Editing Julius Caesar (section)

{{Short description|Roman general and dictator (100–44 BC)}}
{{Redirect2|Gaius Julius Caesar|Caesar|the name|Gaius Julius Caesar (name)|text=For other uses, see [[Gaius Julius Caesar (disambiguation)]], [[Caesar (disambiguation)]], [[Julius Caesar (disambiguation)]], and [[Caesar (title)]]}}
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{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2024}}{{Use British English|date=November 2024}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Julius Caesar
| image              = Retrato de Julio César (26724093101) (cropped).jpg
| image_upright      = 
| alt                = The Tusculum portrait, a marble sculpture of Julius Caesar
| caption            = Caesar as portrayed by the [[Tusculum portrait]]
| birth_date         = 12 or 13 July 100 BC<ref>{{harvnb|Badian|2009|p= [https://books.google.com/books?id=gzOXLGbIIYwC&pg=PA16 16]|ps=. All ancient sources place his birth in 100 BC. Some historians have argued against this; the "consensus of opinion" places it in 100 BC. {{harvnb|Goldsworthy|2006|p=30}}.}}</ref>
| birth_place        = [[Suburra]], Rome<!-- Do not add "Roman Republic" here. -->
| death_date         = [[Ides of March|15 March]] 44 BC (aged 55)<!-- 100 - 44 is, after adjusting for that 15 March is before July, 55 -->
| death_place        = [[Theatre of Pompey]], Rome<!-- Do not add "Roman Republic" here. -->
| death_cause        = [[Assassination of Julius Caesar|Assassination]] ([[stab wounds]])
| resting_place      = 
| resting_place_coordinates = 
| occupation         = {{hlist|Politician|soldier|author}}
| years_active       = 
| office             = {{Aligned table
  | class= |fullwidth=on |leftright=on
  | style=line-height:1.2em; |col2style=font-size:90%;
  | [[Pontifex maximus]]            | 64–44 BC
  | [[Roman consul|Consul]]         | 59 BC
  | [[Proconsul]] (Gaul, Illyricum) | 58–49 BC
  | [[Roman dictator|Dictator]]     | 49–44 BC
  | Consul                          | 48, 46–44 BC
  | [[Dictator perpetuo]]           | 44 BC<ref>All offices and years thereof from {{harvnb|Broughton|1952|p=574}}.</ref>
}}
| organization       = 
| known_for          = 
| notable_works      = {{ubl|{{lang|la|[[Commentarii de Bello Gallico|Bellum Gallicum]]}}|{{lang|la|[[Commentarii de Bello Civili|Bellum Civile]]}}}}
| net_worth          = <!-- Net worth should be supported with a citation from a reliable source -->
| opponents          = 
| spouse             = {{Aligned table
  | class= |fullwidth=on |leftright=on
  | style=line-height:1.2em; |col2style=font-size:90%;
  | [[Cossutia]] (disputed)                     |
  | [[Cornelia (wife of Caesar)|Cornelia]]      | {{Abbr|m.|married}} 84 BC; {{Abbr|d.|died}} 69 BC
  | [[Pompeia (wife of Julius Caesar)|Pompeia]] | {{Abbr|m.|married}} 67 BC; {{Abbr|div.|divorced}} 61 BC
  | [[Calpurnia (wife of Caesar)|Calpurnia]]    | {{Abbr|m.|married}} 59 BC
}}
| partner            = [[Cleopatra]]
| children           = {{ubl|[[Julia (daughter of Julius Caesar)|Julia]]|[[Caesarion]] (unacknowledged)|[[Augustus]] (adoptive)}}
| parents            = {{ubl|[[Gaius Julius Caesar (governor of Asia)|Gaius Julius Caesar]]|[[Aurelia (mother of Caesar)|Aurelia]]}}
| relatives          = 
| awards             = [[Civic Crown]]
| module             = {{Infobox officeholder | embed = yes
| allegiance         = [[Roman Republic]]
| branch             = [[Roman Army]]
| commands           = [[Legio XIII Gemina|XIII Legion]]
| battles            = {{tree list}}
* [[Siege of Mytilene (81 BC)|Siege of Mytilene]]
* [[Gallic Wars]]
* [[Julius Caesar's invasions of Britain|Invasions of Britain]]
* [[Caesar's civil war]]
* [[Alexandrian war]]
{{tree list/end}}
| serviceyears       = 81–45 BC
}}
}}
{{Julius Caesar series}}
'''Gaius Julius Caesar'''{{efn|Pronounced {{IPAc-en|ˈ|s|iː|z|ər}} {{respell|SEE|zər}}; {{IPA|la-x-classic|ˈɡaːiʊs ˈjuːliʊs ˈkae̯sar|lang|small=no}}.}} (12 or 13 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC) was a [[Roman people|Roman]] general and statesman. A member of the [[First Triumvirate]], Caesar led the Roman armies in the [[Gallic Wars]] before defeating his political rival [[Pompey]] in [[Caesar's civil war|a civil war]]. He subsequently became [[Roman dictator|dictator]] from 49 BC until [[Assassination of Julius Caesar|his assassination]] in 44 BC. Caesar played a critical role in [[Crisis of the Roman Republic|the events that led to the demise]] of the [[Roman Republic]] and the rise of the [[Roman Empire]].

