Julius Caesar
A general crosses a river with his army and ends the Republic.
- When
- —
- Duration
- 14 years
- Known to
- ± 1 year
- Era
- Classical, Holocene
Caesar conquers Gaul between 58 and 50 BCE, writing his own account of it, then crosses the Rubicon in 49 BCE with a legion rather than face prosecution — an act of civil war. He wins, is made dictator for life, reforms the calendar, and is stabbed to death in the Senate on the Ides of March 44 BCE by men trying to save the Republic. The assassination guarantees its end instead: the wars that follow put his heir in sole power.