Julius Caesar was the statesmen and general of the Roman Republic in 100-44 B.C. He declared himself the dictator for life of the Republic because he was known to be the man who laid the foundation of the Roman Empire. Caesar was also known for his great military leadership. He was known for the many campaigns he launched and conquered in Roman history. He even forged friendships and deals with Pompey the Great and Crassus. (A&E Television Networks).
Because Caesar was strong militarily, members of the senate began to feel threatened because the people loved him and wanted him to be the head of the Republic. The Roman senators decided it would be best to plan an attack on Caesar. The plan was to attack him on the Ides of March. This was a time when Romans would go and settle their debts. The conspirators knew that Caesar would be out that day and this was a perfect time to attack. They stabbed Caesar twenty-three times on the steps of the Senate building (Wikipedia).
There are many myths concerning the warning to Julius Caesar on the Ides of March. Most historians believe that soothsayers were nothing but fortunetellers. The specific soothsayer who told Caesar to beware most likely knew that at some point in March, Caesar would begin a year- long military campaign. This would mean that Julius Caesar would need to be killed before he left for this campaign (Vox, Phil Edwards). The conspirators decided that the plot should be executed somewhere between March 15 and March 18. They stabbed Caesar twenty-three times on the steps of the Senate building.
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The idea that Caesar died nobly is also a myth. He probably fought for his life. Historians were sure that Caesar was a scrappy soldier who was known to handle attacks. The problem with this attack was that there was so many attackers, Caesar could not defend himself. Most of these attackers were supposed to be his friends (Vox, Phil Edwards).
William Shakespeare wrote in one of his most famous plays a scene where the soothsayers warned Caesar to “beware the Ides of March.” Caesar was killed on March 15. The Roman people even knew that anytime Ides was used it meant a time falling between the 13 and 15 (Act 1, scene 2, p. 7-8). Caesar dismissed the warning as someone just having a big imagination.
Many historians feel that Caesar intended to make himself the ruler of Rome (Western Civ, p.163).Most of the men in senate felt this would change the face of the Roman Republic. Their only solution was to plot his death. Following the calendar days and the time they knew Caesar would be at the senate building, the conspirators attacked him and forever changed Roman history.
