The First Triumvirate

In the determination of whether Julius Caesar was an intelligent, political hero or an egocentric, dictating villain, it is important to look at all of the facts. Born in 100 B.C.E. and assassinated in 44 B.C.E., Julius Caesar was legendary. He along Pompey, and Crassus created the first unofficial Triumvirate which was negotiated to appease both the Roman citizens and the power hungry rivals. Still, this agreement would not last long. After Pompey’s wife, Julia Caesar and daughter of Caesar’s daughter given to Pompey to establish the Trimvirate, dies in childbirth, civil war breaks out as Caesar leads his army against Rome. He fights until Pompey is murdered in Egypt. As Rome is “shattered,” Julius Caesar one person should rule. He

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".

Though Pompey sought power by manipulating the political system to his own advantage, the fact that the Senate was already weak and hence gave him this power.This shows that although Pompey’s actions were detrimental to the fall of the Republic, he was not the sole contributor. Pompey was both underage and had held none of the required offices, yet the Senate passed decrees exempting him from these traditional prerequisites, thus allowing for him to be joint consul with Crassus in 70 BC. According to Cicero, “absolute power” was what he had sought, and thus this ambition had nothing to do with “the happiness and honour of the community.” This reveals a callously ruthless dimension to Pompey, in that he would undertake any measure to achieve his own goals. However, it should also be noted that Cicero’s interest areas are sometimes narrow and deliberately, or accidentally selective. By reaching the top without any previously held positions of consequence, Pompey the Great had manipulated the political system to his own advantage. Thus, by doing so he undermined the Senate, reiterating its insignificance and weakness.

In the arising chaos of Caesar’s death, Mark Antony, Octavion, and others fought a series of five civil wars, which would end in the formation of the Roman Empire. The Roman middle and lower classes, with whom Caesar was popular, became angry that a small group of aristocrats had killed Caesar, especially after Antony gave a dramatic applause that appealed to the common people, a reflection of public opinion following Caesar's murder. About 43 B.C, the second triumvirate was formed between Octavion, Mark Antony, and Lepidus. Sometime after 43 B.C, Afterward, Mark Antony married Caesar's lover, Cleopatra, intending to use the fabulously wealthy Egypt as a base to dominate Rome. A third civil war broke out between Octavion and Antony. This final civil war resulted in the final ascendancy of Octavian, who became the first Roman emperor, under the name Caesar Augustus, a name that raised him to status of an idol.

In response, Pompey turned to Caesar and formed the Casesarian Faction with Crassus. Each individual had their own reasons for forming the faction; however, Pompey’s purpose was because he wanted a status for himself and land for his soldiers. In order for the faction to become powerful, at least one of the members had to be a consul. In 55 BCE, all three members were successful at holding consulship and each member had territories to mollify. Pompey’s territory was Spain, but his military success there was meek. However, Crassus’ province was in Syria where he waged war and lost his life (Dutton,

When Pompey returned to Rome he formed an alliance with Julius Caesar known as the first triumvirate (Ancient Rome and the Rise of Christianity, 1000 BCE–500 CE,). He received three wealthy provinces in Gaul in 58 B.C.E (Ancient Rome). He then went out and attempted to gain control of the rest of the region for Rome. We all know that he successfully did that because of how far the Roman empire spread and how big it was. He declared himself dictator for life. After Pompey’s wife Julia who was Caesar's daughter died in 54 B.C. and Crassus was killed in battle against Parthia the following year, the triumvirate was broken (Ancient Rome). He died after being stabbed by his political rivals (Ancient Rome). Julius is remembered as one of the greatest military minds in history and he created the foundation for the Roman Empire. Another great leader was Augustus, he was a very important Roman emperor. Augustus led the change from a republic to a empire right after Julius Caesar (Anderson 47). He contributed by creating a strong military, created important architecture and created laws. He also laid the foundations of the Pax Romana which was Roman Peace that lasted for 200 years (Anderson 47). These two dictators and emperors are the ones who turned Rome into what it was. These guys set everything up and the other leaders

Pompey was successful: in 52 BCE, he was elected "consul without colleague" and yielded almost dictatorial authority. Crassus was less fortunate: after his consulship, he became governor of Syria with special prerogatives, but was defeated by the Parthians, who lived in Mesopotamiaand Iran. Crassus was killed in action at Carrhae in 53 BCE.” (Gaius 1). After the death of Crassus in the battle of Carrhae, the gate to absolute power was cracked.

