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# Julius Caesar

## Overview
Gaius Julius Caesar (100–44 BCE) was a Roman general, statesman, and dictator whose conquest of Gaul and crossing of the Rubicon precipitated the end of the Roman Republic. @t[100 BCE..44 BCE]

## Key Facts
- Born: 12 or 13 July 100 BCE, Rome @t[=100 BCE]
- Died: 15 March 44 BCE, Rome (assassinated) @t[=44 BCE]
- Offices: Aedile (65 BCE), Pontifex Maximus (63 BCE), Praetor (62 BCE), Consul (59 BCE), Dictator perpetuo (44 BCE) @t[=59 BCE]
- Military: Conquered Gaul (58–50 BCE) @t[58 BCE..50 BCE]

## Early Career
- Aedile (65 BCE): Organized public games @t[=65 BCE] [^3]
- Pontifex Maximus (63 BCE): Elected chief priest of the College of Pontiffs; gained a house in the Roman Forum @t[=63 BCE] [^3]
- Praetor (62 BCE) @t[=62 BCE] [^3]
- Governor of Hispania Ulterior (61–60 BCE) @t[61 BCE..60 BCE] [^2]

## Major Events
- First Triumvirate: Alliance with Pompey and Crassus (60 BCE) @t[=60 BCE] [^2]
- Gallic Wars (58–50 BCE): Conquered Gaul, invaded Britain twice, bridged the Rhine @t[58 BCE..50 BCE] [^1]
- Crossing the Rubicon (49 BCE): Triggered civil war against Pompey @t[=49 BCE] [^2]
- Battle of Pharsalus (48 BCE): Defeated Pompey in Greece @t[=48 BCE] [^2]
- Battle of Thapsus (46 BCE): Defeated Pompeian forces in North Africa @t[=46 BCE] [^2]
- Battle of Munda (45 BCE): Final defeat of Pompeian resistance in Spain @t[=45 BCE] [^2]
- Appointed dictator perpetuo (February 44 BCE) @t[=44 BCE] [^2]
- Assassinated on the Ides of March (15 March 44 BCE) by Brutus, Cassius, and other senators @t[=44 BCE] [^2]

## Legacy
- Julian calendar reform (46 BCE): Replaced the Roman lunar calendar with a 365-day solar calendar @t[=46 BCE] [^3]
- Refounded Carthage as a Roman colony (46 BCE) @t[=46 BCE] [^2]
- Granted citizenship to many provincials, including Gauls and Spaniards @t[49 BCE..44 BCE] [^2]
- Deified by the Roman Senate (42 BCE) @t[=42 BCE] [^3]
- His adopted heir Octavian became Augustus, first Roman emperor (27 BCE) @t[=27 BCE] [^2]
- Month of July renamed Iulius in his honor (44 BCE) @t[=44 BCE] [^3]
- Had a son, Caesarion, with Cleopatra VII of Egypt @t[47 BCE..30 BCE] [^2]

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[^1]: Caesar, *Commentarii de Bello Gallico*
[^2]: Goldsworthy, A. *Caesar: Life of a Colossus* (Yale, 2006)
[^3]: Suetonius, *De Vita Caesarum: Divus Iulius* (~121 CE)