Gaius Julius Caesar: Upbringing, Education, and Rise to Power
Gaius Julius Caesar, a name synonymous with power and leadership, left an indelible mark on the course of Roman and world history. Born on either July 12 or 13, 100 BC, Caesar's life was a complex tapestry of military triumphs, political maneuvering, and social reform. This article delves into the formative years of Julius Caesar, exploring his family background, education, and early career, shedding light on the factors that shaped him into one of the most influential figures in history.
Family Background and Early Life
Gaius Julius Caesar was born into the patrician family, the gens Julia. The family claimed to have immigrated to Rome from Alba Longa during the seventh century BC after the third king of Rome, Tullus Hostilius, took and destroyed their city. The family also claimed descent from Julus, the son of Aeneas and founder of Alba Longa. Despite their ancient pedigree, the Julii Caesares were not especially politically influential during the middle republic. Caesar's homonymous father was moderately successful politically and married Aurelia, a member of the politically influential Aurelii Cottae, producing - along with Caesar - two daughters.
Education and Intellectual Development
While specific details regarding Caesar's formal education are scarce, it is evident that he received a comprehensive Roman aristocratic upbringing. This would have included grammar, rhetoric, and literature, most likely with a Greek tutor. Plutarch emphasizes Caesar's proficiency in oratory, indicating his dedication to mastering the art of public speaking, a crucial skill for any aspiring Roman politician. Caesar's intellectual pursuits extended beyond rhetoric. He was an accomplished author and historian; much of his life is known from his own accounts of his military campaigns. His writings, such as the Bellum Gallicum (Gallic Wars) and Bellum Civile (Civil War), are acknowledged even in his time as Latin literary masterworks.
Early Career and Political Involvement
Caesar's early career was marked by a series of strategic alliances and bold decisions that propelled him into the political spotlight. During Cinna's dominance, Caesar was named as flamen Dialis (a priest of Jupiter) which led to his marriage to Cinna's daughter, Cornelia. After Sulla's victory in the civil war (82 BC), Cinna's acta were annulled. Sulla consequently ordered Caesar to abdicate and divorce Cinna's daughter. Caesar refused, implicitly questioning the legitimacy of Sulla's annulment.
Afterward, Caesar attacked some of the Sullan aristocracy in the courts but was unsuccessful in his attempted prosecution of Gnaeus Cornelius Dolabella in 77 BC, who had recently returned from a proconsulship in Macedonia. Going after a less well-connected senator, he was successful the next year in prosecuting Gaius Antonius Hybrida (later consul in 63 BC) for profiteering from the proscriptions but was forestalled when a tribune interceded on Antonius' behalf. After these oratorical attempts, Caesar left Rome for Rhodes seeking the tutelage of the rhetorician Apollonius Molon.
Read also: Nyerere University
While absent from Rome, in 73 BC, Caesar was co-opted into the pontifices in place of his deceased relative Gaius Aurelius Cotta. For his quaestorship in 69 BC, Caesar was allotted to serve under Gaius Antistius Vetus in Hispania Ulterior. His election also gave him a lifetime seat in the Senate. However, before he left, his aunt Julia, the widow of Marius, died; and, soon afterwards, his wife Cornelia died shortly after bearing his only legitimate child, Julia. He gave eulogies for both at public funerals. During Julia's funeral, Caesar displayed the images of his aunt's husband, Marius, whose memory had been suppressed after Sulla's victory in the civil war. For much of this period, Caesar was one of Pompey's supporters.
In 63 BC, Caesar stood for the praetorship and also for the post of pontifex maximus, who was the head of the College of Pontiffs and the highest-ranking state religious official. Caesar came out victorious. The most famous event of the year was the Catilinarian conspiracy. Caesar won his election to the praetorship in 63 BC easily and, as one of the praetor-elects, spoke out that December in the Senate against executing certain citizens who had been arrested in the city conspiring with Gauls in furtherance of the conspiracy.
During his year as praetor, Caesar first attempted to deprive his enemy Catulus of the honour of completing the rebuilt Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus, accusing him of embezzling funds, and threatening to bring legislation to reassign it to Pompey. This proposal was quickly dropped amid near-universal opposition. He then supported the attempt by plebeian tribune Metellus Nepos to transfer the command against Catiline from the consul of 63, Gaius Antonius Hybrida, to Pompey.
The First Triumvirate and Rise to Power
Caesar's political position at the time was strong: he had supporters among the families which had supported Marius or Cinna; his connection with the Sullan aristocracy was good; his support of Pompey had won him support in turn. With the support of Crassus, who supported Caesar's joint ticket with one Lucius Lucceius, Caesar won. After the elections, Caesar reconciled Pompey and Crassus, two political foes, in a three-way alliance misleadingly termed the "First Triumvirate" in modern times. The alliance was finalised only some time around its start. Pompey and Crassus joined in pursuit of two respective goals: the ratification of Pompey's eastern settlement and the bailing out of tax farmers in Asia, many of whom were Crassus' clients.
The Gallic Wars and Military Acumen
During the Gallic Wars, Caesar wrote his Commentaries thereon, which were acknowledged even in his time as a Latin literary masterwork. Gaul in 58 BC was in the midst of some instability. Tribes had raided into Transalpine Gaul and there was an on-going struggle between two tribes in central Gaul which collaterally involved Roman alliances and politics. Seeking to buttress his military reputation, he engaged Germans attempting to cross the Rhine, which marked it as a Roman frontier; he here built a bridge across the Rhine in a feat of engineering meant to show Rome's ability to project power. Ostensibly seeking to interdict British aid to his Gallic enemies, he led expeditions into southern Britain in 55 and 54 BC, perhaps seeking further conquests or otherwise wanting to impress readers in Rome; Britain at the time was to the Romans an "island of…
Read also: The Collegiate Career of Julius Peppers
Caesar's Legacy
Caesar changed the course of the history of the Greco-Roman world decisively and irreversibly. Even people who know nothing of Caesar as a historic personality are familiar with his family name as a title signifying a ruler who is in some sense uniquely supreme or paramount-the meaning of Kaiser in German, tsar in the Slavonic languages, and qayṣar in the languages of the Islamic world. Caesar's gens (clan) name, Julius (Iulius), is also familiar in the Christian world, for in Caesar's lifetime the Roman month Quintilis, in which he was born, was renamed “July” in his honor. This name has survived, as has Caesar’s reform of the calendar. The old Roman calendar was inaccurate and manipulated for political purposes. Caesar’s calendar, the Julian calendar, is still partially in force in the Eastern Orthodox Christian countries, and the Gregorian calendar, now in use in the West, is the Julian, slightly corrected by Pope Gregory XIII.
Read also: Erving's UMass Roots
tags: #julius #caesar #education #and #upbringing
