Guy Julius Caesar is the greatest commander and statesman of all times and peoples, whose name has become a household name. Caesar was born on July 12, 102 BC. As a representative of the old patrician family of Julius, Caesar plunged into politics as a youth, becoming one of the leaders of the popular party, which, however, contradicted family tradition, since the members of the family of the future emperor belonged to the optimates party, which represented the interests of the old Roman aristocracy in the senate. In ancient Rome, as well as in the modern world, politics was closely intertwined with family relationships: Caesar's aunt, Julia, was the wife of Gaius Maria, who in turn was the then ruler of Rome, and Caesar's first wife, Cornelia, is the daughter of Cinna, the successor to all that same Maria.

The development of Caesar's personality was influenced by the early death of his father, who died when the young man was only 15 years old. Therefore, the upbringing and education of a teenager fell entirely on the shoulders of the mother. And the famous Roman teacher Mark Antony Gnifon, the author of the book “On the Latin Language”, was the home mentor of the future great ruler and commander. Gnifon taught Guy to read and write, and also instilled a love for oratory, instilled in the young man respect for the interlocutor - a quality necessary for any politician. The lessons of the teacher, a real professional of his time, made it possible for Caesar to truly develop his personality: to read the ancient Greek epic, the works of many philosophers, to get acquainted with the victories of Alexander the Great, to master the techniques and tricks of oratory - in a word, to become an extremely developed and versatile person.

The surrender of the Gallic leader Versirengetorix to Caesar. (Painting by Lionel Royer. 1899)

However, the young Caesar showed particular interest in the art of eloquence. Before Caesar, there was an example of Cicero, who made his career largely thanks to his excellent command of oratory - his amazing ability to convince listeners that he was right. In 87 BC, a year after the death of his father, in the year of his sixteenth birthday, Caesar dressed in a one-color toga (toga virilis), which symbolized his maturity.
The matured Caesar began his career by becoming a priest of Jupiter, the supreme god of Rome, and asked for the hand of Cornelia. The consent of the girl allowed the young politician to get the necessary support in power, which will become one of the starting points that predetermined his great future.

However, the political career of the young Caesar was not destined to take off too quickly - Sulla seized power in Rome (82 BC). He ordered Guy to divorce his young wife, but, having heard a categorical refusal, deprived him of the title of priest and all his property. Only the patronizing position of Caesar's relatives, who were in the immediate environment of Sulla, saved his life.

However, this sharp turn in fate did not break Caesar, but only contributed to the formation of his personality. Deprived of priestly privileges in 81 BC, Caesar begins a military career, going to the East to take part in his first military campaign under the command of Minucius (Mark) Therma, the purpose of which was to suppress pockets of resistance to power in the Roman province of Asia (Malaya Asia, Pergamon). During the campaign, the first military glory came to Caesar. In 78 BC, during the storming of the city of Mytilene (the island of Lesvos), he was awarded the “oak wreath” sign for saving the life of a Roman citizen.

However, Caesar decided not to devote himself exclusively to military affairs. He continued his political career, returning to Rome after the death of Sulla. Caesar spoke at the trials. The speech of the young speaker was so captivating and temperamental that crowds of people from the street gathered to listen to him. So Caesar multiplied his supporters. Although Caesar did not win a single judicial victory, his speech was recorded, and the phrases diverged into quotations. Caesar was truly passionate about oratory and constantly improved. To develop his oratorical talents, he went to Fr. Rhodes to learn the art of eloquence from the famous rhetorician Apollonius Molon.

In politics, Gaius Julius Caesar remained loyal to the party of the populares, a party whose loyalty had already brought him certain political successes. But after in 67-66 years. BC. the Senate and consuls Manilius and Gabinius endowed Pompey with enormous powers, Caesar in his public speeches began to increasingly speak out for democracy. In particular, Caesar proposed to revive the forgotten procedure for conducting a trial by the people's assembly. In addition to democratic initiatives, Caesar was a model of generosity. Having become an aedile (an official who oversaw the state of the city infrastructure), he did not skimp on decorating the city and organizing public events - games and spectacles, which won him immense popularity among the common people, for which he was also elected a great pontiff. In a word, Caesar sought to strengthen his popularity among citizens in every possible way, playing an increasing role in the life of the state.

