Transcript Julius Caesar

Julius Caesar
World History
October 4, 2012
Who is Julius Caesar?
 Julius Caesar was born in Rome
on July 13, 100 B.C.
 His mother Aurelia and his
father Julius came from a noble
background
 When he was 10, his aunt married
a very wealthy noble that
increased their social status
 His uncle started out in the
army and gained prominent
over time in politics
 He became consul in 108 B.C.
 Caesar became involved in politics
because of his uncle
Caesar’s Rise to Power
 He began in the Roman military
guarding Rome’s territory
 He won many early battles that
gave him a tough reputation
 Caesar moved up on the political
ladder
 Took job after job and began
gaining power within the army
 He was known as a great public
speaker and wasn’t afraid to voice his
opinions
 He was elected Consul in 59 B.C.
with the help of his friend
Pompey
 In return he promised to help give
Pompey political power
Caesar vs. Pompey
 Caesar and Pompey, once friends,
battled for power
 Pompey was thought of as superior
by many
 He did not have the army to take on
Caesar
 Rome broke out in civil war
 Pompey and Caesar battled for the
land and power of the Roman
territory
 In 48 B.C. Caesar and his armies
brought down Pompey’s army
 Pompey was forced to flee to
Egypt
 The Egyptians murdered Pompey
and presented Caesar with his
head
Cleopatra
 Became queen of Egypt in 51 B.C. at the age
of 18
 Co-ruled with her father for 4 years
 After his death she was forced to marry her
younger brother
 Her father was a friend of Rome while he
was Pharaoh
 Caesar had known Cleopatra when she was a
young girl
 When Caesar became dictator, she was
brought to him wrapped in a rug and seduced
him
 Caesar helped her restore herself as sole ruler of
Egypt
 Because she was a woman she was forced to
marry again, her other younger brother
 She and Caesar became lovers and had a son,
Caesarion
 He was Caesar’s only son
 She and her son lived in a palace that Caesar
built for them until his assassination
 Because they were not married, Romans would not
acknowledge him as Caesar’s son and heir to the
throne
Caesar’s Accomplishments
 Julius Caesar led many military
conquests
 He conquered Gaul
 Modern day France and Belgium
 He I known for the saying “Veni,
Vidi, Vici”
 “I came, I saw, I conquered”
 When he became dictator he
focused on the rights of the
plebeians
 Gave land to the poor for farming
 Use government money to pay for
food for the plebeians
 Perfected the Julian Calendar
 Created in 45 B.C.
 Based on Astronomy
Assassination
 As Caesar continued to gain control
throughout Rome, he became a threat
 Senate was afraid he would make himself
king
 He gained too much power
 He was murdered by a group of 40 Roman
senators called Liberators
 They stabbed Caesar to death in the
Theatre of Pompey
 Took place on the Ides of March (March 15) 44
B.C.
 Many people told him not to go to senate
that day
 Doctor, his wife, his friends
 He was attacked by more that 40 men –
stabbed 23 times
 It is believed that his last words were…
“Et tu, Brute?”
 Means “You too, Brutus?”
 Brutus was one of his closest friends and
most trusted companions