Believed by many as the descendant of Prince Aeneas of Troy, the birth of Julius Caesar has crafted a new era of Roman history. At an early age, he fought countless battles and became involved with politics. Shortly thereafter, following a few alliances, Caesar became a dictator of the Empire of Rome. Consequently, he finally ended up facing a senatorial rebellion which led to his assassination on the well-known Ides of March.
Learning more about the personality and achievements of Julius Caesar can be helpful for people who need to have a little Roman history. Perhaps you can start from the strengths and weaknesses of Caesar to guide you on your research.
List of Strengths of Julius Caesar
1. Transformed the Empire of Rome
During Julius Caesar’s youth, the country was considered unstable. When he succeeded his father, he became a popular leader and a politically adept ruler of the republic. He did transform Rome by greatly increasing the geographic area and establishing the imperial system of Rome.
2. Greatly Expanded His Military Influence
Caesar became a governor of Gaul, which is now known as Belgium and France. This was done in order to acquire a larger military force to support his campaigns of expanding his empire.
3. Solidified His Rule By Creating Allies
In order to fortify his influence over power and dictatorship, he created allies with the Senate. Through the same people he trusted, grants and honors were given to him in his order. Thus, he was given the right to say the first word in assembly meetings. Furthermore, he ordered the minting of new Roman coins to be printed with his face on it.
List of Weaknesses of Julius Caesar
1. Caesar’s Efforts Gained Enemies
His popularity among the Senators gave him enemies because lots of politicians were envious of his achievements in the republic. This was due to the possibility that his critics saw of his aspirations to be king. Unfortunately, it can be traced in history that Romans weren’t supportive of monarchial life.
2. Giving Former Enemies a Seat in Government
The move to include former defeated enemies to have a position in government was one of the greatest weaknesses of Caesar. In fact, he allowed them to be part of the Roman Senate. Consequently, these people led the alleged assassination plot for him.
3. Giving Too Much Trust on People
The plot to assassinate Julius Caesar was due to his overconfidence in the Senators, among other people. Although he had the support of the majority of the Senators, it took only a few to bring him down. Likewise, he only hired a number of political agents to serve on his stead back in Rome when he was on his campaigns. This move proved to be careless, considering they can plan to overthrow Caesar by the time he gets home.
It can be hard to quantify the sacrifices that Caesar offered to his beloved Rome. His efforts obviously had a major impact on the country and his countrymen. In fact, Caesar transformed the country into an empire. However, it wasn’t the type of governance that his citizens want to have. As a result, they plotted to overthrow him through assassination.