62-60 BC can be called a turning point in the biography of Caesar. During these years, he served as governor in the province of Farther Spain, where for the first time he truly revealed his outstanding managerial and military talent. Service in Farther Spain allowed him to get rich and pay off debts that did not allow him to breathe deeply for a long time.

In 60 B.C. Caesar returns in triumph to Rome, where a year later he is elected to the post of senior consul of the Roman Republic. In this regard, the so-called triumvirate is formed on the Roman political Olympus. Caesar's consulate suited both Caesar himself and Pompey - both claimed a leading role in the state. Supporters of Pompey, who disbanded his army, which triumphantly suppressed the Spanish uprising of Sertorius, were not enough, a kind of composition of forces was needed. Therefore, the union of Pompey, Caesar and Crassus (the winner of Spartacus) was most welcome. In short, the triumvirate was a kind of union of mutually beneficial cooperation of money and political influence.

The beginning of Caesar's military career was his Gallic proconsulship, when Caesar received a large military force that allowed him to launch his invasion of Transalpine Gaul in 58 BC. After victories over the Celts and Germans in 58-57. BC. Caesar proceeds to conquer the Gallic tribes. Already in 56 BC. e. the vast territory between the Alps, the Pyrenees and the Rhine came under the rule of Rome.
Caesar rapidly developed success: he crossed the Rhine and inflicted a number of defeats on the Germanic tribes. The next dizzying success of Caesar was two campaigns in Britain and its complete subjugation to Rome.

Caesar did not forget about politics. While Caesar and his political companions - Crassus and Pompey - were on the verge of a break. Their meeting took place in the city of Luca, where they reaffirmed the validity of the agreements adopted, distributing the provinces: Pompey got control of Spain and Africa, Crassus - Syria. The powers of Caesar in Gaul were extended for the next 5 years.

However, the situation in Gaul left much to be desired. Neither thanksgiving prayers, nor the festivities organized in honor of Caesar's victories could tame the spirit of the freedom-loving Gauls, who did not abandon their attempts to get rid of Roman rule.

In order to prevent an uprising in Gaul, Caesar decided to pursue a policy of mercy, the basic principles of which formed the basis of all his future policies. Avoiding excessive bloodshed, he forgave the repentant, believing that the living Gauls, who owed him their lives, were more necessary than the dead.

But even this did not help prevent the impending storm, and 52 BC. e. was marked by the beginning of the Gallic uprising under the leadership of the young leader Vircingetorix. Caesar's position was very difficult. The number of his army did not exceed 60 thousand people, while the number of rebels reached 250300 thousand people. After a series of defeats, the Gauls switched to the tactics of guerrilla warfare. Caesar's conquests were in jeopardy. However, in 51 B.C. e. in the battle of Alesia, the Romans, though not without difficulty, defeated the rebels. Vircingetorix himself was captured and the uprising began to subside.

In 53 BC. e. a fateful event for the Roman state occurred: Crassus died in the Parthian campaign. From that moment on, the fate of the triumvirate was predetermined. Pompey did not want to comply with previous agreements with Caesar and began to pursue an independent policy. The Roman Republic was on the verge of collapse. The dispute between Caesar and Pompey for power began to take on the character of an armed confrontation.

At the same time, the law was not on the side of Caesar - he was obliged to obey the Senate and renounce his power claims. However, Caesar decides to fight. "The die is cast" - said Caesar and invaded Italy, having only one legion at his disposal. Caesar advanced in the direction of Rome, while the hitherto invincible Pompey the Great and the Senate surrendered city after city. Roman garrisons, originally loyal to Pompey, joined Caesar's army.

Caesar entered Rome on April 1, 49 BC. e. Caesar carried out a number of democratic reforms: a number of punitive laws of Sulla and Pompey were canceled. An important innovation of Caesar was the empowerment of the inhabitants of the provinces with the rights of citizens of Rome.

