Have you read the play Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare? Did you know how Julius Caesar Death happened? If you are curious about controversial historical events, this story will take your breath away! I am here to tell you all about how one of the greatest Roman generals was conspired and killed!
The story of Caesar getting killed is something that even got Shakespeare curious! He wrote a play that not only gave us a reenactment of the conspiracies that went on behind Caesar but also the purpose of all these conspiracies.
Did you know how Julius Caesar’s assassination took place? For that, you need to give the blog a read to understand the way the people in the Senate, along with some powerful and power-hungry people, ganged against him. At times, it feels like his fate was similar to that of King Tut!
But was Caesar completely innocent of the politics going around him? Or was it his overconfidence that led to his doom? Here, I am describing the characteristics of Julius Caesar and what made him a threat to the people in Rome who were looking for a powerful position.
Did You Know That 40 People Stabbed To Cause Julius Caesar Death?
Julius Caesar had been a name that the world knew as someone influential; however, we never talk about how he gained so many enemies because of that. Power-hungry people are everywhere, and Caesar forgot that he was destructible.
Can you imagine getting stabbed by 40 people, out of which most of the faces you know and are familiar with regularly? Imagine how Caesar might have felt when assassinated in an organized gladiator game. The very people with whom he has fought many battles or given them positions of power!
After giving him the power of being a dictator with unopposed power, the members of the Senate got scared that he would revive the monarchy! There was also a fear of Caesar implementing a series of changes, negatively impacting those in power.
Therefore, please read the article to know why he was assassinated and the reason why his death still reverberates! I will highlight how Julius Caesar shaped our perspective and how his death impacted the Romans.
Who Was Julius Caesar?
One of the most influential figures in the history of the Roman empire, Julius Caesar, was made the supreme dictator of Rome! It’s been 2000 years since his death, and he is still one of the most discussed topics in the town. Was he wondering about his legacy?
The man was born on 12 July 100 BCE in Rome, Italy, the son of Gaius Julius Caesar and Aurelia. The plebeians of Rome and the army supported Julius Caesar after winning the war with tremendous power against Pompey.
After being named Rome’s dictator for ten years, he declared himself the dictator for life! Before this condition, he had only stayed in Rome briefly. He was happy being a powerful general who worked hard to acquire or conquer lands for their country.
When the challenges turned inward, the elites turned against him! For a long time, he was part of these elite individuals and groups who manipulated the Senate and the traditions established by the Republicans according to their preferences.
Later, when he got to sit on the golden throne at the Senate, he started enjoying his position and the power that came with it. He announced a public holiday on his birthday and minted currency with his image, creating a tyrannical environment that angered the elites.
How Did Julius Caesar Shape The World?
I have got it all right here! How Caesar utilized his position in the Roman government to expand the Roman Republic’s boundaries throughout Europe. Across the shores of the English Channel and Atlantic Ocean, Rome spread across.
He considered plans where his army built a timber bridge in 55 B.C., spanned from the Rhine River in 10 days. It was a perfect example of military engineering with the help of which the Roman troops could march across the waterway. This helped them in subduing the German tribes.
The various conquests led by Rome helped create the foundation of their power over the rest of the world. Julius Caesar had a lot to do with it! One of the major reasons most of his generals and soldiers were loyal to him was his attitude and behavior.
He was willing to fight in combat and apply masterful battlefield tactics. Even in the First Triumvirate, he ran Rome quite effectively, inciting jealousy among many people in Rome. Caesar was influential in Rome and had power over other regions and nations such as Egypt!
The Roman general also helped Queen Cleopatra establish herself as the true power in Egypt after his forces defeated Ptolemy’s army. In the Battle of the Nile, the young king drowned, which led to Cleopatra seizing power. You can understand the influence of this man on other people!
The Rise Of Julius Caesar: Cause And Effect
The man rose with tremendous power from the war with Pompey, where his army supported him while the plebeians of Rome worked and supported him! This granted him the position of dictatorship, which later turned him into a traditional powerhouse.
Caesar prompted sweeping reforms in Rome that ticked not the authoritative powerhouse and generals but generals and granted property to the retired soldiers while canceling debts and redistributing lands among low-income people.
These policies improved conditions for all middle and lower classes, especially with the military. These reforms and policies angered elite individuals and individuals who believed in traditions. He may have disregarded the republic tradition along with the Roman Senate!
His association with the Roman Republic led to its downfall. The democratic institutions of the Republic planned and plotted his murder, which resulted in the assassination of Caesar on the Ides of March in 44 B.C. With the death, the Roman Empire rose with Octavian at the helm.
Why Was Julius Caesar Assassinated?
Why did the Senators who appointed him the dictator despise him? The people who put him in power created a plot to assassinate him. The Senate appointed Julius Caesar as the dictator, and it was just a year that Caesar had been ruling.
