Julius Caesar History

Julius Caesar History and Victories

Julius Caesar made history in Rome with this superb army and his brilliant engineers. Julius Caesar cut a swath of victory across hundreds of miles of new territories, often defeating armies that badly outnumbered his own. Sometimes Julius Caesar was merciful - sparing the survivors and sending them back to their communities. Other times his soldiers butchered men, women, and children by the thousands. His response depended on whether Julius Caesar felt he had been insulted and deceived, or whether he felt the fight had been honorable and courageous. Through it all Julius Caesar used his masterful skills of oratory - second only to the famous Cicero - to encourage his men and rouse them to seek glory. He would shame them, inspire them, resort to any tactic that would get them to fight and fight well.

Julius Caesar the Conqueror

In his first campaigns, Julius Caesar gained control of two-thirds of Gaul. Then Julius Caesar moved north into Germany and Belgium, in pursuit of enemy tribes, gaining a new province for Rome. When Julius Caesar wrote a report of his victories later, it began with the now-famous words: "All Gaul is divided into three parts." The Gaul he spoke of is what we know today as most of Western Europe. After reaching the far northern limit of Gaul, in Belgium, Julius Caesar turned his attention to Britain, because the island had become a refuge for rebel Gauls that had escaped his army. The attack on Britain was never completed, because Julius Caesar received word that the Gauls were again rising against Rome, in spite of the fact that he had killed or captured all of their leaders. This had been a fear of Julius Caesar 's ever since he conquered Gaul. Julius Caesar felt he didn't have enough troops to maintain order in the vast territory, and Julius Caesar suspected his whirlwind campaigns had dazed more than defeated them. He rushed back to Gaul and launched a new campaign aimed at reasserting his power.

The death of Julius Caesar 's daughter

While the battles in Gaul proceeded, Caesar's worries shifted for a time back to Rome. He received word that his daughter Julia had died, and personal grief aside, Julius Caesar was concerned that his most important tie with Pompey, who had married Julia, was now broken. Not only that, but Crassius and Pompey were quarrelling. The triumvirate was in danger and Caesar, thousands of miles away, was helpless. It took him one year to break the Gaul rebellion, and then Julius Caesar hastened south to be nearer to Rome, where he hoped to strengthen his power base.

Julius Caesar and Marc Anthony

Julius Caesar hesitated to enter Rome itself, because he was unsure what his welcome would be. Besides his problems with the triumvirate, many senators had used Julius Caesar 's absence as an opportunity to foster opposition to him. Cato had even suggested his exile. Instead, Caesar decided to run for the office of consulate in absentia - while he was out of the country. His plan was to enlist the aide of his supporters to successfully run his campaign for him in Rome and outwit his opponents. Among these would be his friend Marc Antony, a soldier who had fought with Caesar earlier in Gaul, and now held two influential posts in Rome. Antony was an honorable man, with deep loyalties to Caesar. The historian Plutarch described him as having "a very good and noble appearance, a bold, masculine look that reminded people of the appearance of Hercules in paintings and sculptures." He was admired by the Romans and Julius Caesar knew he could be trusted.

Even Antony couldn't help with the problems rapidly developing in Rome, so serious were they. Rumors were spreading that Julius Caesar was preparing to enter with four legions and launch a civil war. Senators were uniting against him, led by Pompey, his former colleague and son-in-law. The order went out that he give up his command and send his armies back to Rome. In 49 B.C., when Julius Caesar was 51 years old, Caesar was forced to make a critical decision at a river that separated Gaul from Italy. It was called the Rubicon. Today the phrase crossing the Rubicon is used to refer to a decision of critical importance, from which there's no turning back. When Julius Caesar crossed the Rubicon with his army and marched towards Rome, he was defying his government and accepting the challenge of civil war.