The confrontation between Caesar and Pompey continued in Greece, where Pompey fled after the capture of Rome by Caesar. The first battle with the army of Pompey at Dyrrhachia was unsuccessful for Caesar. His troops fled in disgrace, and Caesar himself almost died at the hands of his own standard-bearer.

Cleopatra and Caesar. Painting by the painter Jean-Léon Gérôme (1866)

The next battle of Pharsalus, which took place on August 9, 48 BC. e., became much more successful for Caesar, ending with the complete defeat of Pompey, as a result of which he was forced to flee to Egypt. Caesar began to subjugate Greece and Asia Minor. Now Caesar's road lay in Egypt. However, Pompey no longer posed any threat to Caesar - he was killed by the Egyptians, who felt in which direction the wind of political change was blowing in the world.

The Senate also felt global changes, which completely went over to the side of Caesar, declaring him an indefinite dictator. But, instead of taking advantage of the favorable political situation in Rome, Caesar delved into the solution of Egyptian affairs, carried away by the Egyptian beauty Cleopatra. Caesar's active position on domestic political issues resulted in an uprising against the Romans, one of the central episodes of which was the burning of the famous Library of Alexandria. However, Caesar did not leave his interventionist intentions, and Cleopatra ascended the throne, and Egypt came under Roman protection. This was followed by nine months, during which Caesar, smitten by the beauty of Cleopatra, leaving all state and military concerns, stayed in Alexandria.

However, Caesar's carefree life soon ended. A new turmoil was brewing in Rome and on the outskirts of the empire. The Parthian ruler Farnak threatened the possessions of Rome in Asia Minor. The situation in Italy also escalated - even the previously betrayed veterans of Caesar began to rebel. The army of Pharnaces August 2, 47 BC. e. was defeated by the army of Caesar, who informed the Romans of such a quick victory with a short message: “I have come. Had seen. Won."

And in September 47 BC. e. Caesar returned to Rome, his mere presence was enough to stop the unrest. Returning to Rome, Caesar celebrated a magnificent triumph, dedicated to the victory in four operations at once: Gallic, Farnak, Egyptian and Numidian. Caesar's generosity was unprecedented: 22,000 tables were laid in Rome with refreshments for citizens, and the games, in which even war elephants participated, surpassed in entertainment all the mass events ever hosted by the Roman rulers.

Vasily Surikov. Assassination of Julius Caesar. Around 1875

Caesar becomes dictator for life, he is given the title "emperor". The month of his birth, July, is named after him. Temples are erected in his honor, his statues are placed among the statues of the gods. The oath form "in the name of Caesar" becomes obligatory during court hearings.

Using great power and authority, Caesar develops a new code of laws ("Lex Iulia de vi et de majestate"), reforms the calendar (the Julian calendar appears). Caesar plans to build a new theater in Rome, a temple of Mars, and several libraries. In addition, preparations began for campaigns against the Parthians and Dacians. However, these grandiose plans of Caesar were not destined to come true.

Even the policy of mercy, steadily pursued by Caesar, could not prevent the emergence of those dissatisfied with his power. So, despite the fact that the former supporters of Pompey were forgiven, for Caesar this act of mercy ended badly.

Rumors spread among the Romans about Caesar's desire for further absolutization of power and the transfer of the capital to Asia Minor. Many of those who considered themselves undeservedly deprived in the distribution of ranks and ranks, as well as citizens sincerely concerned about the fate of the Roman Republic, formed a conspiracy, the number of participants in which reached about 60 people. So Caesar suddenly found himself in political isolation.

On March 15, 44 BC, two days before the date of his march to the East, at a meeting of the Senate, Caesar was killed by conspirators led by former supporters of Pompey. The plans of the killers were realized in front of numerous senators - a crowd of conspirators attacked Caesar with daggers. According to legend, noticing among the killers his faithful supporter of the young Brutus, Caesar doomedly exclaimed: “And you, my child!” (or: "And you, Brutus") and fell at the feet of the statue of his sworn enemy Pompey.

