The Death of Ceaser

The Assassination of Julius Caesar

When he saw that he was beset on every side by drawn daggers , he muffled his head in his robe , and at the same time drew down its lap to his feet with his left hand , in to fall more decently , with the lower part of his body also covered . And in this wise he was stabbed with three and twenty wounds , uttering not a word , but merely a groan at the first stroke , though some have written that when Marcus Brutus rushed at him he said in

Greek "You too , my child

- Suetonius , The Lives of the Twelve Caesars

Julius Caesar 's brutal murder occurred at the pinnacle of his career However , Caesar had much more to accomplish . Had he lived and ruled , he could have very likely brought about many positive changes in the Roman world . He was an enlightened despot . Unfortunately though , after assuming the position of dictator for life just weeks before his death he grew extremely complacent regarding his own personal security perhaps imagining he was invincible now , and this needlessly careless attitude very soon cost him his life , and the world a very capable leader

Gaius Julius Caesar (13 July 100 BC - 15 March 44 BC ) had a brilliant career even from his first appearance on the political stage . He became beloved of the common people of Rome at a young age . In 60 BC , together with Pompey and Crassus , he formed a triumvirate . In 59 BC , Caesar became the elected consul and went to Gaul after serving his term in office . In Gaul , he waged a merciless war and returned to Rome in 51 BC as a conqueror . The republican system did not offer the necessary scope for his ambitions of power . Finally , by 48 BC , he overcame all his major rivals including Pompey and assumed virtually unlimited power . In 46 BC he became a dictator for a period of ten years . He was also pontifex maximus , the ordained high priest of the Roman state religion , and had loyal legions at his disposal

Most Romans believed that Caesar 's one-man rule was preferable to the chaos that had gone before , even though it violated the Republic 's constitution . Others , many senators among them , secretly hated Caesar and plotted to get rid of him . When Caesar brought Cleopatra to Rome and had a statue of her placed in a temple , his opponents were outraged

Caesar , however , believed he was securely entrenched in his position of supreme power . He did not count on the rankling frustration of the senators . After his victory over Pompey , he wrongly assumed that his position was universally recognized and consequently was not particularly concerned to seek and eliminate his political opponents . He was not fully aware of the large republican opposition that was rising against him . When , in February 44 BC , he became a dictator for life , he had not an inkling that he was living his last days

In the manner of...