July 12th: The Day Caesar Came, Saw and Conquered

There is much ambiguity surrounding the birth date of Julius Caesar, however historians generally accept it as either the 12th or 13th July 100 B.C. The infamous Roman leader played a critical role in the rise of the Empire, confidently declaring the Latin phrase 'Veni, vidi, vici' meaning 'I came, I saw, I conquered', on a particular war with Pharnaces II of Pontus in 47 B.C. You can probably tell from the self-assured, slightly arrogant, tone of his words that Caesar was kind of a big deal.

Caesar's Death

    Although his success as a General and leader of Rome is one of his principally recognised attributes, Caesar was also renowned for his scandalous private life. Mistress after mistress (amongst them was Cleopatra), wife after wife (a grand total of 3), and he was even rumoured to be the lover of King Nicomedes of Bithynia. Now you don't have to know very much about the Romans, but all of the above was the norm for most great figures in their history. Blind eyes were turned for most cases of incest, homosexuality, adultery, etc.    But one could argue it was Caesar's tragic downfall and death that has secured him in the history books, and even theatres. William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar explores the betrayal of the Roman leader, with the famous line 'Et tu, Brute?' meaning 'And you, Brutus?' expressing the disbelief at the moment of his assassination. Caesar's death marked his fall from power on March 15th 44 B.C., when his great-nephew and only heir, Augustus, gained control of Rome.