Julius Caesar:

Dictator For Life?

Lets face it, folks: Julius Caesar has got to be one of the most popular figures ever since 49
B.C. Theres no surprise that he managed to leave his post of Dictator for Ten Years in
exchange for the the title of Dictator for Life.


Julius Caesar can be easily described as ambitious and power-loving. Didnt you know? In order
to gain some power, Caesar departed for the Gallic Wars and lead an army throughout the land,
roaming through France, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, and parts of Holland. Caesar didnt
just rampage through those countries--he even managed to subjugate them! After conquering
those countries, Caesar sent back the massive amounts of money he accumulated to Rome.
That made the people of Rome pretty happy, didnt it?

The ambitious Caesar didnt just stop there. When Pompey, Caesars old friend (and son-in-
law), gets a little jealous of all the support Caesar received, he turned to the Senate. The
Senate offered Caesar a return to Rome as a private citizen, but the man refused! Instead,
Caesar seizes control of Rome with his army and chases Pompey all the way down to Egypt.
Too bad, Pompey died of a murder before Caesar could get his hands on him.
Caesar stayed in Egypt for quite some time (nine months, actually!), and reports have it that
Caesar himself was smitten with the twenty-two-year-old Cleopatra. He was even infatuated to
the point where when duty called, Caesar placed her on the throne of Egypt under his protection
before he left to defeat the sons of Pompey in Spain and their armies. Now thats true love.

Caesar finally returned home to Rome where he received a warm welcome among his people,
and a dictatorship awaiting him. And Caesar isnt only ambitious: hes also generous to those
that were faithful. All those that were loyal to him became a Senator!
Can we also say arrogant? If erecting your own statue in the Temple of Quirinus isnt and calling
yourself The Unconquerable God isnt arrogant, then what is?
The people loved Caesar, of course. He was a powerful man who, supposedly, took care of his
people. Whats not to love? All the favors Caesar gained changed the length of his rule from ten
years to a whole lifetime.

The question is: are the rest of the Romans as happy as the others? You see, Rome has been
under a republican government--the last king they had was overthrown 450 years before. Will
the rest of Rome sit tight with this new regime or will Caesar start having to watch his back?