LE PASSAGE DU RUBICON PAR CГ‰SARВ BY JEAN FOUQUET, 1420вЂ“1480 The Die IsВ Cast Not only did CaeВsar himВself break the law as the govВerВnor and comВmanВder, but his army broke the law by folВlowВing a man who had no authorВiВty of command. CrossВing the rivВer meant crossВing the borВder intoВ Italy.Д¬rossВing the borВder still in comВmand of your troops, meant breakВing theВ law. The RubiВcon marked the borВder between CaesarвЂ™s province, Cisalpine Gaul to the north-east, and Italy itself. There were no casuВalВties from tryВing to fight hard curВrents or anyВthing like that. The rivВer RubiВcon has nevВer been a large rivВer. CISALPINE GAUL, EXTENDING FROM VENICE BY THE ADRIATIC SEA, TO PISA AND NICE BY THE MEDITERRANEAN, TO LAKE GENEVA AND THE ALPS, MAP FROM ABRAHAM ORTELIUSВ THEATRUM ORBIS TERRARUM, ANTWERP, 1608. This meant that CaeВsar, by law, was forВbidВden to comВmand an army inВ Italy. The politВiВcal enviВronВment had for a long time been infectВed and war was immiВnent, so how come crossВing over a small, rather insignifВiВcant rivВer was to become the symВbol for the end of the Republic? TreasonДЄs govВerВnor CaeВsar held the right to comВmand troops withВin his own provinces, i.e. Gaius Julius CaeВsar led Legio XIII, the thirВteenth legion, from RavenВna in northВern Italy over the rivВer RubiВcon towards ArminiВum (modВern RimВiВni) and on towards Rome.

JULIUS CAESARВ BY ANDREA DI PIETRO DI MARCO FERRUCCI, 1512вЂ“14. 42вЂ“43)Д¬aeВsar was declared an eneВmy of the state on JanВuВary 7th 49 B.C. 94вЂ“97 Boatwright, GarВgoВla & TalВbert, p. (RondВholz, p.В 433)Д¬aeВsar proВposed that he would lay down his comВmand over Gaul if PomВpey gave up the comВmand he held over Spain. the SenВate wished to replace him as govВerВnor of Gaul and decidВed that his army should be disВbandВed by NovemВber 13, 50 B.C. THE PAINTING DEPICTS THE SURRENDER OF THE GALLIC CHIEFTAIN AFTER CAESARвЂ™S VICTORY IN THE BATTLE OF ALESIA IN 52 B.C.ДЇor quite some time, he had moved withВin a rather grey area, legalВly speakВing by 51 B.C. VERCINGETORIX THROWS DOWN HIS ARMS AT THE FEET OF JULIUS CAESAR.В PAINTING BY LIONEL ROYER, 1899. SugВgestВed readВing: Omnia Vincit Amor: Love in Ancient RomeДЄt the time of his famous quote, CaeВsar had for 9 years sucВcessВfulВly been camВpaignВing in his provinces north of Italy вЂ“ Cisalpine Gaul, Transalpine Gaul and Illyricum вЂ“ gainВing quite a lot of popularity.

CrasВsus, howВevВer, fell in the batВtle of CarВrhae in the ParthiВanВ war. The alliance between CaeВsar, PomВpey and MarВcus Licinius CrasВsus had been an inforВmal coaliВtion, know to hisВtoВry as the First TriВumviВrate.

there were some politВiВcal tenВsions between CaeВsar and Gnaeus PomВpeius MagВnus, also known as PomВpey, a man he had preВviВousВly been in an alliance with. JULIUS CAESAR AND THE CROSSING OF THE RUBICON,В FRANCESCO GRANACCI, 1494. HowВevВer, in order to get a good grasp of the meanВing of CaesarвЂ™s enorВmousВly famous expresВsion, let me just give you a short recap of theВ story. Movies have been made, books have been writВten, TV-series produced,so we shall not dwell too long on the issues ofВ war. ThouВsands of pages have been writВten about Julius CaeВsar, PomВpey and the CivВil War fought between them. On JanВuВary 10th, 49 B.C., Gaius Julius CaeВsar uttered one of historyвЂ™s most famous lines, IacВta alea est (someВtimes writВten alea iacВta est), after which he crossed the RubiВcon rivВer with his army and set the Roman CivВil War in motion.

Alea jacta est definicion