Julius Caesar

100–44 BCE · Roman · Late Roman Republic

Known for: Conquered Gaul, crossed the Rubicon, became dictator of Rome, and was murdered by senators on the Ides of March

Caesar was a populist politician, military genius, and master propagandist who rose from a patrician family of modest means to become the most powerful man in Rome. He conquered Gaul in a decade-long campaign (58–50 BCE), killing or enslaving over a million Gauls, then crossed the Rubicon River with his army—starting a civil war he won in three years.

He was appointed dictator perpetuo (dictator for life), reformed the calendar (the Julian calendar was used until 1582), and began ambitious building and reform programs. On March 15, 44 BCE (the Ides of March), he was stabbed 23 times by a group of senators including his protégé Brutus.

His assassination didn't save the Republic—it destroyed it. The civil wars that followed ended with his adopted heir Octavian becoming Augustus, the first Roman Emperor.

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