Can Julius Caesar be considered the de facto first Roman Emperor despite not using a title such as princeps? | AskHistorians Archive Observer

Can Julius Caesar be considered the de facto first Roman Emperor despite not using a title such as princeps?

by cme1223

With Julius Caesar being declared dictator for life in 44 BCE, having other republican titles and honors bestowed upon him by the senate, and essentially having absolute power, can he be considered the first emperor despite Augustus actually taking the title?

LegalAction

Hi! Some people (recently Barnes) make this claim. I don't think it can be supported. I wrote about it a bit here.

There's more to be said of course. I was addressing specifically Barnes.

EDIT: Oh, apparently /u/xenophontheathenian and I wrote something that ended up in the FAQ.