death_date children birth_date term_end father house death_place term_start spouse image name caption resting_place predecessor birth_place alongside office successor religion mother article_title
15 march 44 bc -lrb- aged 55 -rrb- julia -rrb- 47 -- 30 bc augustus -lrb- adoptive -rrb- 63 c. & nbsp ; bc -- 14 & nbsp ; ad 76 -- 54 bc caesarion -lrb- disputed july 100 bc 15 of the roman republic from 49 bc until his assassination march in 44 bc . during that time , he served 44 as either dictator or consul , or both 15 march bc 44 bc september 45 bc 1 january 47 bc 1 caesar january 58 bc ruled as undisputed master gaius julius caesar julii rome october 46 bc 1 january 48 bc 1 january 59 bc 49 bc 1 january 44 bc 1 january cornelia -rrb- pompeia -lrb- 68 -- 63 bc ; divorced -rrb- -lrb- calpurnia -lrb- 59 -- 44 bc ; his death -rrb- 84 -- 69 bc ; her death giulio-cesare-enhanced 1-800x1450 . jpg gaius julius caesar -lrb- gaivs ivlivs caesar -rrb- bust of caesar in naples national archaeological museum temple of caesar , rome c. nbsp ; trebonius -lrb- suffect -rrb- q. fufius calenus and caninius publius & nbsp ; vatinius c. claudius marcellus maior and rebilus l. & nbsp ; cornelius & nbsp ; lentulus & -lrb- nbsp ; crus q. caecilius metellus celer and lucius & suffect nbsp ; afranius -rrb- and gaius & rome mark 46 bc -rrb- p. servilius vatia isauricus marcus calpurnius bibulus antony & nbsp ; m. aemilius lepidus -lrb- dictator republic of the roman republic consul of the roman p. q. fabius maximus -lrb- suffect -rrb- and gaius & nbsp cornelius ; trebonius -lrb- suffect -rrb- q. fufius calenus and publius dolabella & nbsp ; vatinius l. calpurnius piso caesoninus and aulus -lrb- & nbsp ; gabinius suffect -rrb- and mark antony roman polytheism aurelia cotta julius caesar

julius caesar

gaius julius caesar -lrb- ; july 100 bc -- 15 march 44 bc -rrb- was a roman statesman , general and notable author of latin prose .
he played a critical role in the events that led to the demise of the roman republic and the rise of the roman empire .
in 60 bc , caesar , crassus , and pompey formed a political alliance that was to dominate roman politics for several years .
their attempts to amass power through populist tactics were opposed by the conservative ruling class within the roman senate , among them cato the younger with the frequent support of cicero .
caesar 's victories in the gallic wars , completed by 51 bc , extended rome 's territory to the english channel and the rhine .
caesar became the first roman general to cross both when he built a bridge across the rhine and conducted the first invasion of britain .
these achievements granted him unmatched military power and threatened to eclipse the standing of pompey , who had realigned himself with the senate after the death of crassus in 53 bc .
with the gallic wars concluded , the senate ordered caesar to step down from his military command and return to rome .
caesar refused the order , and instead marked his defiance in 49 bc by crossing the rubicon with a legion , leaving his province and illegally entering roman italy under arms .
civil war resulted , and caesar 's victory in the war put him in an unrivaled position of power and influence .
after assuming control of government , caesar began a programme of social and governmental reforms , including the creation of the julian calendar .
he centralised the bureaucracy of the republic and was eventually proclaimed `` dictator in perpetuity '' , giving him additional authority .
but the underlying political conflicts had not been resolved , and on the ides of march -lrb- 15 march -rrb- 44 bc , caesar was assassinated by a group of rebellious senators led by marcus junius brutus .
a new series of civil wars broke out , and the constitutional government of the republic was never fully restored .
caesar 's adopted heir octavius , later known as augustus , rose to sole power after defeating his opponents in the civil war .
octavius set about solidifying his power , and the era of the roman empire began .
much of caesar 's life is known from his own accounts of his military campaigns , and from other contemporary sources , mainly the letters and speeches of cicero and the historical writings of sallust .
the later biographies of caesar by suetonius and plutarch are also major sources .
caesar is considered by many historians to be one of the greatest military commanders in history .
