A tale of an Ambitious Statesman

‘Et Tu, Brute?’ these were the last words exclaimed by Julius Caesar as he stood helpless while being stabbed by his best friend, Brutus, along with ‘The Liberators’, a group of senators who were disturbed by Caesar’s ambitions and perceived them as a threat to the existence of the Roman Republic which their ancestors have fought to establish. But was his assassination justified? What events led to this gruesome and brutal murder? Is being ambitious wrong?

Caesar has shared power over Rome along with Pompey and Licinius Crassus under the First Triumvirate. As his popularity among people grew, he advocated certain reforms which included uniting the Roman Republic into a cohesive unit and wanted to bring order back into the Republic. Fearing his growing popularity, the Senate demanded of him to relinquish his Army. Refusing to do so, he broke the law to seize power and led an army against Pompey. They fought a civil war which was ultimately won by Julius Caesar and he started domineering the Roman Republic which was on its way to becoming an empire. The title of dictator en perpetuo was bestowed upon Caesar which literally means ‘the dictator in perpetuity’.

Meanwhile, Pompey fled to Egypt to seek refuge but was instead murdered by Cleopatra’s brother. Egypt, which was subordinate to Rome, presented Caesar (who was pursuing Pompey and his army to Alexandria) with Pompey’s decapitated head. This did not seem to please Caesar as he deemed it to be awful and demanded the repayment of the debts which Cleopatra’s father owed to the Republic. He needed the funds to establish a reign over Rome.

Cleopatra, who had been exiled by her brother and husband – Ptolemy XIII, realized that she could use Caesar’s power to regain her throne. Cleopatra and Caesar soon became lovers and had a son who was called ‘Caesarion’ by the Egyptians. Roman reinforcements shortly arrived and dethroned Ptolemy XIII who later died by drowning in the River Nile.

Caesar acquired a plethora of knowledge during his sojourn in Egypt; he admired the Egyptian architecture and civilization. Upon his return to Rome, he sought out to introduce censuses, public libraries and improve the calendar.

 Certainly, Caesar was a man with ambitions. He rose through the ranks and consolidated his place in the Roman Senate. His dream of ruling Rome was short-lived as the not-so-meticulously planned conspiracy against him was soon executed. Caesar was betrayed by his fellow senators. He was stabbed gruesomely 23 times with the coup de grace being delivered by Brutus.

 Though, Caesar was assassinated Rome did not return to being a Republic. ‘The Liberators’ had undermined his popularity and upheaval was soon instigated. Mark Antony emerged as Caesar’s successor and reassured the Roman citizens of prosperity.

Caesar’s legacy lives on even to this day. The German title of kaiser and the Russian rank of the tsar, both words have been derived from the name ‘Caesar’. His prudence helped Rome become an influential international power and his military exploits led to the annexure of many territories. Interestingly, his birth month Quintilis was renamed to July in his honor, after his death.

Written by,

Veertej Sehdave & Vaibhav Jain

Stay Tuned for More Fun stories

Let us know your opinion and suggestions down in the comment section