Profile of the Day: Julius Caesar

Today marks the Ides of March. The famous date is remembered as the anniversary of the assassination of Julius Caesar in 44 BC. His assassination was the result of a conspiracy by many Roman senators, led by Marcus Junius Brutus and Gaius Cassius Longinus, who plotted to kill the Roman dictator in an effort to restore the Roman Republic.

Image: The death of Julius Caesar / Wikimedia Commons

Considered one of the greatest military commanders in history, Caesar was hailed for his successful military campaigns as a Roman general. After assuming control of the Roman government, Caesar instituted many social and governmental reforms. Eventually, he declared himself dictator perpetuo or “dictator in perpetuity,” consolidating his power as the ruler of Rome.

Believing Caesar’s death would restore the Roman Republic, a group of Roman senators, led by Brutus and Cassius, stabbed the Roman dictator to death at the curia in the Theatre of Pompey. However, in the aftermath of Caesar’s death, Rome was plunged into a series of civil wars and the constitutional government of the Roman Republic was never fully restored. In the end, Octavian, Caesar’s adopted heir, would emerge victorious. He took the name Augustus and rule as Rome’s first Emperor.

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