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History and Evolution:
By William E. Steinman:
Part 29, Julius Caesar 1:
Rise to Power:
October 13, 2003:
Who has not heard of Caesar? Even those who know nothing of history will recognize the name. It has become a synonym for supreme ruler. Indeed, that is what Caesar was to Rome for about two years. His rule ended when he was murdered in 44 BC. The well know tragic play "Julius Caesar" by William Shakespear is the story of those last days of Caesar and the ensuing struggles. While it may be useful to read this play, to get a real sense of the drama one must see it performed by real Shakespearian actors.
The best guess is that Caesar was born in 100 BC. There is some disagreement about this date. Regardless, we know he grew up in the declining years of the republic. Although nobles of patrician blood, Caesar's family were neither wealthy nor powerful. Nonetheless Caesar seemed determined to follow a career in Roman politics. The earlier years of that career were rather tumultuous. He got off to a poor start by marrying the daughter of Lucius Cornelius Cinna. That put him on the bad side of Sulla when he returned from Greece and declared himself dictator of Rome.
Although of noble blood himself, Caesar was a radical. He was witnessing first hand the degeneration of Rome's power under the mismanagement of the Senate. Pirates were running free in the Mediterranean. Revolutions and counterrevolutions were the order of the day and the commoners were the victims of it all. Caesar wanted reform. Sulla was still bent on restoring the Senate and maintaining the power of the nobles. That put them in opposite camps and Sulla had all of the power.
When ordered by Sulla to divorce his wife, Caesar refused. Considering that Sulla was already in a bad mood because of Cinna's behavior, Caesar's defiance could have been his last act. Finally he chose discretion and opted for a life of military service. He left town and served in Asia and Cilicia. He was not able to return to Rome until Sulla's death in 78 BC. Then he began his political career by losing his first case as prosecuting advocate.
Later, while on his way to study oratory in Rhodes he was captured by Pirates. In this, we learn something of the kind of person Caesar was. Somehow, he managed to raise the money to pay his ransom and gain his release. He was not satisfied with that. The pirates had annoyed him so he got together his own navy and captured them. Then he had them crucified. We see that Jesus was not the first victim of crucifixion. In fact, it was a common sport in those days. I believe Caesar was a true power dominant. He was also, to be sure, a ruthless adversary.
In 74 BC, the king of Pontus decided to make war on the Romans and Caesar raised a private army to combat him. Then he returned to Rome with a bit more influence. He teamed up with Pompey to work against Sulla's cohorts and began moving up the political ladder. In an outstanding political coup, he was elected pontifex maximus in 63 BC. This is the position of supreme priesthood in the Roman religious hierarchy. Although somewhat ceremonial It brought him a great deal of power and patronage.
By this time, Caesar had borrowed a great deal of money to support his lavish life style and his political ambitions. To deal with that he secured a governorship in Spain in 61 BC. While there he undertook some military adventures beyond the borders of his province. This produce enough revenue to pay his soldiers, pay off his debts and still have some left for the treasury. His governorship was indeed successful. When he returned to Rome, he ran for and won the consulship.
This gave him a good power base from which he began to form coalitions. He managed to bring Crassus and Pompey together as his allies. Pompey had held a consulship at the same time as Crassus and they had butted heads. Crassus had continued to oppose Pompey, but they came together with Caesar to form a political force in Rome. After years of frustration, Pompey saw some of his reforms implemented and his consolidation of the east was ratified.
Through one of his agents, Caesar was given a part of Gaul called Cisalpine Gaul which was really part of Northern Italy. He also acquired Transalpine Gaul when the governor-designate died. This gave him the military base he needed. In the ensuing years, he conquered the rest of Gaul and subjugated it completely. During this campaign he also made some raids into Briton.
All of this time, Caesar was building an army and acquiring wealth in the form of loot from his victims. He achieved an impressive series of conquests and suffered a few defeats along the way. However, by 50 BC he was firmly in control of all of Gaul. This is a huge region consisting of France and parts of Belgium, western Germany, and northern Italy. The inhabitants of this land were Celtic tribes. The key to Caesar's victories was the inability of these tribes to show a united front until it was too late.
As I pointed out, Caesar was also completely ruthless. At one
point he had the hands of some captives amputated as a punishment
for opposing him. We can suppose that was to make sure they would
never wield a sword against him again. We can be sure it also
served as an example to other potential enemies. Ruthless indeed!
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