Caesar Rex

Julius Caesar has been remembered in popular memory as a tyrant whose death serves as a warning to future despots. However, this image of Julius Caesar is skewed by several factors that do not acknowledge the unique context of Caesar’s rise to power. The image of Caesar created after his death by his political opponents, alongside modern concepts of government and leadership, portray him as a despot. This paper will examine how this concept is misguided by demonstrating how Caesar’s rise to power was consensual and disproving the claims of his opponents.