Julius Caesar Is Assassinated
Julius Caesar, a pivotal figure in Roman history, was assassinated on March 15, 44 B.C. His legacy encompasses remarkable military achievements and a controversial role in the decline of the Roman Republic. Rising to power during a tumultuous period marked by political instability, Caesar broke with republican traditions by assuming the title of dictator for life and extending his consulship to ten years, actions that alarmed many in the Senate. His concentration of power included taking command of the military and assuming the role of Pontifex Maximus, which further diminished the Senate's authority. Fearing his potential to become an absolute ruler, a faction of senators, led by Brutus and Cassius, conspired against him. The assassination in the Senate was a dramatic culmination of rising tensions and marked the beginning of a new chapter in Roman governance. However, rather than restoring the Republic, Caesar's death ignited further civil wars, ultimately leading to the establishment of the imperial system under his grand-nephew Augustus. This shift signified the end of the Republic, despite the Senate's continued existence as a symbolic institution.
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Julius Caesar Is Assassinated
Julius Caesar Is Assassinated
On March 15, 44 b.c., the great Roman statesman, general, reformer, and author Gaius Julius Caesar, more commonly known as Julius Caesar or simply Caesar, was assassinated. He left an immense historic legacy, ranging from his undisputed military brilliance to his controversial role in ending the Roman Republic.
As discussed more thoroughly at January 11 in an essay concerning his crossing of the Rubicon, Caesar came to power in a time of political and military turmoil throughout Roman lands. Increasingly, the ancient Roman Republic found itself at the mercy of the ambitious generals who controlled its mighty armies, and while several of these generals had violated republican traditions none went as far as Caesar. He made himself dictator for life in order to restore the peace, even though under the Republic the appointment of a dictator was only permitted for six months during the most extreme national crises. Caesar also broke the republican tradition of one-year terms for consuls—high executives in the Republic—by having himself made consul for a 10-year term in 45 b.c. He took personal command of all the armies, made himself the Pontifex Maximus or head of the state religion, and took the title imperator (emperor). The Roman Senate, an ancient, largely upper-class assembly that had been the Republic's foremost institution of government, seemed weak and inadequate by comparison.
Fearful of his growing power and convinced that Caesar intended to make himself absolute ruler of Rome, a group of senators plotted to kill him. On March 15, 44 b.c., their leaders, Brutus and Cassius, led the conspirators into the Senate chamber and stabbed Caesar to death. His last words—“And you, Brutus!”—expressed his shock at having been betrayed by a man he had previously pardoned for fighting against him. (Brutus was also rumored to have been Caesar's natural son.)
Unfortunately for the Roman Republic, Caesar's death brought neither peace nor an end to the designs of ambitious generals. The civil wars continued until the victorious Octavian (Caesar's grand-nephew, who took the name Augustus Caesar in order to play on the prestige of his illustrious predecessor) became the first true emperor of Rome. Henceforth, emperors would rule Rome; the Republic was effectively dead, although such trappings as the Senate were permitted to survive out of political expediency.