Literature:
Grant M. Julius Caesar. Priest of Jupiter. - M.: Tsentrpoligraf, 2005.
Plutarch. Comparative biographies. Julius Caesar. M., 1964. T. 3.
Utchenko S. L. Julius Caesar. M., 1984.
Freeman Philip Julius Caesar. - St. Petersburg: AST, Astrel, 2010

rome city caesar colosseum

The year according to the Roman calendar consisted of 355 days, but in 46g. BC. Julius Caesar introduced the Egyptian calendar, where there were 365 days in a year, and in every fourth year, one "extra" day was added to February. The Julian calendar is still valid, with some modifications, to this day. To switch to a new calendar system, 46g. BC. had to be extended to 445 days.

New Year in Rome came in March, the fifth month - quintilis - Caesar renamed the month Julius (July) in his honor. Caesar's successor Augustus named the sixth month of the year after himself. The days were numbered according to the three main days of each month, i.e. the day of the new moon was always the first day of the month, however, nones and ides moved: in March, May, July and October, nones fell on 7, and ides on 15; in the remaining months - on 5 and 13.

How Julius Caesar came to power

Gaius Julius Caesar was born around 102. BC. in the aristocratic Julius family. His family name Caesar means “hairy”, “hairy”, which was not particularly suitable for Julius Caesar himself, since by his mature years he was pretty bald. Julius is a generic name common to all members of the genus, Guy is a personal name given at birth. In his youth, Caesar, having gone to study rhetoric on the island of Rhodes, was captured by pirates. When they demanded a ransom of 20 talents for him, he declared that he was worth 5, and vowed to return and crucify all offenders on crosses. The pirates took the captive's words as a joke, but when the ransom was paid, Caesar carried out his threat. True, as a sign of mercy, he only cut their throats. After he narrowly escaped death by falling into the clutches of the dictator Sulla, Caesar, like all young aristocrats, began his ascent to fame and power from relatively low posts. In the 70s BC. he was elected quaestor (treasurer), in whose capacity he was sent to the province of Iberia (now Spain). While in Cadiz, he saw a statue of Alexander the Great and sadly thought that by his 30 years, Alexander had already conquered the whole world, while Caesar himself had not done anything outstanding by that time.

By 59 BC. his influence so increased that he was elected consul, which was the highest title in the Roman Republic. Together with the powerful Pompey and Crassus, he formed a triumvirate, in whose hands all the fullness of supreme power was concentrated. Caesar was appointed proconsul, i.e. Viceroy of the Gallic province, a huge army was placed under his command. Between 58 and 49 years. BC. he captured the colossal territories that lay beyond the Alps.

Crassus was killed in the Middle East in 53. BC. during an unsuccessful military campaign. The Senate, fearing the claims of Caesar, in 49g. BC. ordered him to resign all powers and return to Rome. In response, he moved his army across the Rubicon River into Italian territory and unleashed a civil war. After the death of Pompey the following year in Egypt, Caesar did not have any serious enemies. He entered Rome as a conqueror and soon assumed the powers of a dictator.


The ruler who changed the calendar

The year according to the Roman calendar consisted of 355 days, but in 46g. BC. Julius Caesar introduced the Egyptian calendar, where there were 365 days in a year, and in every fourth year, one "extra" day was added to February. The Julian calendar is still valid, with some modifications, to this day. To switch to a new calendar system, 46g. BC. had to be extended to 445 days.

New Year in Rome came in March, the fifth month - quintilis - Caesar renamed the month Julius (July) in his honor. Caesar's successor Augustus named the sixth month of the year after himself. The days were numbered according to the three main days of each month, i.e. the day of the new moon was always the first day of the month, however, nones and ides moved: in March, May, July and October, nones fell on 7, and ides on 15; in the remaining months - on 5 and 13.

