It had been bloody, to say the least. Over one million dead in Gaul, the Roman Republic shattered and broken, a massive civil war that had engulfed the empire, several dead leaders and a love affair between the most powerful man in Rome a the most powerful woman in Egypt, Caesar had done it. He had finally tamed his enemies, tamed the frontier, tamed the frontier beyond that, and tamed Rome.

It was time to go home, and bask in the glory of Rome.

The people, it should be noted as we discuss, were enamored with Caesar. For almost one century, ever since the Punic Wars, Rome had been engulfed in strife, struggle and civil war. One must not forget the 1st and 2nd Servile Wars, massive slave revolts that gutted the empire. There was the Social War, where the Italian peninsula was engulfed in conflict that ended with Italians gaining social equality with the citizens of Rome. Gaius and Tiberius Gracchus, two demagogues who tried to single handedly save all of Rome with their popular (and needed) reforms.  

Now, in the present, we see that Rome should not have so quickly turned itself over to a dictator such as Caesar. But one must imagine themselves a Roman peasant, hoping that your time on earth may not be marked with conflict and strife, like so many other times on earth. To just be able to live on ones own land, and call ones place home. To know that life was, somewhat, good.

Rome, by 44 B.C.E.,  had become a mess. After the great victory of Hannibal, and later salting Carthage, Rome was inundated with the spoils of war. However, only the ruling patricians saw the gain. The men who fought the wars instead were consigned to urban poverty, as an influx of slaves brought even more wealth to the rich and powerful. Failures to solve these had, by the time of Caesar, rendered the Republic inert and useless. 

In contrast, though a despot who craved power and glory, Caesar had successfully put through the reforms needed. During his time as Dictator of the Republic, Caesar had put through land redistribution and wealth redistribution reforms that had successfully started to balance out the scales. Somewhat. We must remember that Caesar was no equalist, he thought that there was a top of society and bottom of society. However, his reforms made that split in between rich and poor start to come together.

The Senate of Rome, who were mere puppets to Caesar, had enough. They had sat back and watched this man take power, and over and over again had failed to stop him when they needed to. He was consorting with non-Romans, cavorting with them even, and he was a menace to the Republic.

Perhaps this was true. It's not like Caesar cared for the Republic. However, the Senate had failed before to stop Caesar. Perhaps if they had tried harder...though, I suppose we will never truly know. It is somewhat useless to engage in debates of alternate history, as they produce little but imagined fantasies and nightmares that lull our children to sleep, or perhaps lull our parents to bed.

Whatever the case, Senators from across Rome had come to the conclusion that Caesar had to be stopped. They formed a daring plan. Forty two Senators, high ranking patricians that the plebeians barely talked too, would stab Caesar to death when he entered the Senate chambers on March 15th.

Caesar was none the wiser. Some historians, especially those who worship the Roman Pantheon, like to think that Caesar actually, secretly, knew about the conspiracy. How this makes sense to them, I cannot say. In truth, Caesar had no idea what was happening, by his own admission. In his journal, he says as much.

"I should admit, that though I know myself to be the smartest leader in our storied history, I had no idea that anybody in the Senate had heinous plans to murder me." -Journal of Julius Caesar

He would've been a goner. However, we must understand who made up the core of assassins planning to kill him. Cassius, Marcus Brutus, and Decimus Brutus were the main men of this conspiracy. Decimus was a simple general, but Brutus and Cassius are our big two. Brutus was actually on the side of the Republican forces under Pompey the Great during the Roman Civil War that Caesar won to become dictator. However, Brutus was pardoned by Caesar after the war, and the two became fairly close. Brutus honor was to the Senate, to the Republic though. He was increasingly at odds with Caesar for what he did. But he did not want to kill a friend.

Cassius, meanwhile, hated dictatorship so much he once fought Sulla's son because he could and because he thought he should. Cassius was excited to kill Caesar, and restore some semblance of freedom to the Republic. Freedom for him and his friends, that is.

It was March 12th, a few days before the attempt. Caesar sat alone in his chambers, attending to business. He was looking over the financial situation of the province of Africa, when a sobbing Brutus came in. Brutus was balling like a baby, and he walked up to the dictator, and took his hands. 

"My leader" he said. 

"What is wrong, Brutus? Please, tell me! I am a friend!" Caesar was deeply worried about his steadfast ally. Brutus looked at Caesar, and with a cry, said

"My good friend, my true Roman, I have grave news. I have been a part of a conspiracy that would seek to spill your blood on the floor of the Senate, and spill your guts on our Republic's greatest building. Please forgive me, but I could no longer bear the shame of being a part of this monstrous plan! Please forgive me, dear Caeser!"

"There is no need to forgive you, my friend. For you did the right thing, and have saved Rome as a result of it."

This exchange, detailed in Caesars Journal, almost certainly didn't happen this way. It was probably dramatized by Caesar in the hope it would paint him in a better and more godlike light, forgiving simple sinful people of their ways. Whatever the case, it is true that Brutus told Caesar about the plot.

Immediately, action was taken. When the Senators arrived the next day, a Roman soldier was inside taking down the names and seats of where the people were sitting who were in the conspiracy.

Then, on March 15th, with a grand entrance. Caesar stepped in with an entire legion at his back, dressed in his armor. He raised his gladius to the stunned crowd, read out every name on the list, and announced the plot to the entire Senate floor. Senators were themselves floored, and immediately tried to book it out of there. They were captured, and though Caesar never usually killed his captive (he preferred to let them live), he knew what had to be done.

On March 17th, with a crowd of plebeians watching, their bloodlust taking them over, forty one senators were put to death in the Forum in Rome. Caesar later said in his Journal that:

"This has been the worst day of my life. Worse then pirates, worse then all the campaigns I could've failed. I truly have come to see what Rome thinks of me."

It is unsurprising what occurred next. Caesar, first, called all 1000 Senators to Rome. It should be stressed that they never met all at the same time, but in rounds and such, with many attending to the duties of the state. All of them arrived, and in front of them, he announced how he felt betrayed by the Senate. He then turned to a crowd of about thirty thousand citizens, all singing the praises of their ruler. He then let loose a great shout.

"Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears! What do you think of the tyranny of the Senate?!"

The crowd responded to Caesar. They were with him, death to traitors, Senators and tyrants.

So Caesar, turning back to the Senators in Rome, asked them what was to be next. 

The Senate was never fully dissolved, but it was lessened to about 100 powerful nobles that Caesar picked himself. They were his loyal Senate, who would pass whatever he pleased. Do whatever he asked. They were his political slaves.

Caesar had used the whole crisis to successfully consolidate his empire. Now, it was time to build it. And his first act? He took a new title.

Augur. Prophet of the Roman people. Caesar the King was dead.

Caesar the God Emperor had arrived.