The murder of Julius Caesar has been one of the bloodiest and most gruesome events in world history, and it serves also as the ultimate act of betrayal. Yet why did they kill this successful and ambitious man? Did Caesar not see the conspiracy coming as it included up to 60 conspirators? Could it not have been prevented?
The Motivations Behind the Murder
Julius Caesar's rise to power was connected with disregard and even disrespect for rules, tradition and authority. Caesar continued to openly challenge his main opponent and fellow Roman commander Pompey, which amounted to civil war. When he crossed the Rubicon he was in direct defiance of Roman law because as the governor of Gaul, he was not allowed to enter Rome, something the constitution forbid.
After winning the battles and Pompey's death, Caesar decided to give himself more power by diluting the powers and reaches of the senate. Those who had sided with Pompey were often expelled and Caesar acquired a number of titles to increase his prestige and authority in the eyes of the senate and the people.
This period is known as the end of the Republic as Caesar took on the autocratic position of “perpetual dictator.” The position of “dictator” in those times was usually temporary and mainly during exceptional times of crisis, but Caesar used it to usurp absolute control. For the first time in Roman history the image of a living ruler appeard on Roman coins, and Caesar elevated his own status to a divine being by erecting his image among the statues of semi-mythical Roman heroes.
None of this sat well with the members of the senate who had already lost power and influence. One of the most blatant examples was that Caesar had chosen as his personal staff and hence informal cabinet ministers two people from outside of the senate, Gaius Oppius and Lucius Cornelius Balbus, who were of the order of knights below the status of senators.
These men were supposed to be fully in charge after Caesar's estimated three-year absence for a campaign in Parthia where he wanted to battle to increment the reaches of Rome. Many of the displeased senators, among whom were Gaius Cassius Longinus and Marcus Brutus, decided to stop the autocratic direction that Rome was taking under Caesar's rule, and did not appreciate the fact that the once powerful senators ought to take orders from others whom they deemed socially inferior.
The Overconfidence and Miscalculation of Caesar
One of the flaws of Caesar was also his strongest trait, his ambition. He had however become overconfident and it made him complacent. He thought himself invincible both in battle and in Rome. Because he was beloved and respected by his soldiers and people, he thought he would get away with almost anything.
In fact, he believed that he was safe from assassination. Although he was aware that there were enemies among the senators, he did not wish to have bodyguards to protect his life. His reasoning was that nobody would be foolish enough to kill him as that would create chaos everywhere and bring Rome to the brink of yet another civil war. Nonetheless, he was wrong because the senators indeed killed him, yet the conspirators had not fully acknowledged nor credited the influence and popularity of Caesar among the people.
In short, Caesar with more foresight and less hunger for power may have avoided his murder. He should have been more careful of possible conspiracies and protected himself from such plots. Also, he had taken away too much power from the ruling senate, which should have happened gradually and more diplomatically, steps that his successor Augustus undertook; he managed to rule for several decades until his natural death because he avoided and took into consideration some of Caesar's previous errors.
Sources
Grant, Michael. The Twelve Caesars. London, Phoenix Giant: 1997.
Arash Farzaneh - Arash Farzaneh is a writer and a language professor. He has a Master's degree in French literature with a minor in Psychology. Since his ...
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