How Julius Caesar came to power

Gaius Julius Caesar was born around 102. BC. in the aristocratic Julius family. His family name Caesar means “hairy”, “hairy”, which was not particularly suitable for Julius Caesar himself, since by his mature years he was pretty bald. Julius is a generic name common to all members of the genus, Guy is a personal name given at birth. In his youth, Caesar, having gone to study rhetoric on the island of Rhodes, was captured by pirates. When they demanded a ransom of 20 talents for him, he declared that he was worth 5, and vowed to return and crucify all offenders on crosses. The pirates took the captive's words as a joke, but when the ransom was paid, Caesar carried out his threat. True, as a sign of mercy, he only cut their throats. After he narrowly escaped death by falling into the clutches of the dictator Sulla, Caesar, like all young aristocrats, began his ascent to fame and power from relatively low posts. In the 70s BC. he was elected quaestor (treasurer), in whose capacity he was sent to the province of Iberia (now Spain). While in Cadiz, he saw a statue of Alexander the Great and sadly thought that by his 30 years, Alexander had already conquered the whole world, while Caesar himself had not done anything outstanding by that time.

By 59 BC. his influence so increased that he was elected consul, which was the highest title in the Roman Republic. Together with the powerful Pompey and Crassus, he formed a triumvirate, in whose hands all the fullness of supreme power was concentrated. Caesar was appointed proconsul, i.e. Viceroy of the Gallic province, a huge army was placed under his command. Between 58 and 49 years. BC. he captured the colossal territories that lay beyond the Alps.

Crassus was killed in the Middle East in 53. BC. during an unsuccessful military campaign. The Senate, fearing the claims of Caesar, in 49g. BC. ordered him to resign all powers and return to Rome. In response, he moved his army across the Rubicon River into Italian territory and unleashed a civil war. After the death of Pompey the following year in Egypt, Caesar did not have any serious enemies. He entered Rome as a conqueror and soon assumed the powers of a dictator.

Why did Caesar cross the Rubicon?

January 10, 49 BC. Julius Caesar crossed the Rubicon River. He led with him a strong army, knocked together during his victorious campaign in Gaul and northern Italy.

In the days of Ancient Rome, the border between Gaul and Italy passed along the Rubicon, and Caesar understood that, having crossed it with his troops, he would unleash a civil war in Rome. If he obeys orders, disbands the army, and returns to Rome without it, he will find himself alone before his sworn enemy Pompey and the Senate, hostile to him, jealous of his military victories and frightened by the exercise of his power.

Caesar spent the whole day watching the exercises of the gladiators. According to legend, a vision put an end to his painful doubts and thoughts: a large ghostly figure, taking a pipe from the hands of a soldier, sent it across the river and blew a signal “to battle”. Shocked by what he saw and taking it for a divine instruction, Caesar exclaimed "Alea jacta est!" (“The die is cast!”) and led his troops across the Rubicon. At dawn, he already laid siege to Arminium, and then took the city.

How did the Republic fall?

Legend has it that Rome was founded in 753. BC. twin brothers Romulus and Remus, and for the first 250 years it was ruled by the Etruscan kings. In 510. BC. the last king was expelled and a republic was proclaimed. It was headed by 2 annually elected consuls, who were supposed to control each other in order to avoid the claims of one of them to absolute power. Basically, consuls were elected from among 300 wealthy aristocrats - members of the senate; as long as Rome remained a small city-state, the system worked admirably.

Starting from the IV century. Rome's borders expanded. First, his power extended to all of Italy, and then beyond; And then the system started to crash. By the year 250 BC. Rome controlled most of Italy, and in 146. captured Carthage and became the most powerful power in the entire Mediterranean. But by 100 BC. The republic has completely outlived its usefulness.

Julius Caesar was the latest in a long line of ambitious and power-hungry rulers who dealt the death blow to the Republic. The republic, as such, by the time of Caesar's death no longer existed, but his killers justified their deeds precisely in the interests of the republic.

Murder on the Ides of March

Julius Caesar was stabbed to death in the Senate; the killers saw in him only a coming tyrant, while others considered him a great patriot and reformer.

Closer to noon on March 15, 44. BC. Julius Caesar appeared in the Senate. After sacrificing several heads of cattle to the gods, he went to the curia, where the senate met, and took his place. He was surrounded by a large group of senators, among whom were Marcus Brutus, Cassius and Casca. At a prearranged signal, they, having drawn their daggers, attacked Caesar.