He then campaigned for consulship and was successful. Caesar then devoted most of his time in Gaul. He then became governor of Cisalpine and then Transalpine Gaul. He divorced Pompeia in 62 BC and married Calpurnia. In 58 BC, the Helvetii attempted to migrate to Central Gaul. Caesar proclaimed them as potential threats and drove them out to their homeland. The Chieftains of Gaul who now trusted Julius Caesar were afraid of Germany being a threat to them, so "in the summer of 58, after defeating the Helvetians, Caesar marched against the Germans and drove them out of Gaul."(www.history.com). After a few years, he sought to conquer Gaul and was successful and made it a Roman Province. In 54 BC, he invaded England because the prince harrassed the Romans living in Gaul. This invasion was one of his finest accomplishments yet because of the strong opposing force. Early 49 BC, his rule over Gaul was slowly coming to an end and he also began a civil war with Pompey[See Figure 3], his old associate who allied himself with a Roman senator. Caesar successfully invaded Italy and drove Pompey 's forces into Macedonia "in less than seventy days"(www.history.com). In 48 BC, Caesar then sailed Macedonia to deal the final blow but was unsuccessful which caused him to retreat to Greece where he defeated Pompey in the Battle of Pharsalus. In 47 BC, Caesar’s forces marched to Asia Minor and defeated the Pharnaces in the battle of Zela, but his glory did not stop increasing

In the victory over the battle of Pompey, supporters that sided with Pompey, Caesar still forgave them, “Surely not his former opponents, the defeated Pompey supporters like Cicero himself, who had been allowed to return to Rome and the Senate with their properties intact, and who were now his staunchest and most appreciative friends” (Parenti 172). Caesars concerns wasn’t to be biased and was only in favor of returning to the prosperous, content Rome. The aristocrats then decided to mastermind a plan with the senators in order to take Caesar’s life and remove his reign of reforms. Upon arrival, Caesar would be gathered around his senators and hear about Tillius Climber’s petition about allowing his brother to be return from being exiled. Delivering the first assault would be led by Casca, followed by a slash from Cassius, and after encountering twenty-three stab wounds, Caesar would bleed to death and lay motionless.

Gaius Julius Caesar rose through the ranks from Roman general to Emperor. A critical role he played in Roman politics, was his role in the events that were to lead to the downfall of the Roman Republic and the growth of the Roman Empire. He joined with Crassus and Pompey to form a political alliance. This alliance of three would go on to dominate politics in Rome for several years. “Pompey, Caesar, and Crassus now formed a triple pact, jointly swearing to oppose all public policies in which any of them might disapprove” (Graves and Suetonius 19). The conservative ruling class of the Roman Senate opposed their attempts to accumulate power through the use of populist tactics.

The death of Crassus caused tension between Pompey and Caesar. Both generals sought to be the leader of Rome. Pompey who was stationed in Rome had direct influence over the Senate, who elected Pompey as sole consul. In a positon of power, Pompey declared Caesar as enemy of the state by accusing Caesar wanting to become a dictatorship. Caesar retaliated against Pompey and defeated Pompey’s army at Pharsalus in Greece.

Julia was married to a man named Pompey, and when she died, Pompey became very powerful in Rome. Caesar had some political and financial issues when he left Rome and Pompey wanted Caesar to return and be punished. But Caesar decided to fight Pompey near Gaul. However, Pompey ran away, and ended up in Egypt. Pompey,

“Pompey could still win,” Caelius said. He was not sure if he believed this himself, but his hatred for Caesar made him want to believe that Pompey’s would retake Italy and all the men unrightfully appointed to office by Caesar would be removed (not to mention that his own position was given to him by Caesar, but even that had been taken from him now, so it surely did not count).

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

A major turning point of Caesar’s life was when his wife, Cornelia, passed away in 69 BC. As this tragedy faded, Julius remarried Pompeia, a relative of Pompey. However, this marriage lasted for several years before they divorced in 62 BC. (Julius Caesar: Historical Background, April 23, 2014)