53 Facts About Julius Caesar

Gaius Julius Caesar was a Roman general and statesman.

Julius Caesar played a critical role in the events that led to the demise of the Roman Republic and the rise of the Roman Empire.

Julius Caesar created the Julian calendar to replace the republican lunisolar calendar, reduced the size of the grain dole, settled his veterans in new overseas colonies, greatly increased the size of the Senate, and extended citizenship to communities in Spain and what is northern Italy.

Julius Caesar was an accomplished author and historian; much of his life is known from his own accounts of his military campaigns.

Julius Caesar is considered by many historians to be one of the greatest military commanders in history.

Julius Caesar's cognomen was adopted as a synonym for "emperor"; the title "Caesar" was used throughout the Roman Empire, giving rise to modern descendants such as Kaiser and Tsar.

Julius Caesar has frequently appeared in literary and artistic works.

Julius Caesar's father did not seek a consulship during the domination of Lucius Cornelius Cinna and instead chose retirement.

Julius Caesar then went into hiding before his relatives and contacts among the Vestal Virgins were able to intercede on his behalf.

Julius Caesar then left Italy to serve in the staff of the governor of Asia, Marcus Minucius Thermus.

Julius Caesar then served at the Siege of Mytilene where he won the civic crown for saving the life of a fellow citizen in battle.

Julius Caesar was alleged to have wanted to join in on the consul Lepidus' revolt that year but this is likely literary embellishment of Caesar's desire for tyranny from a young age.

Julius Caesar's election gave him a lifetime seat in the Senate.

Julius Caesar quickly remarried, taking the hand of Sulla's granddaughter Pompeia.

For much of this period, Julius Caesar was one of Pompey's supporters.

Julius Caesar restored the trophies won by Marius, and taken down by Sulla, over Jugurtha and the Cimbri.

Many scholars have expressed astonishment that Julius Caesar's candidacy was taken seriously, but this was not without historical precedent.

Many sources assert that Julius Caesar supported the land reform proposals brought that year by plebeian tribune Publius Servilius Rullus there are no ancient sources so attesting.

Julius Caesar likely advocated the former, which was a compromise position that would place the Senate within the bounds of the, and was initially successful in swaying the body; a later intervention by Cato swayed the Senate at the end for execution.

Julius Caesar then supported the attempt by plebeian tribune Metellus Nepos to transfer the command against Catiline from the consul of 63, Gaius Antonius Hybrida, to Pompey.

Deeply indebted from his campaigns for the praetorship and for the pontificate, Julius Caesar required military victory beyond the normal provincial extortion to pay them off.

Julius Caesar campaigned against the Callaeci and Lusitani and seized the Callaeci capital in northwestern Spain, bringing Roman troops to the Atlantic and seizing enough plunder to pay his debts.

Julius Caesar's first act was to publish the minutes of the Senate and the assemblies, signalling the Senate's accountability to the public.

Julius Caesar brought and passed a one-third write-down of tax farmers' arrears for Crassus and ratification of Pompey's eastern settlements.

Cato too attempted symbolic gestures against Julius Caesar, which allowed him and his allies to "feign victimisation"; these tactics were successful in building revulsion to Julius Caesar and his allies through the year.

When his consulship ended, Julius Caesar's legislation was challenged by two of the new praetors but discussion in the Senate stalled and was regardless dropped.

Julius Caesar was able to lure the rebels into unfavourable terrain and routed them in battle.

Julius Caesar was initially defeated at Gergovia before besieging Vercingetorix at Alesia.

Julius Caesar's success was evidently recognised when the Senate voted state funds for some of Caesar's legions, which until this time Caesar had paid for personally.

Julius Caesar, after capturing communication routes to Rome, paused and opened negotiations, but they fell apart amid mutual distrust.

Julius Caesar responded by advancing south, seeking to capture Pompey to force a conference.

Julius Caesar defeated two of Pompey's legates at the Battle of Ilerda before forcing surrender of the third; his legates moved into Sicily and into Africa, though the African expedition failed.

Julius Caesar besieged Pompey at Dyrrhachium, but Pompey was able to break out and force Julius Caesar's forces to flee.

When Julius Caesar landed at Antioch, he learnt that during his time in Egypt, the king of what is Crimea, Pharnaces, had attempted to seize what had been his father's kingdom, Pontus, across the Black Sea in northern Anatolia.

Julius Caesar's invasion had swept aside Caesar's legates and the local client kings, but Caesar engaged him at Zela and defeated him immediately, leading Caesar to write, downplaying Pompey's previous Pontic victories.

Julius Caesar led Vercingetorix, Cleopatra's younger sister Arsinoe, and Juba's son before his chariot; Vercingetorix was executed.

Julius Caesar was granted power over war and peace, usurping a power traditionally held by the comitia centuriata.

The most important of Julius Caesar's reforms was to the calendar, which saw the abolition of the traditional republican lunisolar calendar and its replacement with a solar calendar now called the Julian calendar.

Julius Caesar increased the number of magistrates and senators to better administer the empire and reward his supporters with offices.

Julius Caesar took further administrative actions to stabilise his rule and that of the state.

Julius Caesar reduced the size of the grain dole from 320,000 down to around 150,000 by tightening the qualifications; special bonuses were offered to families with many children to stall depopulation.

Julius Caesar, claiming that the two tribunes infringed on his honour by doing so, had them deposed from office and ejected from the Senate.

Various stories purport that Julius Caesar was on the cusp of not attending or otherwise being warned about the plot.

Julius Caesar was stabbed at least twenty-three times and died at once.

Antony, the consul who escaped the assassination, urged an illogical compromise position in the Senate: Julius Caesar was not declared a tyrant and the conspirators were not punished.

In 44 BC, there was a seven-day cometary outburst that the Romans believed to represent the deification of Julius Caesar, giving it the name Julius Caesar's Comet.

Julius Caesar adds that the balding Caesar was sensitive to teasing on the subject, and therefore had a combover.

Suetonius reports that Julius Caesar was thus especially pleased to be granted the honour of wearing a wreath at all times.

Julius Caesar himself denied the accusations repeatedly throughout his lifetime, and according to Cassius Dio, even under oath on one occasion.

However, Julius Caesar wrote those texts with his political career in mind.

Julius Caesar is considered one of the first historical figures to fold his message scrolls into a concertina form, which made them easier to read.

The remains of Julius Caesar's altar are a pilgrimage site for visitors from across Italy and the world.

Julius Caesar is seen as the main example of Caesarism, a form of political rule led by a charismatic strongman whose rule is based upon a cult of personality, whose rationale is the need to rule by force, establishing a violent social order, and being a regime involving prominence of the military in the government.