Julius Caesar was a man of absolutely incredible intellect, outstanding oratory, high principles and total dedication. In addition he was absolutely driven and charismatic in the extreme. Caesar can be seen as ruthless, he was indeed one of history’s toughest men. All leaders must be made of stern stuff. In the ancient world this much more necessary than we can understand today. Caesar grew up within a system which saw outsiders as utterly worthless, barbarians, whom the Romans wanted to subdue for the good of all mankind, so they believed.
Caesar was ambitious, but not just for himself, and his principles revealed a man of essentially good morals. When he practised law, early in his career he was renowned for prosecuting corrupt officials ruthlessly, and winning. Caesar played to the masses, rather than seeking favour with the elite aristocracy, which he knew to be corrupt. Caesar sought to end the social injustice which he saw, to do this he had to amass great power, whatever Caesar turned his hand to he would always be great at it, for Caesar is greatness. Through a mixture of alliances, manipulation, and the occasional bit of roughness, he started to amass power and popularity. He got into debt running for public office, when he became a governor, there was money to be made, either by extortion or military adventurism. Since the first was exactly what Caesar had always fought against, and since the latter was noble and would, to his mind, be better for all concerned, he chose conquest. Caesar was a brilliant tactician and strategist, his will was indomitable and his standards absolute, he loved his men and made them love their duty, love their honour and love their Caesar. Caesar’s men learned new levels of discipline, devotion, honour and principle through their general. His officers were taught to give, but never to accept mercy in warfare. Caesar rewarded his men and lived among them whilst on campaign.
Having conquered Gaul, Caesar was now too powerful for the liking of the aristocrats who filled the senate. Caesar was wanted on charges of irregularities which went back years. The charges were a sham to bring down Caesar, he had done no worse than many others, but they wanted to halt Caesar’s rise. Caesar refused to answer the charges and returned to Rome with his men, this was forbidden, a civil war ensued in which his old ally Pompey, backed by the senate, fought Caesar, who was backed by the populace. Caesar won. Caesar forgave those who had taken arms against him. When Pompey was murdered, Caesar wept and had the murderers punished by death. Caesar centralised power in Rome because the provinces were being ruled like petty kingdoms by their corrupt governors.
Caesar instituted reforms of the calender, of taxation and redistributed land more evenly. He sought to extend Roman citizenship to imperial inhabitants from outside of Italy. Caesar wanted barbarian chieftains to take places in the senate. In the meantime, honours and awards were heaped on Caesar, he was reaching near god-like status, this alienated the elite people who he needed to discuss matters with, in order to effect change smoothly. The elites felt that Caesar was beyond reason and was becoming a king in all but name. Ancient Rome was founded on the overthrow of a tyrannous king, its whole constitution was set against such a system. A plot was hatched to murder Caesar, he most probably learned of it, but did nothing. He was assassinated in a meeting of the senate at the theatre of Pompey on the morning of March 15 44BC. The people were enraged and Caesar’s followers fought a long series of civil wars which saw the republic transformed into the Roman Empire.
Caesar was murdered by men who only held breath in their bodies because of Caesar’s mercy, another, more ruthless, less principled man would have had all his dissenters put to death. Caesar had seen such antics before and wanted the vicious circle of senseless, tit for tat murders to stop. Caesar would have found it hard to square the murder of his old colleagues for the satiation of his own power thirst, with his own principles, even if it was necessary for him to have that power to right the wrongs he saw. Above all, Caesar was the member of the human race who most closely resembles what we understand as god, this is why history is fascinated with a charismatic, minor aristocrat from a lower middle class suburb of Rome.
Caesar was ambitious, but not just for himself, and his principles revealed a man of essentially good morals. When he practised law, early in his career he was renowned for prosecuting corrupt officials ruthlessly, and winning. Caesar played to the masses, rather than seeking favour with the elite aristocracy, which he knew to be corrupt. Caesar sought to end the social injustice which he saw, to do this he had to amass great power, whatever Caesar turned his hand to he would always be great at it, for Caesar is greatness. Through a mixture of alliances, manipulation, and the occasional bit of roughness, he started to amass power and popularity. He got into debt running for public office, when he became a governor, there was money to be made, either by extortion or military adventurism. Since the first was exactly what Caesar had always fought against, and since the latter was noble and would, to his mind, be better for all concerned, he chose conquest. Caesar was a brilliant tactician and strategist, his will was indomitable and his standards absolute, he loved his men and made them love their duty, love their honour and love their Caesar. Caesar’s men learned new levels of discipline, devotion, honour and principle through their general. His officers were taught to give, but never to accept mercy in warfare. Caesar rewarded his men and lived among them whilst on campaign.
Having conquered Gaul, Caesar was now too powerful for the liking of the aristocrats who filled the senate. Caesar was wanted on charges of irregularities which went back years. The charges were a sham to bring down Caesar, he had done no worse than many others, but they wanted to halt Caesar’s rise. Caesar refused to answer the charges and returned to Rome with his men, this was forbidden, a civil war ensued in which his old ally Pompey, backed by the senate, fought Caesar, who was backed by the populace. Caesar won. Caesar forgave those who had taken arms against him. When Pompey was murdered, Caesar wept and had the murderers punished by death. Caesar centralised power in Rome because the provinces were being ruled like petty kingdoms by their corrupt governors.
Caesar instituted reforms of the calender, of taxation and redistributed land more evenly. He sought to extend Roman citizenship to imperial inhabitants from outside of Italy. Caesar wanted barbarian chieftains to take places in the senate. In the meantime, honours and awards were heaped on Caesar, he was reaching near god-like status, this alienated the elite people who he needed to discuss matters with, in order to effect change smoothly. The elites felt that Caesar was beyond reason and was becoming a king in all but name. Ancient Rome was founded on the overthrow of a tyrannous king, its whole constitution was set against such a system. A plot was hatched to murder Caesar, he most probably learned of it, but did nothing. He was assassinated in a meeting of the senate at the theatre of Pompey on the morning of March 15 44BC. The people were enraged and Caesar’s followers fought a long series of civil wars which saw the republic transformed into the Roman Empire.
Caesar was murdered by men who only held breath in their bodies because of Caesar’s mercy, another, more ruthless, less principled man would have had all his dissenters put to death. Caesar had seen such antics before and wanted the vicious circle of senseless, tit for tat murders to stop. Caesar would have found it hard to square the murder of his old colleagues for the satiation of his own power thirst, with his own principles, even if it was necessary for him to have that power to right the wrongs he saw. Above all, Caesar was the member of the human race who most closely resembles what we understand as god, this is why history is fascinated with a charismatic, minor aristocrat from a lower middle class suburb of Rome.
