Julius Caesar was born in Rome on July 12 or 13 of 100 B.C. His uncle by marriage was Gaius Marius. He was born an aristocrat, but his sympathies lied with the people. He favored doing away with arictocatic priveleges and giving rights to the people. In 84 B.C. Julius married his first wife, Cornelia, daughter of Lucius Cornelius Cinna, the leader of the peoples party. The dictator of Rome, Lucius Cornelius Sulla, ordered him to divorce but he refused and left Rome, loosing all his property. Cornelia died in 68 B.C. Caesar returned and married, and later divorced, Pompeia, grandaughter of Sulla. He continued his campaigns for the rights of the people. In 74 B.C. he was elected to the pontificate, an important college of Roman Priests. In 60 B.C., after a year as governor of Spain, he returned to Rome and joined forces with Crassus and Pompey in a three way alliance called the "First Trimviate". Caesar gave his daughter Julia to Pompey in marriage, but she died in 54 B.C. Ceasar married his third wife, Calpurnia, in 59 B.C., a marriage of political motivation. Since he had no male heirs Caesar stipulated in his will that his grandnephew, Octavius, become his successor. Octavius later became Romes first emperor under the name of Augustus.
In 58 B.C. Caesar was appointed governor of Roman Gaul. In the Gallic wars Ceasar helped the Roman allies, the Aedui tribe, by marching six legions to defeat the Helvetii people. He also defeated Ariovistus's Germanic forces. After the defeat of Nervii, and Vercingetorix, Rome was in control of northern Gaul. Caesar went to invade northern Britian, while Crassus was defeated and killed in a war with the Parthian Empire. This left Ceasar and Pompey competing for power. Pompey's superior forces were scattered and Ceasar crossed Ribicuon and moved southward and Pompey fled to Greece. Caesar took all of Italy and Spain and became dictator of Rome. He defeated Pompeys forces in Greece and followed him when he escaped to Egypt where he was executed. While in Egypt, Caesar installed Cleopatra as queen.
Caesar later brought Cleopatra to Rome. In 45 B.C. Ceasar fought his last battle and defeated the two sons of Pompey at Munda in Spain. He was now the undisputed ruler of the Roman World. His poeple made him dictator for life and his portrait was stamped on all the coins.
At a public ceremony Mark Anthony offered him the crown of King but he refused it. Even though he refused the crown the aristocrats were afraid he would be king. Marcus Julius Brutus and Gaius Cassius, both of whom were pardoned by Ceasar after the battle of Pharsalus, led the aristocrats in a plot to assassinate Caesar. On March 15, (the ides of March) 44 B.C. Caesar was stabbed to death as he entered a senate meeting by men he considered his friends.
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