During the period of history when Rome wasthe strongest power in the Western world, Gaius Julius Caesar emerged as an important leader and powerful politician. Caesar was also a great general, and he was instrumental in changing the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire.

Julius Caesar lived from 100 BC to 44 BC. His early life was extremely eventful. When he was just 16 years old, he became the head of his family after his father died. At the age of 17, he became the Flamen Dialis, the high priest of Jupiter. The holder of this position had to not only be a noble himself but also be married to a noble, so he broke off his engagement to a common girl and married the daughter of an important politician. When he was 25, he was captured by pirates but managed to negotiate his way out of trouble and eventually tracked them down and executed them all.

In 59 BC, Caesar was elected as consul of Rome, an office similar to that of president. However, the Senate, the most important council of the government in ancient Rome, wanted to limit Caesar’s power. Caesar knew that he needed strong political allies, so he made an unofficial partnership with a wealthy and powerful general named Pompey and another well-connected politician named Crassus.

With the help of these two, Caesar managed to secure substantial power, and after his term as consul, he became governor of Gaul (present day France and Belgium). Over the next 15 years, Caesar expanded his power, invading new lands for Rome, and eventually defeated his former ally Pompey in battle to become the state’s absolute ruler.

The Senate was dissatisfied with the fact the Caesar was ruling Rome without them, so in 44 BC, Caesar was lured to a temple and killed by a group of senators who stabbed him 23 times. Those senators hoped to restore the Republic. However, Caesar’s assassination led to a Roman civil war. As a result, Rome became a permanent dictatorship and remained so for centuries.

在堅而不摧的羅馬帝國稱霸西方世界的年代，異軍崛起的凱撒大帝成了重要的領袖，和勢力強大的政治人物。凱撒大帝也是一位偉大的將軍，更是讓羅馬共和國變身為羅馬帝國的推手。

凱撒大帝的在世時間，約為西元前100 年至西元前44 年。他早年的人生充滿傳奇色彩。父親在他年約16 歲時過世後，凱撒即開始肩負起一家之主的重任。17 歲時，凱撒擔任天神朱庇特（Jupiter）的大祭司（Flamen Dialis）。擔任大祭司的條件之一，不僅需要具貴族身分，也必須與貴族聯姻。因此，他解除了和平名女子訂下的婚約，轉而迎娶一位重要政治人物的女兒。凱撒25歲時遭海盜俘虜，但他設法與海盜談判而脫離險境，最後還追蹤到海盜的行跡，並將其全部處死。

西元前59 年，凱撒當選羅馬執政官，此官職近似總統。不過，古羅馬政府最重要的議會「元老院」，欲限制凱撒的權力。凱撒深知自己需要勢力龐大的政治盟友，因此他與富可敵國且勢力龐大的龐培將軍，以及人脈關係廣大的政治家克拉蘇，私下建立合作關係。

在此二人的協助下，凱撒鞏固強權，卸任執政官後，又成為高盧（現為法國與比利時的範圍）總督。接下來的15 年，凱撒拓展勢力，以入侵的方式為羅馬取得新領土，最後於一場戰役中，戰勝前任盟友龐培，繼而成為最高統治者。

不過，元老院對於凱撒不受其控制而統治羅馬的情況相當不滿。西元前44 年，凱撒被引誘至神廟，遭一群元老亂刀刺殺23 次而亡。這些元老原本希冀共和國制度東山再起。但是凱撒遇害一事，卻導致羅馬內戰。羅馬也因此成為永久性的獨裁政權國家，並持續數世紀之久。