Julius CaesarWhy was Caesar murdered?

Who was Julius Caesar?

• Roman army general• Had led his army to

conquer the whole of Gaul• Had sent an expedition

over to Britain• Was a popular hero with

his troops and with the ordinary people of Rome

Caesar and Pompey

• One of Caesar’s biggest rivals was another general called Pompey

• The Senate disliked Caesar and supported Pompey – they ordered Caesar to get rid of his army

• Caesar ignored them and defeated Pompey in battle

• Caesar then took over Rome as ‘Dictator for Life’

Caesar’s murder – the build up

• A few weeks before his murder Caesar is told by a soothsayer ‘Beware the Ides of march!’

• The night before his murder his wife Calpurnia has a nightmare and begs him not to go to the Senate

• Calpurnia, Caesar’s wife, begged him not to go to the Senate. She had had a nightmare that he would be murdered.

• A violent storm happened. This was to bring bad luck to Caesar.

• Caesar ignored a soothsayer outside the Senate. He told him to “beware the ides of March”.

• Inside the Senate, a group of senators stabbed him to death, one by one. Cassius stabbed him first. There were 23 blows.

The Murder

• 15th March 44BC Caesar gets ready to go to the senate

• More than 60 conspirators wait for Caesar in the Senate

• The conspirators, all senators, are led by Brutus and Cassius

• With daggers concealed under their togas they murder Caesar, stabbing him at least 23 times

• Caesar says to his friend Brutus ‘You, too, my child.’

Why was Caesar murdered?• Turn to pages 161-162 of

your textbook• Read and write down any

reasons

Assessment

Your Task – write a newspaper front page article reporting on the murder of Julius Caesar

• Include what happened and why it happened

Roman TimesJULIUS CAESAR DEAD

GEEZER!

16 March 44BC

• - Describe and make links between different reasons for the murder of Caesar