In 60 BC, Caesar, [[Marcus Licinius Crassus|Crassus]], and Pompey formed the First Triumvirate, an informal political alliance that dominated [[Roman politics]] for several years. Their attempts to amass political power were opposed by many in the [[Roman Senate|Senate]], among them [[Cato the Younger]] with the private support of [[Cicero]]. Caesar rose to become one of the most powerful politicians in the Roman Republic through a string of military victories in the Gallic Wars, completed by 51 BC, which greatly extended Roman territory. During this time, he both [[Caesar's invasions of Britain|invaded Britain]] and [[Caesar's Rhine bridges|built a bridge across the river Rhine]]. These achievements and the support of his veteran army threatened to eclipse the standing of Pompey. The alliance between Caesar and Pompey slowly broke down and, by 50 BC, Pompey had realigned himself with the Senate. With his command expiring and the Gallic Wars largely concluded, the Senate ordered Caesar to step down from his military command and return to Rome. In early January 49 BC, Caesar openly defied the Senate by [[crossing the Rubicon]] and marching towards Rome at the head of an army. This began [[Caesar's civil war]], which he won, leaving him in a position of near-unchallenged power and influence in 45 BC.

After assuming control of government and pardoning many of his enemies, Caesar set upon vigorous reform and building programme. He created the [[Julian calendar]] to replace the republican lunisolar calendar, reduced the size of the [[Cura annonae|grain dole]], settled his veterans in new overseas colonies, greatly increased the size of the Senate, and extended citizenship to communities in Spain and what is now northern Italy. In early 44 BC, he was proclaimed "dictator for life" ({{lang|la|[[dictator perpetuo]]}}). Fearful of his power, domination of the state, and the possibility that he might make himself king, a group of senators led by [[Brutus]] and [[Gaius Cassius Longinus|Cassius]] assassinated Caesar on the [[Ides of March]] (15 March) 44 BC. A new [[Second Triumvirate#Triumviral period|series of civil wars]] broke out and the [[Constitution of the Roman Republic|constitutional government of the Republic]] was never fully restored. Caesar's great-nephew and adoptive heir Octavian, later known as [[Augustus]], rose to sole power after [[War of Actium|defeating his opponents]] thirteen years later. Octavian then set about solidifying his power, transforming the Republic into the Roman Empire.

Caesar was an accomplished author and historian; much of his life is known from his own accounts of his military campaigns. Other contemporary sources include the letters and speeches of Cicero and the historical writings of [[Sallust]]. Later biographies of Caesar by [[Suetonius]] and [[Plutarch]] are also important sources. Caesar is considered by many historians to be one of the greatest military commanders in history.<ref>{{cite book |last=Tucker |first=Spencer |title=Battles That Changed History: An Encyclopedia of World Conflict|url=https://archive.org/details/battlesthatchang00tuck_956 |url-access=limited |publisher=ABC-CLIO |year=2010 |page=[https://archive.org/details/battlesthatchang00tuck_956/page/n86 68] |isbn=978-1-59884-430-6}}</ref> His [[cognomen]] was subsequently adopted as a synonym for "[[emperor]]"; the title "[[Caesar (title)|Caesar]]" was used throughout the Roman Empire, and gave rise to modern descendants such as [[Kaiser]] and [[Tsar]]. He has [[Cultural depictions of Julius Caesar|frequently appeared in literary and artistic works]].