesar gained 3 provinces for a span of 5 years. With this large ruling, he managed to develop a strong personal army. In 60 B.C Caesar began to rise to power, managing to forge alliances with other influential men such as Pompey (another general) and Crassus (a wealthy patrician). There was a variety of different strategies and tactics used by Caesar during war, due to his strong leadership an excellent planning. “No one is so brave that he is not disturbed by something unexpected” This sums up Caesars method of unexpected attack. Caesar would not just send his whole army in at once; instead he would send a minimum amount of soldiers in the initial fight .He would then send replacements to support the initial force and lastly reserve troops for final

assaults.
In 48 BC, Civil war broke out; Caesar defeated Pompey’s forces at Pharsalus.

He then went to Asia and conquered areas there. This was when he sent his message to the senate: “Veni, vidi, vici; I came, I saw, I conquered”. In 46BC (after Pompey’s death in Egypt), he heard his opponents were rising forces against him and he destroyed them. In the Battle of Munda, he returned and defeated the remaining Pompeian forces. These were under the control of Pompey’s sons. He then became known as “Master of the Greco- Roman world.” Caesars ambitions were driven by ambition and desire for his ideas to become reality. His military expertise had gained him the respect of Romans as well as the loyalty of his troops. Due to his victory on the battle field, Caesars loss impacted Rome largely when it came to gaining power and

land.
Upon Caesars return after war with Pompey’s forces, Caesar declared he “dictator for life”, implying that he is the absolute ruler of Rome. “If you must break the law, do it to seize power: in all other cases observe it.” This was one of Caesars famous quotes. His personal concepts and the essence of his ideas seep through these words. It shows his thirst for power yet his respect for the senator and justice. What remains of Caesars ideas and contributions today is still considerable. Today, we are able to thank Caesar for implementing ideas which can be closely linked to modern newspapers. He made public the Acta Diurna (official daily Roman notices), effectively creating the first newspaper. During his rule, he made many alterations to the way Rome was being controlled. Caesar declared many colonies in newly conquered territories e.g. Gaul (which is known as modern day France) and provided land and opportunity for poorer Roman citizens who may decide to migrate to these areas. He also managed to create a new calendar called the “Julian calendar”, “It is better to create than learn, creating is the essence of life!” This shows that Caesar had quite a domineering, outgoing personality. Caesar also put up a great deal of buildings such as the Temple of Venus which is closely associated to him. Caesar, with his newfound power, managed to do away with certain tax paying laws. Farmers were no longer required to pay tax and land was allocated to fathers with 3 or more children. This of course led to other Romans i.e. the Plebeians, losing wealth. He reduced the number of slaves and granted Roman citizenship to many others who were unable to gain it before.