
ĭuring Caesar's childhood, Rome already ruled much of the Mediterranean, but was politically unstable and faced external threats. His mother, Aurelia, came from an influential family, the Aurelii Cottae. Two relatives had been consuls in the 90s BC, and Caesar's father, also called Gaius Julius Caesar, had been praetor and governor of Asia, and was brother-in-law to Gaius Marius, one of the most prominent men in the Republic. Ultimately, his designated heir, Augustus, would establish permanent autocratic rule.Ĭaesar grew up in a patrician family which, although it claimed a pedigree reaching back to before the founding of Rome, had only come to political prominence during his father's generation. He was assassinated by a group of senators hoping to restore the normal working of the Republic, but his death ushered in thirteen more years of civil war. His reformed calendar, with minor modifications, is the same as is used today. He wrote Commentaries on his wars in Gaul and the civil war, with supplementary books written by his supporters. After the collapse of the triumvirate, he fought and won a civil war against the Senate and his former colleague Pompey, became the sole ruler of the Roman world, and was proclaimed Dictator in perpetuity. As a proconsul, he conquered Gaul and made expeditions to Britain and Germania. He rose through the ranks of Roman elected offices to reach the consulship, and formed an unofficial, and controversial, triumvirate with Pompey the Great and Marcus Licinius Crassus which dominated Roman politics for several years.

Gaius Iulius Caesar (anglicised Gaius Julius Caesar born 13 July 100 BC died 15 March 44 BC Latin pronunciation: usual English pronunciation: ) was an aristocrat, politician and general of the late Roman Republic, and played a key role in the transformation of the Republic into the Roman Empire.
