Activity # 1: Rise to Power
(BOLD UNDERLINED WORDS = VOCAB WORDS, put in Notebook)
Julius Caesar is one of the most famous leaders of the ancient world. His life and death are very well-known and still captivate people. He is not only one of the greatest generals who ever lived, but he who destroyed the Roman Republic. His ascent shifted the Roman Republic to the Roman Empire.
How did Caesar to rise to Emperor in the Roman Republic? There were three key reasons for the rise of Caesar: his role in the First Triumvirate, his conquest of Gaul and his victories during the Civil Wars. These were the key stages in Caesar’s career that allowed him to become the Emperor of Rome.
Caesar’s Early Life
Caesar was born to a patrician Roman family that had once been very influential in the Republic. However, by the time of Caesar’s birth, their fortunes had been in decline for many years. Despite the decline of their family's reputation, his father did serve as a governor.[1] We know very little about Caesar's childhood. Through his aunt, he was related to Gaius Marius, the great general. This encouraged the young Julius to become associated with the Marius's popular (populares) party in Rome. These were aristocrats who had allied themselves with the poor.
By the time he was sixteen, he was the head of his family after the early death of his father. At this time, there was an ongoing bloody civil war between Marius and his Sulla, the head of the aristocratic or optimates party. After Sulla occupied Rome, Caesar was in danger because of his party. He went into hiding so he would not become another victim of the bloody proscriptions.[2]When Marius regained control of the city, Caesar married a leading politicians daughter and became the high priest of Jupiter.
However, when Sulla recaptured Rome, Caesar was stripped of his wealth and his office. He decided to join the army and served in Asia Minor and was decorated for bravery. Later after he was kidnapped by pirates he led a successful punitive expedition against them and was once again decorated for bravery. Caesar returned to Rome and became one of the leaders of the Marian party or popular party.[3] He became very prominent in Rome because of his lavish expenditures. He also forged a political alliance with Crassus, one of Rome's richest men. Caesar was later elected Pontifex Maximus (chief priest) of Rome and secured himself the governorship of a province in Spain.
In his new province he defeated some rebellious tribes and was accorded a Triumph and he was later nominated to the office of Consul, one of the most important roles in Rome (60 AD). At this stage, Caesar had a rather conventional career or the cursus honorum as it was known in Rome and one that was typical of a man of his class. However, a series of events which were brilliantly manipulated by Caesar and his military genius meant that he was to become the single most powerful Roman who lived, up to that point and the man who was to change Rome forever.[4]
First Triumvirate
By 59 BCE, Caesar was one of the most important political figures in Rome, mainly because of his connections to the old supporters of Marius. He also appears to have been genuinely popular among many ordinary Romans.[5] The political situation in Rome was chaotic and political violence was common, often orchestrated by gangs connected to leading public figures. In this situation, nothing could get done and there was political gridlock. The Senate wanted to control all aspects of political life as they had since the early days of the Republic. However, many aristocrats were frustrated by the conservatism of the Senators and believed that it was incapable of any meaningful decisions. Some of the leading figures in Rome at the time decided to come together and to enter an informal alliance in order to provide some stability and to secure their own political aims.[6]
Pompey, sometimes known as Pompey the Great was hailed by his contemporaries as a great general. While still a young man he had secured a series of victories which stabilized the Roman Republic and greatly expanded it. In a series of campaigns, he conquered a vast area around the Black Sea and the modern Middle East. He was revered in the city but not even he could persuade the Senate to grant his veterans lands. Crassus was very wealthy, and he wanted to translate this into political power. These two men entered into an alliance and they invited Caesar to join their informal arrangement. The richest man in Rome and its most famous soldier needed the young aristocrat, because of his links to the populares. They needed him to help them to obtain the votes that they needed to make sure that they could achieve their political goals and also guarantee at least some level of stability in the city.
The Triumvirate was not an arrangement that was based on shared views or aims but was designed to help the trio to further their ambitions. This arrangement benefitted Caesar immensely it allowed him to pay off some of his debts and to extend his influence in the city. Most importantly it allowed him to become Consul in 59AD and to initiate a series of reforms aimed at benefiting the ordinary Roman, which made him wildly popular in certain segments of society.[7] This allowed him to establish a network of supporters such as Clodius who were to protect and advance his interests. Moreover, his consulship allowed him the command of four legions and a province, in what is now southern France. This was to allow him to embark on his military career which was to be the key to his success.
Activity # 2: Gallic Wars
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