What was Julius Caesar’s personality like? | AskHistorians Archive Observer

Hi there!

First off, this is a great question, Julius Caesar is a fascinating historical character and would work wonderfully in a novel. Best of luck with that!

I want to begin my answer by saying that the character and personality of Caesar could fill a book of its own, so bear with me as I try to make this as concise as possible! That said, I'm going to have to post this in two parts because Reddit is informing me that it's too long.

Part I

First off, we know that Caesar was a man of ambition, and in many ways, this was his defining characteristic. From a young age, he sought social and political influence and stopped at nothing to achieve it. His political savvy allowed him to jump from Flamen Dialis to quaestor to Pontifex Maximus to praetor by only 37. Caesar was a prideful man with nothing short of absolute power as his goal, but he was also a man of good humor (at least that's how he chose to portray himself). When he wasn't engaged in military conflict, he enjoyed wine, women, and food, a man of bread and circuses, though in relative moderation (unlike his friend Marc Antony). His enjoyment of pleasures never impeded his political ends. Even in his famous romance with Cleopatra, he kept his gaze firmly trained on the end game. He generally allowed himself to be criticized (at the very least, there were no Tiberian purges), and was far from the megalomaniacal supervillain many modern people see him as. That said, Caesar was by no means fully benevolent and he often used violence against those who could not be swayed by talk alone. His vigor and lust for power often pushed him to great lengths, including violence. During his consulship, a popular joke amongst the Romans was that it was the consulship of "Julius and Caesar" due to his frequent strongarming of his uncooperative co-consul. While violence was not his preferred method, it was far from off the table and the man had no qualms about wreaking destruction on any particularly stubborn obstacles in his path to power.

In his ambition, he was ruthless, both personally and politically. We all know the stories of Caesar's march across the Rubicon with only a single legion at his back, a man against the might of Rome. Before that, he was a renowned conqueror in the North with a reputation for victory in the Gallic Wars no matter the odds. Personally, he was just as committed to his cause, even divorcing his wife Pompeia over Clodius Pulcher's supposed attempts to seduce her, claiming that "my wife ought not even to be under suspicion". While it may seem counterintuitive, this tireless ambition is what informed his famous clemency policies. Caesar aimed to paint himself as a man of generosity, and in some ways he was. In order to avoid the murderous reputations of his predecessors Marius and Sulla, Caesar aimed to establish a regime built on making supporters out of enemies. Essentially, Caesar wanted good press. There's a story about Caesar on his march to Rome where he encounters and defeats a general who refused to surrender to his forces. Caesar captured the man but spared his life, telling him that he could even regroup and continue to fight Caesar in the future if he wished, but that he would be left alive. Even his most notorious enemy, Pompey Magnus, had been in line to receive a pardon from Caesar after his defeat (unfortunately Pompey was killed by the Egyptians before this could happen). There's debate as to whether this tolerant regime was due to Caesar's genuine generosity or whether it was purely politically motivated. I'm of the opinion that it was somewhere in the middle. I don't doubt the fact that Caesar was ultimately always looking out for Caesar, but we also see examples of actions that can only be described as kindness with nothing for him to gain. From granting the request of his nephew Octavian to spare a friend's brother's life to protecting his first wife's life and interests at his own expense.

While he was hated by the upper classes, in the eyes of the public, Caesar was a hero and a liberator come to save them from the chaos and tyranny they'd grown accustomed to, and he played his role well. Despite being born into a technically Patrician family, he came from modest means. Before his ascent to power, the Julii family was low on funds and politically irrelevant, It seems that Caesar never truly forgot his roots, and he was a true populist, choosing to appeal to the common people before all else. He threw games, forgave debts, and made himself accessible to the public. Despite his historical reputation, Rome could have done a lot worse than Julius Caesar. He sought to base his power on the love and approval of the common masses, and in many ways, he truly did change their lives for the better. From weeding out corruption in the upper class to increasing social services, Caesar went out of his way to care for the people he ruled. His soldiers adored him as well. Caesar was one of them, a soldier to the core. He was a man of courage and honor, never running from a fight or deserting his men even when the odds looked dire. From the Gallic forests to the Rubicon, Caesar had a steel backbone. He was no useless noble playing at being general, he was a leader and a winner. Caesar had a reputation in the army as much for his luck as for his skill. His military successes are shining mark on his record, and I would venture to say that these successes would have been impossible without the loyalty he inspired in his troops. Unlike many of his peers, Caesar marched alongside his men, calling them "friend", "brother", and "comrade". He looked after them, and they looked after him. A famous story comes down to us of a day when the exhausted and outnumbered legions' support was waning and they approached Caesar, demanding to return home. To their surprise, Caesar granted their request, and this time, as he turned to address them, he called them his fellow citizens, not his soldiers. It is said that the simple change in address filled his troops with such shame that they changed their minds and begged to return to being his soldiers and to support him in his time of need.