So, what was the concern? In that short period, he has made several changes to the Senate and how it works. When he was appointed as the dictator, people were riding the high of the end of tyranny and did not realize the power they were handing over.
Or they did, but they did not consider the chances of Caesar taking advantage of that power and trying to bring positive changes in the Senate and the society. The Senate members might think that Caesar would listen to them and act to their benefit!
However, that was not the case. The lower and lower-middle classes adored Caesar because he worked to improve their conditions and lifestyle. This became a concern for the people in power who appointed him. It seems similar to what Cleopatra faced in Egypt maybe, that is why people do not know what did cleopatra look like!
Furthermore, Caesar committed a huge mistake! He appointed one of his biggest former enemies into positions of power in the Senate. The hostility might have ended for him, but not for them as they, Marcus Junius Brutus and Gaius Cassius Longinus, both led the plot to assassinate Caesar!
How Did Julius Caesar Die?
On 15 March in 44 B.C., also called the Ides of March, Julius Caesar was murdered in an active session of the Senate. Sixty individuals were in attendance in the Senate, all waiting to assassinate him. Before his death, there was a lot of buildup, and his relationships with others became sour!
Decimus was the Roman general who supported Cassius from day one, especially when going against the Roman Tyrant Pompey. However, Decimus later switched sides and took the approach of power. Of course, there were concerns regarding preferences and principles!
There was one instance when the lieutenants of Caesar were allowed to celebrate their win in Spain, which was completely against the custom. However, he prevented Decimus from commemorating his victory over a fierce Gallic tribe.
Even the appointment of Octavian as the second-in-command in a new war against Parthia instead of Decimus or Cassius. Small issues like these took significant form to turn Decimus against Caesar! These two were the main ringleaders of the plot as he served as the leading spy, chief of security, and leader.
A lot of assassins worried about what would happen after Caesar died because he showed some preference for Octavian, who was a significant newcomer, as compared to a lot of Roman generals who were there with him for the longest time.
How Did The Plot Of Assassination Become Successful?
It all happened because of Julius Caesar’s huge ego, which was used against him by Decimus Junius Brutus Albinus! “Will someone of your stature pay attention to the dreams of a woman and the omens of foolish men?” This was the statement that convinced Caesar to attend the Senate!
The meticulously planned assassination of Caesar was a success because the execution was flawless! Do you wonder how it is possible to kill a dictator of a country so easily? It is because it was his people who killed him. The assassinators killed one of their classmates, and nobody blinked!
Generals such as Cassius, Decimus, and Trebonius, the veteran commander of Caesar, created the plan with military precision. They decided to kill the dictator himself instead of hiring killers who might stand a chance of missing it. Now, why was a session at the Senate made the killing ground?
So that they are not collared for the consideration of personal vendetta; instead, they wanted to color the event as a public act; thus, assassinating Caesar was for the welfare of the people. They used small military-sized daggers that could easily be carried in the Senate and operated in close quarters.
Assassinators Or Idealists?
A lot of rumors about the assassination of Caesar revolved around how the Senate members who stabbed him were fighting for the Roman Republic, trying to suppress dictatorship. However, there were significant personal motives in all of this!
The practical and ideological benefits were mixed so that the military and Roman nobility went against the concept of power being manipulated by Caesar. However, most of these individuals were after power, wanted Caesar in their control, and did their bidding.
The way Caesar rebranded the political real estate informed how these individuals killed Caesar because they were unhappy with how he dealt with everything! There were also concerns about honorifics, political appointments, and the power he distributed to everyone.
The way Caesar was used by Mark Antony and Queen Cleopatra, it finally dawned on me that none of these sarcophagus are found! The Egyptian Cleopatra tomb is a mystery like the assassination of Caesar!
The Warning Signs!
There has been a series of events which has been considered ill omen by Calpurnia. This led to Caesar using the excuse of bad health not to attend the Senate session on 15 March! Not just his wife, a soothsayer Spurinna of high status warned Caesar specifically!
It was not something someone just ignored. Instead, the warning was very specific! The prophecy by Spurinna claimed that on 15 February, he found a bad omen of a bull without a heart. There is no clarification about the genetic abnormality, but about becoming aware of the negativity around him!
Caesar was asked to be very careful in the next 30 days, which was based not just on superstition but also on the political climate of Rome. It was important for the assassinators to kill him within that period because Caesar was about to leave for a multiyear military campaign on 18 March!
Finishing Off…
Now that you have read all about the growing power of Julius Caesar and how he slowly took over his title of dictator for life and proved his mettle, it became increasingly clear. The traditional republican magistracies might be maintained. However, he made most of the appointments.
This shows how significant it was for him to take power and use it to bring changes according to his preferences. Furthermore, his use of power turned a lot of people against him, even those who were at one point in his support, and helped him get the position of dictatorship.
So, do you feel that the death of Caesar was influenced by his dictatorial rule? Comment on what you think about how Caesar treated his generals who stood by him in times of war and crisis.
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