The first blow, which was delivered by either Cassius or Casca, Caesar was struck in the throat. He began to fight back, trying in vain to defend himself with a sharply honed writing style. When he saw how many enemies were thirsting for his death, he covered his head with a toga and ceased to resist the dagger blows that rained down on him from all sides. Only one exclamation escaped his lips: seeing Brutus among the conspirators, he cried out in Greek: “And you, my son? ..” Having received 23 blows - one from each of the conspirators, he fell at the feet of the statue of his sworn enemy Pompey , staining the pedestal with blood.

Meanwhile, Caesar, like an ordinary superstitious Roman, knew that he should not go to the Senate that day. After all, the soothsayer warned that he should "beware of the ides of March" - precisely the fifteenth day of this month. Historians have described all the omens that predicted the death of Caesar. So, on the eve, the war horses with which he crossed the Rubicon five years earlier refused to eat, and tears flowed from their eyes, and the kingbird, which the Romans revered as the king of birds, was suddenly torn to shreds by its own flock. The night before, Caesar's wife Calpurnia had a terrible dream, as if Caesar had been stabbed in front of her eyes, and she begged her husband not to leave the house that day. In addition, Caesar was unwell: he suffered from epilepsy and, obviously, felt the approach of a seizure, so he decided to stay at home. However, he was persuaded to come to the Senate.

To some extent, the conspiracy was a family matter: Brutus' wife Portia was Cato, a zealous republican, daughter, and Cassius was Brutus's son-in-law.

Pet prepares murder

Born around 85. BC, Brutus was 17 years younger than Caesar. During the civil war of 49g. BC. between Caesar and Pompey, he first took the side of Pompey, then went over to Caesar, who took him under his protection. When the war was over, and Caesar's power was unusually consolidated, Brutus was afraid that Caesar might try to establish something like a monarchy.

These fears intensified in 47g. BC, when Caesar held festivities and triumphal processions in Rome for a whole month. Then the Romans gave him dictatorial powers and the title of Pater Patriae - Father of the Fatherland. Caesar caused a violent discontent of the Senate, greatly expanding the circle of citizens who received the right to enter it; he appointed his friends to high positions and implemented a program of extensive tax and legal reforms. Ordinary Romans began to rally around Brutus, whom they considered the only one who could save them from the return of Tarquinian tyranny. On the statue of Junius Brutus, the inscriptions “Oh, if this Brutus were alive today” began to appear, and the living Brutus was called to action by such inscriptions as “Brutus, you are sleeping”, “You are not a real Brutus”, painted on the city walls. It is not surprising that it was he who stood at the head of the conspiracy. Events began to unfold on February 15, 1944. BC, when Caesar was offered to be crowned king, and he, it seems, did not want to give up this honor too much. According to rumors, he was going to soon go on a military campaign to the east, so the conspirators had little time left. And they decided to set the date of his death - exactly one month from that day.

Caesar ... met his soothsayer and said to him: "The ides of March have come." “Yes, they came,” was the answer, “but they haven’t gone through yet.”

When the Ides of March came, Brutus went to the senate armed with a dagger, which no one knew except his wife Portia. The burden of knowing about the conspiracy proved overwhelming for her. After exhausting everyone returning from the forum with questions about what was happening there, she lost consciousness so deeply that the neighbors considered her dead and sent Brutus to tell about it. However, Brutus, as biographer Plutarch informs us, remained in the Senate, determined to fulfill his duty at all costs.

As soon as the murder took place, the conspirators realized that they had made a mistake. Mark Antony, Caesar's chief supporter, aroused the fury of the crowd by showing them the mangled body of Caesar and reading his will, according to which each citizen was allocated a certain amount of money, and the city as a whole - land for public parks.

With the body of Caesar in their arms, the crowd broke into the senate and pulled out all the benches and tables from there, building a funeral pyre out of them. The Romans put logs on the fire, the soldiers put their weapons and armor on the fire, and the women put their jewelry. In the flames of the fire, the era of Caesar's posthumous glory was born.

Who came to replace Caesar

Mark Antony turned the wrath of the Roman people against the murderers. Brutus and Cassius left Rome, giving the city to Mark Antony. In 43g. BC. he formed a triumvirate with the former consul Lepidus and Octavian, Caesar's nephew, adopted son and heir.

