Julius+Caesar

Ben King April 8, 2010 515 words Gaius Julius Caesar rose from his humble beginnings to greatness in the second century AD. He was destined to be a leader, and even though he was not born into high nobility, he used his intelligence with tactics in battle to conquer Gaul and seized this opportunity to become a successful politician and rise the cursus honorum. He established the First Triumvirate and was the lone survivor. He also had a unique policy of clemency, which although it may have led to his downfall, was a smart and revolutionary idea. He was the first to turn Rome into an empire, which was much more efficient and powerful. Caesar, like many consuls before him, seized the opportunity of conquering to prove his worth to the senate. Caesar however, decided to conquer all of the barbarian region of Gaul and further in Germany and Britain. Caesar, mindful about the opinions of the people, wrote about his campagins in a positve and justified light, which kept the people of Rome content with the conquest of Gaul. Although there were revolts in Gaul after the initial conquest, Julius Caesar quickly rectified the mistake by returning with greater force and more ruthless actions. Another of the brilliant successes of Julius Caesar was the First Triumvirate. Although he was smart with propaganda and was good at controlling the people, he needed more to become an unquestioned ruler. He made the alliance with Crassus to get money to finance his campaigns, and Pompey: a great militaristic threat with a weaker grasp on the people. Throughout this, he still maintained the support in Rome and did not make the crucial mistake of returning without an army. Although he didn't have everything, he used other people to become more powerful. A possible criticism of Caesar was the cause of his death--his policy of clemency, or pardoning his enemies. This policy gained him allies and was more merciful than the norm, which was to kill your enemies or bring them home in captivity. However he was not naive, as when there were rebellions in Gaul, he quickly put them down more ruthlessly than the original conquest. Still, Senate members thought their noble birth somehow made them above subordination to a much more powerful leader. If he had heard of the plan earlier, he would clearly have taken out his assailants and kept a tighter hold on the senate, a mistake which Augustus later did not make, with his Praetorian guard. Although he made a mistake once that got him killed, his overall policy made him well-loved by the people and worth starting a riot over when Marc Antony held up his bloody clothes. Julius Caesar would have been a great leader in any time, thanks to his intelligence, leadership, and understanding of politics with the people he could rise the ranks and achieve greatness wherever he started. He was so favored by the people that he was capable of uniting Rome again under his rule and brought prosperity to Rome for many years. World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras, s.v. "Julius Caesar," accessed April 8, 2012. []. 17 Lendering, Jona. "Gaius Julius Caesar." Accessed April 8, 2012. __ [] __. 15 Konstan, David. "Clemency as a Virtue." University of Chicago. Accessed April 8, 2012. 14 McManus, Barbara F. "Julius Caesar: Historical Background." Accessed April 8, 2012. []. 16
 * Works Cited:**

Lendering, Jona. "Gaius Julius Caesar." Accessed April 8, 2012. __ [] __.

World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras, s.v. "Julius Caesar," accessed April 8, 2012. http://ancienthistory.abc-clio.com/.

Konstan, David. "Clemency as a Virtue." University of Chicago. Accessed April 8, 2012.