On this date in 44 BC, Caesar was assassinated

On March 15, 44 B. C. the Roman general and statesman Julius Caesar was stabbed to death on the floor of the Senate by Brutus, Cassius, and several other Senators.

Julius Caesar was one of the most consequential people who ever lived, and his assassination led to momentous changes for the Roman world that literally changed the course of human history.

Rome had been a republic for centuries but the civil war between 83 and 82 B.C. changed Rome (already a slave state where violence and assassinations were common) in many ways – not the least of which was the life of Julius Caesar who had been installed as high priest of the Temple of Jupiter by the Marius-Cinna faction. Unfortunately for the young Caesar Marius died of natural causes before he could lead his army against Sulla and Sulla emerged as the winner of the conflict. Caesar had to flee Rome before Sulla took control of the city and became dictator. Sulla eventually forgave Caesar; but he was ruined financially, and he lost his priestly position. Caesar became a soldier, lawyer, and politician. At one point he was taken prisoner by pirates for ransom. Caesar then gained acclaim for eradicating the pirates that had once plagued Rome. He gained further acclaim for helping Crassus defeat the slave revolt of Spartacus.

The personal rivalry between Crassus and the General Pompey who had recently returned from Spain with his legions threatened to ignite a new civil war. Crassus wanted tax cuts. As one of the richest persons that have ever lived, his annual tax bill was enormous, and he correctly reasoned that cutting taxes would grow the Roman economy. Pompey had an army that he had promised land to. He needed the Senate to grant them lands to retire to. The two men, both who had risen to prominence under Sulla in the civil war, detested each other. Pompey's faction in the Senate were strong enough to block Crassus's tax reforms and Crassus's faction in the Senate was strong enough to block the grants of land to Pompey's troops. Neither had the votes to pass their legislation. Caesar approached the two rivals with a compromise: make him consul of Rome and they would then merge their forces and pass both men's legislation. To further strengthen the alliance, Pompey would marry Caesar's daughter to give him an heir. The two rivals agreed and the three became political allies.

As consul Caesar attempted to pass the legislation sought by his two powerful partners. Unfortunately, the political maneuvering was not lost on the Senators and a new majority voted down both the tax cuts and land grants. At this point Caesar abandoned debate, republican principals, and common decency. He went to Rome's criminal underworld and hired goons to go to the homes of his political enemies and have them and their families beaten. This message was heard loud and clear, and the tax cuts and land grants were passed. The three men now effectively ran Rome as a threesome – the First Triumvirate. Caesar and Pompey became incredibly wealthy as business partners in Crassus's growing business empire. Caesar's growing popularity with the Roman street began to concern the Senators.....and Pompey and Crassus. The two more powerful members of the Triumvirate told the younger man that he would have to leave Rome. By this point Rome was the master of the Mediterranean world and had control of everything but Parthia (a rival) and Egypt (a Roman ally). Caesar would leave Rome to the comforts of being Governor of one of the conquered territories. Caesar could grow old and very, very rich – he just couldn't do it in Rome.

Caesar chose Gual – the most dangerous and troublesome of Rome's provinces to that point. Gaul at that point was southern France and northern Italy to the north of Ravenna with its capital at Ravenna. Caesar's exile would placate the Senate and Caesar would no longer be a threat to the two older men. They could not possibly have messed this up any worse.

The area on the map we now recognize as France was populated by dozens of Gallic tribes. Germanic tribes from the still wilder region we now recognize as Germany were moving into Gaul to conquer. Caesar seized on this tribal warfare as a pretext to take his entire army north into Gaul – without approval from the Senate. His army dispatched one Gallic tribe at a time. He met the proto-Germans at a river near modern Holland and slaughtered them in numbers. Caesar sent hordes of newly enslaved peoples and carefully written commentaries about his adventures back to Rome – a literary masterpiece and some of the best political propaganda ever written. Many young ambitious Romans flocked to join Caesar on his expedition, among there were Crassus's son and the young nobleman Marc Antony. The brash Antony soon became one of Caesar's most trusted lieutenants.

