116 - Caesar 3: Divus Julius | Cost of Glory Brief

Key Takeaways

Julius Caesar returned to Rome in 46 BC to rebuild the state after 12 years of civil war, implementing wide-ranging reforms.
Caesar's clemency and reconciliation efforts aimed to unify Rome, but his consolidation of power bred resentment among various factions.
Despite his Republican identity, Caesar faced persistent questions and provocations regarding his potential kingship or divine status.
Caesar adopted Octavius as his heir, an unforeseen choice indicating a shift in Roman political thought beyond traditional lineage.
Conspiracies against Caesar's life intensified, culminating in his assassination on the Ides of March 44 BC, amidst warnings and premonitions.

Caesar arrived in Rome on July 25th, 46 BC, facing the complex task of reconstructing the state after years of civil war.
He orchestrated an unprecedented series of four triumphs over 11 days, celebrating victories in Gaul, Egypt, Africa, and Spain.
The triumphs featured paraded leaders like Vercingetorix, Egyptian plunder, mock naval battles, gladiatorial games, and exotic animals.
Lavish feasts and entertainment, personally funded by Caesar, were provided for Roman citizens.

After winning the civil war, Caesar focused on reconciliation, assuring the Senate he intended to restore the Republic.
He targeted orator Cicero for reconciliation, with literary lieutenants influencing optimate sympathizers.
Cicero delivered a speech advocating for clemency for Marcellus, a former opponent, emphasizing the civil war's tragic nature.
Caesar pardoned Quintus Ligarius after another of Cicero's speeches, demonstrating his focus on state unification despite criticism.

Caesar provided significant cash bonuses and land grants to his veterans, totaling substantial amounts for investment or retirement.
He established new colonies in western provinces, Africa, and Spain, relocating 80,000 Roman citizens to spread Roman values.
Caesar reformed the Roman calendar, which was three months behind, implementing a solar calendar that became the Julian calendar.
He reduced Rome's free grain dole from 320,000 to 150,000 families and granted citizenship to medical doctors and liberal arts teachers.

Caesar personally led forces to Spain in 46 BC to quell a rebellion by Pompey's sons, Gaius and Sextus, and former lieutenant Labianus.
The decisive Battle of Munda involved over 30,000 soldiers per side, resulting in 30,000 Pompeian deaths and 1,000 Caesarian casualties.
Caesar reportedly reflected that Munda was the first time he fought for his life, marking the end of the civil wars.
Shortly after the victory, Caesar met his 17-year-old nephew, Gaius Octavius, whom he brought into his inner circle and later named his primary heir, inheriting three-quarters of his fortune.

Caesar returned to Rome controlling all magistrate selections and provincial assignments, effectively consolidating power and shouldering the burden of managing ambitions.
He reportedly suffered from epileptic fits or panic attacks, possibly exacerbated by immense stress from his responsibilities.
Roman commanders like Mark Antony and Decimus Brutus, despite loyalty, questioned their future standing under Caesar's absolute authority.
Cicero lamented a decline in Roman humor and wit with the influx of outsiders into the Senate and city, a cultural shift Caesar was aware of.

Caesar initiated ambitious public works projects, including establishing a library, dredging the port of Ostia, and planning a canal at the Isthmus of Corinth.
His extensive mandate encompassed control over armed forces and various governmental offices like dictator, consul, and censor, granting him broad constitutional authority.
The consolidation of these powers in one individual raised Roman fears about Caesar intending to become king, a title deeply feared since the expulsion of kings.
Caesar aimed to preserve the Republic's form through monarchic principles without precedent, driven by a duty to save the state.

In early 44 BC, the Senate voted to dedicate a temple and priest to Caesar, increasingly associating him with divine honors, which he pragmatically accepted.
Caesar, as Pontifex Maximus, understood Roman links between state success and celestial order, but a divine cult for a human in Rome was politically dangerous.
During the Lupercalia Festival on February 15th, Mark Antony offered Caesar a diadem, which Caesar publicly refused multiple times, declaring Jupiter the only king.
Caesar accepted the dictatorship in perpetuity in January 44 BC, believing Rome required his decisive leadership and to remove ambiguity about his new order.

Rumors of plots and threats to Caesar's life circulated, but he reportedly dismissed concerns about conspirators, preferring to face death directly.
On March 14th, 44 BC, Caesar dined with Marcus Aemilius Lepidus and others, reflecting on a swift and sudden death as preferable.
On March 15th, despite his wife Calpurnia's premonition from a bad dream and bad omens, Caesar was persuaded by Decimus Brutus to attend the Senate meeting.
Upon entering the Senate, senators led by Tilius Kimber surrounded Caesar and initiated the attack, delivering 23 stab wounds, with Marcus Junius Brutus delivering a final blow near Pompey's statue.