The first goal of the triumvirate was revenge for the death of Caesar. Ordering the execution of several thousand Romans, the rulers defeated the army of Brutus and Cassius. At 42 BC. they both committed suicide.

The triumvirate soon fell apart. Lepidus stepped aside, and a fierce war broke out between Mark Antony and Octavian. At the battle of Actia in 31. BC. Antony's army was defeated, and he himself took his own life the following year.

Octavian took the title of Augustus Caesar and until his death in 14g. AD had absolute military and religious power. It was he who became the first Roman emperor, and the imperial dynasty founded by him lasted over 400 years.



Today we will make a short digression into the history of Ancient Rome and remember the famous political figure, the famous commander and writer Julius Caesar. In his life he achieved a lot and confidently came to a political victory. We offer you a selection of quotes and sayings by Julius Caesar, the sayings of the legendary statesman will help you get to know what life positions and principles helped him achieve such success.

Guy Julius Caesar is first of all a talented commander. He started a civil war and, despite the fact that the forces of his troops were much weaker, the soldiers under the leadership of Caesar quickly won. Over time, Caesar received the imperial title and was appointed dictator for 10 years. Thanks to the activities of the dictator, peace was restored in Rome again. The dictator issued laws against luxury, provided his soldiers with land, softened the laws on debts. Julius Caesar's policy also included penalties for adultery and the sale of positions.

Julius Caesar is known not only as a successful politician and commander, he also became famous as a talented writer. The classics of Latin prose include Notes on the Galic War and Notes on the Civil War. In addition, pamphlets and poems, as well as a treatise on grammar, belong to the pen of Julius Caesar. Thanks to such a large-scale activity of Julius Caesar, not only the Roman Empire, but the whole of Western Europe underwent development.

Quotes and Sayings

The task of the commander is to win as much with the mind as with the sword.

A person owes all his victories primarily to his mind.

You can't offend a guest.

A guest is an honorary citizen in your home.

When one loves - call it what you want: slavery, affection, respect ... But this is not love - love is always reciprocity!

Mutual love brings happiness, everything else is called suffering.

It is better to die immediately than to live in anticipation of death.

Even the expectation of a person or some event is exhausting, and the expectation of death is completely unbearable.

Better to be first in the province than second in Rome.

Strive to succeed where you can.

People are willing to believe what they want to believe.

You need to believe in the truth, and not in what you want.

Only those who have nothing do not lose.

Losses in life are a sign that you have something.

Experience is a teacher.

And bitter experience is a good teacher.

The greatest enemy will hide where you least look.

Enemies always choose secluded places.

Great deeds must be done without hesitation, so that the thought of danger does not weaken courage and speed.

Thinking sows fear and self-doubt.

Each blacksmith of his own destiny.

Your life depends on you.

The bigger you are, the less you can afford.

Great people should do what they are supposed to do, not what they want to do. This will allow them to maintain their authority.

Whoever denounces someone else's bad manners cannot himself serve as a model of politeness.

The ability to ignore someone's shortcomings is politeness.

I love betrayal, but not traitors.

Traitors not only do not respect those who are being cheated on, they do not respect themselves either.

The speaker must avoid superfluous words, just as a helmsman avoids pitfalls.

Extra words are the way to lose the attention of the audience.

Live in such a way that your acquaintances will be bored when you die.

If the death of a person does not make his relatives and friends sad, then he played only a small role in their lives.

No one is brave enough not to be afraid of the unexpected.

Surprise awakens fear even in the strongest personalities.

No victory will bring as much as one defeat can take away.

Therefore, first of all, you need to strive not to increase something, but to preserve your own.

It is easier to find such people who voluntarily go to death than those who patiently endure pain.

Why experience unbearable pain if the outcome sooner or later will be the same for everyone.

Divide and rule.

The main thing is not to overdo it.

Die is cast!

There is no way back!

Make your way by force.

Don’t forget about the mind too, without it the force will become powerless…

Winners and lovers don't get sick.

And if they get sick, they quickly recover, because they have an incentive that replaces all the medicines for them.

