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The Rise of Julius Caesar How Did Julius Caesar Come to Power?

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5/4/2020 Discovery Education The Rise of Julius Caesar How did Julius Caesar come to power? From Republic to Empire: Sequencing Chart Use this sequencing chart to record events on pages 1–5. Editable Activity Teacher's Guide From 264 to 146 BCE, the Romans fought three wars against Carthage, known as the Punic Wars. The two great powers fought for control of strategic islands throughout the Mediterranean region. Rome eventually destroyed Carthage and took control of its lands. After its success against Carthage, the Roman Republic continued to expand by conquering new lands. These new lands were organized into provinces and put under the control of local governors. This focus on expansion led to negative effects on the city of Rome and its surrounding areas. Agriculture in the provinces was more successful than in the areas surrounding Rome. Local farmers lost business to the competition from the new provinces, which contributed to a widening gap in wealth between the commoners and the elite members of society. This led to growing unrest in the Republic. During this time, Gaius Julius Caesar (100–44 BCE) was born into a wealthy family. “Caesar” was actually a family name used by those in Gaius Julius’s line. The term was eventually adopted as an imperial title, and continued to https://westada.discoveryeducation.com/learn/techbook/print/units/ab406dc0-c98f-4f53-a97c-dfda6193bcdc/concepts/b584dc6d-f005-4510-a5ea-664… 1/17 5/4/2020 Discovery Education be used even when the crown passed on to other families. Today, when people speak about Caesar, however, they are usually referring to Julius Caesar. For clarity, that is how the term will be used in this lesson. Statue of Julius Caesar This statue shows Caesar as a triumphant soldier. Political and Military Success Caesar was very ambitious. He served in the Roman military and was a skillful soldier. He also was a clever politician and a skilled writer and speaker. In 60 BCE, he formed a political alliance with Pompey the Great and Crassus, two other political leaders. This alliance is known as the First Triumvirate. Together these three leaders were able to influence and control much of the political life of Rome. The following year, 59 BCE, Caesar was elected consul, one of the highest political offices in Rome. After his one-year term as consul, Caesar was appointed governor of Gaul, which is in modern France. An uprising of the northern tribes in Gaul gave Caesar an opportunity to gain political power through battle. In 57 BCE, he conquered the northern tribes and began a campaign to conquer all of Gaul and expand Roman territory. This military campaign lasted several years. Military success in Gaul provided Caesar with increased political power, money, and popularity. Pompey, who was also very ambitious, saw Caesar’s increasing power as a threat to his own quest for power and began working to undermine him. The triumvirate broke apart and Caesar and Pompey became enemies. Pompey began to try to prevent Caesar from gaining more power. https://westada.discoveryeducation.com/learn/techbook/print/units/ab406dc0-c98f-4f53-a97c-dfda6193bcdc/concepts/b584dc6d-f005-4510-a5ea-664… 2/17 5/4/2020 Discovery Education IMAGE Roman Empire Under Caesar Rome won new territories in the Punic Wars and continued to expand under the rule of the early emperors. READING PASSAGE Augustus Caesar: Father of Rome The rise to power of Julius Caesar and the subsequent rule of his nephew, Augustus Caesar, transformed Rome from a republic fraught with civil wars to one of the world’s most powerful empires. Lexile Score 990 Answer Key VIDEO SEGMENT Caesar’s Path to Power Caesar used the conquest of Gaul as a tool to gain political power. Dictator for Life How did Julius Caesar become dictator for life? https://westada.discoveryeducation.com/learn/techbook/print/units/ab406dc0-c98f-4f53-a97c-dfda6193bcdc/concepts/b584dc6d-f005-4510-a5ea-664… 3/17 5/4/2020 Discovery Education Under the influence of Pompey, who had powerful connections in Rome, the Senate commanded Caesar to give up command of his army and return to Rome alone. Caesar agreed only on the condition that Pompey would also give up command of his army. When the Senate refused Caesar’s request, he ignored their order, and in 49 BCE he led his army across the Rubicon River into Italy to fight Pompey and his army. By ignoring the Senate and crossing the Rubicon River, Caesar was seen as having committed an act of war. Because of this, many historians see Caesar’s crossing of the Rubicon as the end of the Roman Republic. The expression “crossing the Rubicon” is used to this day to mean reaching a point of no