Why was Julius Caesar assassinated By: Fabio van Loon Julius Caesar was one of the greatest

war generals of all time and was born in 100 B.C and reigned as the dictator of Rome from 48 B.C to his death in 44 B.C. In this essay I will be discussing the reasons for his assassination in 44 B.C after turning Rome from a Republic into an Empire. In this essay I will be discussing the reasons for his assassination and downfall.

Julius Caesar was a very particular character which came across negatively in some aspects of his reign. Caesar is described by many as arrogant, stubborn, and essentially very hard to reason with or discuss different opinions within the ranks of the Console. The way Caesar governed Rome was very different to the preceding centuries which were ruled by the republic. Julius Caesar was called to power in 48 B.C and made himself Dictator for Life . The last king who reigned over Rome Tarquinius Superbus who was a very oppressing monarch who was extremely cruel and arrogant causing an uprising among the people. For the Roman Republic there arose a hero, Lucius Junius Brutus who was responsible for the exile of the Tarquin family.The new republic was trying to keep any indivual from getting too much power for too long (dictatorship). By understanding the history of the Roman Republic we can see how a man like Caesar make cause a catastrophic revolt leaving himself and his family in ruins. In the strong foundations of the Roman Republic people could choose who they wanted as their ruler, this was the S.PQ.R (Senatus Poplusque Romani) which translates to be the Senate and people of Rome. Julius Caesar was revolutionary to this system and which eventually brought his great downfall. Building on this idea of arrogance and being merciless we can turn the page in history back to 80 B.C when Caesar was captured by pirates, leaving him with them for 3 months but in perfect health and well being; he even joked with them and threatened to have them all hanged. The pirates imagined him to be joking and never considered the threat. Caesar would often read his poems aloud to the pirates, only to their unappreciative response. His immediate reactions were that they were illiterate fools and that they could not possibly understand the art within his literature. This arrogant attitude, as you can see could have played a major part in his death. Even later on in the voyage with the pirates he was offered to pay 20 talents for his release at which he laughs, demanding that he would only pay his for his release at 50 talents.. Another way to prove his insolence is when he was offered the crown to pronounce him King which he refuses claiming that he was not a king, but he was Caesar. At this point in his career, he seems to believe that he is better than a king, he is a Caesar almost a king of kings. Caesar was not only arrogant but he was ruthless, merciless to anyone who stepped into his path, again an example could be proven when he is with the pirates; he becomes enraged at the pirates for having taken him hostage. He says that he had warned them (which they did not take seriously)

of their persecution for having taken him prisoner and indeed he did. Caesar goes directly to the municipal court as soon as he steps of the vessel and reports them as pirates looting along the coast. Consequentially, after the court ignores his request for their arrest he takes the law into his own hands and crucifies them himself. Apart from the painful justice he carries out against outlaws, he is also forgetting or not caring about the 3 fun months he spent with the pirates. Caesar seems to not care at all for the great time he had with the pirates; telling stories, reading poems, and generally joking all the time! Caesar is ruthless and arrogant at very high levels. Perhaps his charismatic side brings out the light in his successful few years as general and dictator of Rome.

During his time as general of the Roman Army, he travels north in to Gaul and conquers many foreign lands which in turn, brings out a stronger, shining imperialism over Rome for many. But for supporters of the republic find this an infringement to their values of not only Rome, but of his extension of power and influence over the state. Caesar had gained too much power for too long as many supporters of the Republic claimed. When we returned to Rome he crossed the legendary River Rubicon in Northern Italy with his army which in Roman terms meant that army had declared war on Rome. When the news reached Pompey in Rome, he came out as the new face of the Roman Republic and many battles took place between the Republic and the Empire (Caesar). One of the most famous battles was the battle of Pharsalus where Pompey where both armies clashed resulting in Caesar victory despite being heavily outnumbered. Caesar and Pompey continued many battles against each other across Italy and modern day Turkey (Asia Minor). After Pompey s defeat, he fled to Egypt where he was later assassinated. As Julius Caesar returned to a desolate Rome there was no opposition to question his potential. There were only the needy poor and stricken supporters of the old Republic. Caesar had come back to Rome to create the Empire he always wanted to the leader of. Julius Caesar, at this point feels as though he is the saviour of a ravaged city, as though he is caring for a wounded animal. It is likely that his arrogance comes out even more in these last months of his life. The ailment of the great Roman Empire was being taken into his hands. He was now almost the supreme leader of Rome. Caesar was charismatic and many saw hope in him, but the shadow of the Roman Republic still lurked in background only waiting for him to lower his guard. As the presence of his enemy became more obvious, he went to see a Soothsayer who warned him of the Ides of March (the 15th of March). Caesar probably felt mixed feelings about this but his was probably also overridden by his pride. Caesar was indeed assassinated on the 15th of March in the Argentine Square on his way to the Senate. The long term reasons for his assassination were probably his arrogance and vanity throughout his years with fellow Roman citizens. The shortest term reasons are probably for his conquests in Gaul which many Romans did not agree with. Caesar was not the ruler for the people, but a ruler who thought he was always right, no matter the situation. It was in the blood of the Roman people to not allow one man to reign for too long. This legacy began with the killing of Tarquinius by Brutus in the early years of Rome. Julius Caesar had overtaken the legacy in his own right; but he never really realised how this affected him. He was too powerful for too long and this

was the exact opposite of the principles of Rome, founded many hundreds of years ago. Caesar was revolutionary to the history of Rome.