Victory depends on the prowess of the legions.

And from the talent of the commander.

The Rubicon has been crossed.

Now all that's left is to move forward!

I lived long, both by the standards of nature and by the standards of fame.

I wonder which measures are greater - nature or glory ...

As long as they are afraid of us, let them hate us as much as they want.

To keep someone in fear is to protect yourself.

Power only gains and grows when it is exercised sparingly.

Power should not be abused, it can be harmful to health ...

The dictatorship of Julius Caesar played an important role in the formation of the Roman state. Political success came to him thanks to confidence, honesty and perseverance. Julius Caesar despised liars and traitors and loved the truth, which is confirmed by the sayings of the dictator.

STORIES

About Caesar

I came, I saw, I conquered

Farnak, the son of Tsar Mithridates Eupator, wanted to regain the Pontic kingdom and started a war against Rome. The venerable Gaius Julius Caesar utterly defeated the army of Pharnaces. The victory was complete, as well as easy and swift. Caesar succinctly announced his victory: “I came, I saw, I conquered” (in Latin: “Veni, vidi, vici”). Since then, this popular expression has become a symbol of rapid and decisive success.

Said - done

Once Caesar was sailing on the sea and was captured by pirates. When the pirates demanded a ransom of twenty talents from him, Caesar laughed, declaring that they did not know with whom they were dealing, and himself offered to give them fifty talents. Then, having sent his people to various cities for money, he remained among the pirates. For thirty-eight days he stayed with them, behaving as if they were his bodyguards, and not he their prisoner, and without the slightest fear he amused himself and joked with them. Caesar was a good orator and recited his speeches to the pirates, and if they did not express their admiration, he called them ignoramuses and barbarians to their faces. At the same time, often with a laugh, he threatened to hang them. Those willingly listened to his free speeches, seeing in them a manifestation of complacency and playfulness. However, as soon as the ransom money arrived and Caesar, having paid them, was released, he immediately equipped the ships, overtook the pirates and took them prisoner. He took the wealth captured by the pirates as booty, and ordered the pirates to crucify every single one, as he often predicted to them on the island, when they considered his words a joke.

Just be the first

When Gaius Julius Caesar crossed the Alps and drove past a small barbarian town, his friends asked with a laugh: “I wonder if there is also a struggle for power and political intrigues in this outback?” To which Caesar remarked in all seriousness: "As for me, I would rather be first here than second in Rome."

Obsession with power

During his stay in Spain, somehow reading at his leisure about the deeds of Alexander, Caesar plunged into thought and even shed a tear. When asked about the reason for the experience, he replied: “At my age, Alexander already ruled so many nations, and I still have not done anything remarkable. Isn't that enough reason to be upset?"

Die is cast

Caesar irresistibly rushed to the sole power in Rome. As viceroy in Gaul, he was not legally entitled to return with his army to Italy. Crossing the border river Rubicon would mean the beginning of a war with the Roman Senate. Having approached the Rubicon, Caesar doubted for some time whether he should go further, because. knew that there would be no going back. After thinking for a while and overcoming doubts, he made a firm decision to go forward. Exclaiming: "The die is cast!", Caesar crossed the Rubicon and moved to Rome. In the ensuing civil war, he defeated Pompey's supporters and became dictator of Rome. Since then, the expression: “the die is cast” symbolizes the adoption of an important irrevocable decision, and “cross the Rubicon” - to begin decisive action.

Only forward

Having crossed the English Channel with his army, Caesar landed in Britain. Then he ordered the ships to be burned. He lined up his soldiers on an elevated bank, so that they could see with their own eyes how the flames devoured the remains of the ships on which they had recently sailed. Thus, Caesar prevented a possible flight of the army and made it clear to the soldiers that they could return home only if they won victories. Undoubtedly, the eloquent spectacle of burning ships increased tenfold the strength of the soldiers. And now, without any words, they perfectly understood that the bridges were burned, that they should only go forward. And that they need to win without fail. Which they did.

(materials from the books were used: Plutarch's "Comparative Lives",
Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus "Life of the Twelve Caesars")