Julius Caesar

Julius Caesar was a Roman general who played an important role in the gradual transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire. Caesar entered into a political alliance with Crassus and Pompey that dominated Roman politics for many years. Caesar's achievements granted him unmatched military power and threatened to eclipse Pompey's standing. The balance of power was upset later on by the death of Crassus. Political realignments in Rome finally led to a standoff between Pompey and Caesar. After Caesar assumed control of the government, he began many extensive reforms of Roman society and government. He centralized the bureaucracy of the Republic and was given the title "dictator in perpetuity". Led by Marcus Junius Brutus, a group of senators assassinated Caesar on the "Ides of March" (March 15 44 B.C.), in hopes of restoring the constitutional government of the Roman Republic.