The End of the Republic

Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, more commonly known as Pompey the Great, was many things. He was part of the first triumvirate with Caesar and Crassus which ended with Crassus and Pompey’s death. He got rid of the mediterranean pirates in three months without major bloodshed. Delivering 20,000 captives to Rome, sparing most of them giving them jobs in farming. He also acquired the nickname Pompey the Great in Sulla’s second civil war as his general. In 77 B.C.E he was sent to be pro consul to assist with the struggle against Sertorius in Spain. Pompey the Great was part of the first triumvirate, he got rid of the Mediterranean pirates, and had many military

Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Medicine, Madness, and Murder of a President by Candice Millard is a non-fiction book that explains the assassination of the 20th president of the United States, James Garfield. President Garfield was the second president to be murdered while serving a term in office. This book is exceptional because of the historical context—it makes you feel as if Charles Guiteau is standing right in front of you with a gun pointed at the president. Personally, I never knew much about President Garfield, until I read Destiny of the Republic.

Political turmoil also shaped this period. Soon after they assumed power, complications arose between Cleopatra and Ptolemy XIII. Eventually Cleopatra fled to Syria, where she assembled an army to defeat her rival in order to declare the throne for herself. In 48, she returned to Egypt with her military might and faced her brother at Pelusium, located on the empire’s eastern edge. Most of what we know about Cleopatra was written after her death when it was politically expedient to portray her as a threat to Rome and its stability. Thus, some of what we know about Cleopatra may have been exaggerated or misrepresented by those sources. Cassius Dio, one of the ancient sources that tells her story, summarizes her story as “She captivated the two greatest Romans of her day, and

He spent 8 years in Gaul territory, expanding the army and expanding the Roman Republic. Around 49 BCE - 50 BCE, Caesar went back to Rome, because Pompey and the senate ordered him to disband his army and return. When he crossed the Rubicon river with his army(not following the senate 's rules), it initiated the civil war, which Caesar won. He then was able to become whatever he wanted to, so became consul and dictator which helped him achieve the things he set out for.

In 53BC envious of Caesar and Pompey's military victories, Crassus gathered an army and marched on Parthia. Unable to cope with the enemy's tactics, the Roman army was slaughtered and Crassus himself killed. This and the addition of the death of Julia (Caesar's daughter and Pompey's wife - the strongest personal link between the two) in 54BC effectively ended the triumvirate and in doing so "became the turning point in the history of the Free State and the ultimate origin of the Roman civil war of 49BC".

Julius Caesar's triumph in a civil war in the 40s BC made him the absolute ruler of Rome he rose to power through his social status, financial support, military leadership, and political reputation. Caesar became the proprietor in Spain, where he gained some military experience and wealth. Upon returning to Rome in 60 BC he joined Crassus and Pompey to form the First Triumvirate, a trio of political leaders.

Julius Caesar was said to be a great ruler. Julius Caesar conquered many great lands. Some places that Caesar conquered was lands such as Britain, Gaul (modern day France), Egypt, Syria, Pontus (modern day Turkey), and most of the western European continent. “Caesar has always been one of the most controversial characters of history. His admirers have seen in him the defender of the rights of the people against an oligarchy. His detractors have seen him as an ambitious demagogue, who forced his way to dictatorial power and destroyed the republic. That he was gifted and versatile there can be little doubt. He excelled in war, in statesmanship, and in oratory.” (Columbia Electric Encyclopedia)

his army was completley destroyed at Carrhae by Parthian archers in 53 B.C. during which Crassus was murdered. This left just Pompey and Caesar to rule Rome, and Carssus death created a rivalry between the two that could not be broken.

At the time Cleopatra gained power the future of the Dynasty was in danger. Places like Cyprus, Coele-Syria, and Cyrenaica were not under her kingdom anymore, and in the remaining places there was poverty and famine. But Cleopatra was an ambitious woman and wanted her kingdom to be a strong and great empire. Between Pompey and Julius Caesar there was a conflict which leads to in a struggle. Cleopatra supported him however he was defeated and after his defeat Caesar came in Egypt, in Alexandria.

Antony- Caesar's biggest follower. After Caesar's death; Antony claims to be join the conspiracy in order to save his life and say his speech about Caesar to the crowd. After Brutus leaves, Antony persuades the crowd that the conspiracy killed Caesar out of hate and not for Rome. Antony makes the crowd go on a rampage. Later Antony meets up with Caesar's adopted son Octavius and kills the conspiracy.

Once Caesar’s wife, Cornelia, had died, he remarried to a woman named Pompeia who ironically was “a wealthy Optimate granddaughter of the Emperor Sulla.” Caesar went on to gain the support of Gnaeus Pompeius (Pompey or Pompey the Great) and become friends with Marcus Licinius Crassus, the wealthiest man in Rome, which allowed him to run for generalship and Chief Priest in 63 BC. He divorced Pompeia after finding out she cheated with another man, and moved to Spain to serve as praetor of Hispania. Caesar served as consul in the year 59 BC and with his friends Pompey and Crassus, led as the first triumvirate for 10 years. From 58 BC to 50 BC, Caesar led his Roman army to conquer Gaul, modern day France, and making him loved by his soldiers and a hero to the Roman people. He prevented Germanic attacks in his conquered lands by building walls and making a spectacle of his armies, a message the German tribes understood clearly. To finalize the conquest of Gaul in 52 BC, Caesar killed the Gallic leader Vercingetorix in the Battle of Alesia. In 50 BC Pompey, who was running the senate in Rome, ordered for Caesar and his troops to return to the capital, but Caesar refused the senate’s orders and brought his army across the Rubicon River of Italy to Rome to fight Pompey’s army in 49 BC where Pompey and his army fled. Caesar then defeated Pompey’s armies in Greece, Egypt, Asia, and

Ancient Rome consisted of two main forms of government, the Republic and the Empire, each of which lasted about five centuries. At first, Rome was a republic, governed by members of wealthy classes. As the Republican form of government continued, a series of civil wars led to the breakdown of the system, and a new form of government, the Empire, was established in its place. The Empire began with a prolonged period of peace, the Pax Romana. However, like the Republic, the Empire also turned foul and collapsed after the Pax Romana. Still, a citizen of the Empire was better off than a citizen of the Republic. Health problems were less severe in the Empire than in the Republic. Moreover, the Empire was more peaceful and better able to provide necessities for average citizens than the Republic was. The political situation was also better in the Roman Empire. The Roman Empire generally provided a healthier and higher quality of civic life than the Roman Republic.

Marcus Licinius Crassus, a popular Roman general and politician, was also a friend of Caesar, but Pompey and Crassus grew older just to become more and more of a rival to Julius than a friend or ally. Julius, with the brains, had convinced them that they would be in better hands as allies. This 3-man allied power became known as the First Triumvirate. With more power than before, Caesar conquered the area known as Gaul which today is known as France and Belgium. During this takeover, his hired political assistants controlled the government for him back home. (Julius Caesar: Historical Background, April 23, 2014)

He passed a law that gave himself a five-year rule in Gaul, and he was elected to another five-year term after his first one was over. Overall, Caesar’s campaigns brought in success and greatness for the Roman empire, but in his campaigns, he was forced to wipe out nearly one million people in Gaul (“Julius Caesar”).

Julius Caesar expanded the Roman Republic to its furthest extent at the time to engulf Gaul, present day France, into the empire. (Julius Caesar Gaul, 2012). Caesar's conquering of Gaul paved the way for vast riches to enter Rome. Having so many soldiers with so much wealth from Gaul returning all at once