Many of the unconquered Gauls eventually realized that they were facing an existential threat from Caesar and his army. They organized under an outspoken leader, Vercingetorix. Caesar – far beyond Rome's northern border – realized the danger of a unified Gallic army and proceeded to force battle. Vercingetorix instead of coming out to meet Caesar appealed for help from the rest of the Gauls. Caesar surrounded the Gallic army and began building his own fortifications surrounding the Gallic position. After some delay the Gauls not already in league with Vercingetorix, after some delay, organized an army to relieve their brethren. Not wanting to let the two armies join, Caesar began building a wall around his army. Caesar and his army were caught defending a wall against Vercingetorix's starving army while defending themselves against a besieging army. If either of the two had ever successfully breached the wall they were attacking Caesar and his army would be overrun and this would have gone down as one of the greatest military disasters ever. It wasn't and the power of the Gallic tribes was crushed forever. Caesar even crossed the English Channel and fought the ancient Britons – allies of the Gauls – before turning back.

Crassus, Pompey, and Senate were horrified by Caesar's victories and his growing popularity. Crassus abandoned Rome to pursue his own military fame in the Middle East against the Parthians. There he and his son did not find poorly disciplined tribesmen fighting an infantry war against Rome's well trained legions; but professional soldiers on horseback. The Parthians used calculated attacks of both light cavalry that swept in firing arrows into the Roman ranks and heavy armored cavalry that cut their way through any Roman units attempting to pursue the light cavalry. Crassus's army was destroyed, and he was executed by pouring molten gold down his throat.

Caesar's daughter had died in childbirth, along with Pompey's infant son. The First Triumvirate was over. The Senate began raising a new army under the leadership of Pompey Magnus (the Great).

Caesar, now with his army back at his capital in Ravenna, was ordered not to cross the Rubicon River into central Italy. Caesar defied the order and began marching on Rome. Pompey lost his nerve and fled south with his new army and most of the Senate, including Cassius and Brutus.

Pompey got away and called on all of his veterans to join him in Greece. Caesar eventually followed. Despite being badly outnumbered Caesar prevailed making him the sole power in Rome. A magnanimous Caesar forgave Cassius, Brutus and the other Senators for their disloyalty. Antony was dispatched with the army back to Rome to restore order. Caesar went to Egypt to pursue Pompey. The Egyptians executed Pompey before Caesar got there enraging Caesar who wanted Pompey alive.

Egypt was in a power struggle between the teenage Cleopatra and her younger brother/husband. Caesar sided with the weaker of the two – Cleopatra and made her the soul ruler of Egypt.

Caesar returned to Rome and was proclaimed dictator for life. Caesar did not abolish the Senate or declare himself a monarch. Brutus, whose mother was having an affair with Caesar, became one of Caesar's top lieutenants and perhaps future heir. Caesar reformed the calendar and did much to benefit the common people of Rome. He was in the process of planning a military expedition to punish the Parthians for killing Crassus. Queen Cleopatra then made a state visit to Rome and produced an infant son and named Caesar as the father.

Fears that Caesar would be able to pass his powers to his son on his death led to increased concern that Caesar be eliminated once and for all. If he was allowed to leave for Syria and new military conquests he would be protected by bodyguards. Brutus, Cassius, and the other conspirators realized that time was running out to end Caesar. Caesar, distracted by his planning for his next campaign, was unaware of the threat or the growing desperation of the Senators to see him dead.

On March 15 he went to the Senate. Guards prevented the late Antony from accompanying his friend. A group of Senators then attacked Caesar over and over again with daggers they had hidden in their togas. The other Senators watched as Julius Caesar was brutally murdered by people, many of whom he thought were his friends.

The conspirators had badly underestimated both Caesar's popularity with the masses and Antony's intelligence and ruthlessness. Leaving him alive was a huge error they would quickly regret. After Antony gave Caesar's eulogy mobs of rioting Romans soon drove the conspirators out of the city and Italy itself, They fled east to Greece and began assembling a new army. They were eventually defeated by the combined forces of Antony, General Lepidus, and Caesar's nephew – Octavian. Octavian, known to us as Augustus, would eventually become the king that they had so feared.

The name Caesar itself became a royal title that emperors – most of them of no relation to Julius Caesar used for centuries. Kaiser in Germany and Czar in Russia are both derived from the name Caesar.