return. Caesar pursued Pompey’s army through Greece and Spain, where Caesar defeated them. He then crossed the Adriatic Sea to face Pompey himself at Pharsalus in 48 BCE. Ultimately, Caesar triumphed and Pompey fled to Egypt, where he was killed in September of that year. With Pompey out of the way, Caesar continued his conquests by traveling to Egypt to claim it for Rome. At the time, Egypt was ruled by Cleopatra. Cleopatra was the last ruler of the Macedonian dynasty, which had been established by Ptolemy, a Greek general under Alexander the Great. Ptolemy had established himself as the ruler of Egypt after the death of Alexander. Caesar’s conquest of Egypt further expanded the territory of Rome and increased Caesar’s reputation. After the successful campaign in Egypt, Caesar returned to Rome in triumph. He was very generous toward the commoners in Rome, which made him very popular. Caesar was declared dictator for life instead of the normal term of six months. Dictators were given ultimate power over the government, which is why terms were usually limited. Caesar named himself Imperator, the Roman word for emperor. This made many Senators uneasy. https://westada.discoveryeducation.com/learn/techbook/print/units/ab406dc0-c98f-4f53-a97c-dfda6193bcdc/concepts/b584dc6d-f005-4510-a5ea-664… 4/17 5/4/2020 Discovery Education VIDEO SEGMENT Crossing the Rubicon Julius Caesar’s crossing of the Rubicon against the orders of the Roman Senate was a turning point in Caesar’s career and in the formation of the Roman Empire. IMAGE Julius Caesar’s fleet vs. the Alexandrian Fleet The conquest of Egypt was a key victory for Caesar and further expanded the territory under the control of the Roman Republic. The Ides of March Why was Julius Caesar murdered? The rise of Caesar made some members of the Roman Senate fear he was gaining too much power. They wanted Rome to remain a republic, and they thought that Caesar was trying to establish himself as a monarch, or king. If that happened, each leader would pass the crown to his heir instead of being elected. This would mean the crown would stay in a single family line, creating a dynasty, and the Senate would lose much of their power. bout sixty persons were engaged in the conspiracy against “A him, of whom Caius Cassius, and Marcus and Decimus Brutus were the chief. It was at first debated amongst them, whether they should attack him in the Campus Martius … But after public notice https://westada.discoveryeducation.com/learn/techbook/print/units/ab406dc0-c98f-4f53-a97c-dfda6193bcdc/concepts/b584dc6d-f005-4510-a5ea-664… 5/17 5/4/2020 Discovery Education had been given by proclamation for the senate to assemble upon the ides of March [15th March], in the senate-house built by Pompey, they approved both of the time and place, as most fitting for their purpose.” —C. Suetonius Tranquilius, The Lives of the Twelve Caesars, vol.1 One group of Senators believed that they could restore the Republic if they assassinated, or killed, Caesar. This group was led by the senator Gaius Cassius Longinus, a general in the Roman army, and Marcus Junius Brutus. Brutus had been a supporter of Pompey, but after Pompey’s defeat at Pharsalus, Caesar pardoned Brutus to make him the governor of Gaul. According to legend, Caesar was warned about the attack by a soothsayer, or fortune teller, who told him to be careful on the Ides of March (March 15). His wife Calpurnia had dreams of disasters, such as the house collapsing. Because of these omens, as well as his poor health, Caesar thought about staying home on March 15. Unfortunately for him, he decided against this, in part because Brutus advised him not to believe in the omens. As Caesar entered the senate-house, the Senators took out the knives hidden under their togas and stabbed Caesar 35 times until he fell dead on the senate-house floor. Following his murder in 44 BCE, Rome fell into a period of chaos. IMAGE Statue of Caesar https://westada.discoveryeducation.com/learn/techbook/print/units/ab406dc0-c98f-4f53-a97c-dfda6193bcdc/concepts/b584dc6d-f005-4510-a5ea-664… 6/17 5/4/2020 Discovery Education This marble statue, from the first century BCE, depicts Julius Caesar as emperor. Compare this image of Caesar the emperor to the earlier image of Caesar the soldier. VIDEO SEGMENT The Murder of Caesar Caesar was murdered by a group of senators who feared he had become too powerful. IMAGE Statue of Brutus by Michelangelo Brutus was one of the senators who conspired to kill Caesar. Senators believed Caesar had gained too much power and was destroying the Republic. Civil War How was stability restored to Rome after the death of Julius Caesar? Not everyone in Rome had agreed that Caesar was a danger. His death left the country without a clear leader.
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