Gaius julius caesar first roman emperor series#

Their joint consulship assigned new provincial commands to the consuls, with Pompey receiving Spain while Crassus went to Syria to fight the Parthians Caesar, for his part, had his proconsulship in Gaul renewed. The political alliance between the three began to fray in the mid 50s BC, but was put on hold with a renegotiation and the joint consulship of Pompey and Crassus in 55 BC. The short-term benefits to the three emerged from their own purposes: ratification of Pompey's eastern settlement, agrarian measures involving Pompey and Crassus. The alliance of three men 'induced a sharp restructuring of alliances and alignments' with temporary benefit to them but harm in the long-run with aristocratic groups coalescing in opposition. Caesar had allied himself with Crassus and Pompey in the so-called First Triumvirate during his consulship. Starting from 58 BC, the year after his consulship in 59, Caesar had held the proconsulship of Cisalpine Gaul along with Illyricum under the terms of the lex Vatinia and Transalpine Gaul at the assignment of the Senate. The main issue at hand in the lead-up to the war was how Caesar, who had been in Gaul for almost ten years before 49 BC, was to be re-integrated into the political fabric of Rome after accumulating immense power and wealth in Gaul. He was made dictator perpetuo (dictator in perpetuity or dictator for life) in 44 BC and, shortly thereafter, assassinated.įurther information: First Triumvirate and Gallic Wars The following year, Caesar defeated the last of the Pompeians under his former lieutenant Labienus in the Battle of Munda. Scipio and Cato committed suicide shortly thereafter. Caesar intervened in Africa and Asia Minor before attacking North Africa, where he defeated Scipio in 46 BC at the Battle of Thapsus. Pompey fled to Egypt, where he was assassinated on arrival. Many former Pompeians, including Marcus Junius Brutus and Cicero, surrendered after the battle, while others, such as Cato the Younger and Metellus Scipio fought on. Pompey defeated Caesar in 48 BC at the Battle of Dyrrhachium, but was himself defeated decisively at the Battle of Pharsalus. The war was a four-year-long politico-military struggle, fought in Italy, Illyria, Greece, Egypt, Africa, and Hispania. Caesar refused and instead marched on Rome. Eventually, Pompey and his allies induced the Senate to demand Caesar give up his provinces and armies. A build-up of tensions starting in late 49 BC, with both Caesar and Pompey refusing to back down led, however, to the outbreak of civil war.

Gaius julius caesar first roman emperor series#

It began as a series of political and military confrontations between Gaius Julius Caesar and Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus.īefore the war, Caesar had led an invasion of Gaul for almost ten years. Caesar's civil war (49–45 BC) was one of the last politico-military conflicts of the Roman Republic before its reorganization into the Roman Empire.