☆ Julius Caesar ☆ A little over 2000 years ago a man named Julius Caesar changed the world. Even if you had never heard of him his lasting legacy has no doubt had an impact on your life. No doubt, even the very calendar that you use is based upon the system he created, with the month of July bearing his name. So who was this man that singlehandedly changed the course of history?
Inside you will read about... ✓ The Underpinnings of a Republic ✓ The Real Struggle Begins ✓ When in Rome ✓ The Ides of March
This book follows the life and legacy of the man whose life stood as a footnote between Republic and Empire. The man who has inspired playwrights, governments, and the very days of the week, the life of Julius Caesar is an incredible journey to behold.
Men at some time are masters of their fates. The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves, that we are underlings.
Julius Caesar is probably the most celebrated Roman general and statesman. Caesar single-handedly changed the course of the history of the Greco-Roman & the world decisively and irreversibly. Caesar’s impact on language, culture, land reforms & politics can be felt till this day.
Apart from Caesar’s military campaigns in Britain, Egypt and Gaul (In the fictional word, Asterix was fighting Caesar’s army in Gaul ), Caesar’s personal life was as dramatic, even stranger than fiction at times. This book does a fair job of summarising all the key events. From Caesar’s exile to his triumphant return, to his takeover of Rome as dictator, his military campaigns to his eventual assassination.
Having said that, the book doesn’t cover all the twists and turns in Caesar’s life. His extensive military campaigns, which defined Caesar’s legacy, are also barely covered. The assassination plot and the role of Brutus could have been given more coverage. You feel the book doesn’t quite do justice to the Caesar’s life. Although, it covers most of his life, reading a proper biography may be better way to knowing Caesar.
Julius Caesar: A Life from Beginning to End is published by Hourly History. Hourly History is a publication that concisely publishes history books and the books take no longer than one hour to read.
What could be better? For someone like me, who loves to know more about history but can't get into it, just by looking at its huge size and numerous dates and facts, this is a great way to stay updated.
The book is a brief history of the life of Julius Caesar. On this short virtual trip to the Roman Republic of 100 BCE through 44 BCE—his birth, background, political journey, marriages, and finally his death—everything is perfectly described. The reader gets to know more about Julius Caesar. His role in the formation of the modern-day calendar, his unparalleled intellect, his philanthropic nature, and his extraordinary dictatorship.
The tone of the writer was humorous, like that of a good history teacher. Various sarcastic comments throughout the book made it a light read.
The writing style is simple and easy to understand. I think that now I am going to retain a lot more information about Julius Caesar than I would have had I read a school history book.
This book is DEFINITELY recommended. If you are even slightly interested in knowing about Julius Caesar's life and don't want to scourge through different websites, read it.
A lot of the titles by Hourly History are free on Kindle/Kindle Unlimited. (Go check them out!)
Good introduction to Caesar's life but lacks all defining details
To present the entire life of anyone, let alone someone like Caesar is always going to be a tough. That said, this books does justice to the task it set forth to carry, and does it in a lucid manner, making it possible for just about anyone to follow. If the authors could accommodate a few defining details, specially about the death of Caesar, his relationship with Brutus and the reasons for his betrayal, considering how they still captures public imagination, the book would feel complete.
This was one of the best books about Julius Caesar I've read. It's one you can easily read in one sitting, which is what I did. In the books we learn about the very beginning of Caesar's career up until the very end with all his major accomplishments states in between.
I was surprised that I learned a couple of things more about Caesar (since I'm such a history buff, especially about this time and age.)
If you want to know more about Julius Caesar this is definitely the book I would recommend.
Unarguably one of the greatest warriors of all times, Julius Caesar was also well ahead of his times in terms of political and human resource management. The character of this icon comes out vividly in the book.
One wonders, reading of this man, why he wasn't worshipped. Alexander is, after all, in all but name of a formal ceremony.
Is it because Rome was guilty of murdering him?
Is that why story of another, king of not Rome, being murdered by Rome before being worshipped, was made up?
Cleopatra is hardly mentioned, is that due to misogyny, chiefly, so women who were independent queens were abhorred and continue to be so by church? ***
"He aligned himself with the powerful military general Pompey in order to ensure his military might; he also maintained his old alliance with Crassus, seeking his financial favor as well as powerful political connections. This alliance would be further sealed with General Pompey’s marriage to Caesar’s only daughter, Julia. Becoming known as the first “Triumvirate,” this political alliance would last until 54 BCE.
"With this political power structure in place, one of Caesar’s first actions as consul was to order the redistribution of lands to the poor. Although this managed to skyrocket Caesar’s popularity with the common people of Rome, it sparked animosity among many of the wealthy, land owning Senators who had the most to lose in the motion. As a result, the Senate attempted to block Caesar’s legislation, but with the help of his triumvirate and the general support of the Romans, Caesar was able to thwart their will and for the most part ignore the wishes of the Senate."
This, then, was the real cause for his assassination, no matter what pretense maintained. ***
"Due to his refusal to conform to Sulla’s will Caesar, was forced to flee Rome in order to seek sanctuary in Sabine Territory in northeast Italy. Here Caesar’s fate would take a turn for the worse as he became sickened with, malaria and was forced to flee from one safe house to the next while his condition continued to deteriorate. In this desperate state, he was eventually captured by a contingent of Sulla’s troops, who he ended up bribing with 12,000 silver denarii to let him go."
That ought to read
"Due to his refusal to conform to Sulla’s will, Caesar was forced to flee Rome in order to seek sanctuary in Sabine Territory in northeast Italy. Here Caesar’s fate would take a turn for the worse, as he became sickened with malaria, and was forced to flee from one safe house to the next, while his condition continued to deteriorate. In this desperate state, he was eventually captured by a contingent of Sulla’s troops, who he ended up bribing with 12,000 silver denarii to let him go."
This author seems incapable of comprehending punctuation. ................................................................................................
This is a book from the Hourly History series focusing on the famous Roman politician who eventually became a dictator of the huge empire. Most people would have heard a bit of Caesar because of the month July and also because of Shakespeare’s famous play.
However, there are so many aspects to Caesar apart from what was showcased by Shakespeare and this book starts with his entry into the Roman senate (yes, Caesar was a politician; Rome was a republic) and how he managed to consolidate power by his successful campaign in Gaul leading to the eventual formation of the famous triumvirate between Pompey of Iberia, Caesar of Gaul and Crassus of West Asia. The book also the talks about the eventual civil war between Pompey Loyalists and Caesar and the latter’s subsequent campaigns in Egypt and North Africa and also about his eventual fall. The book also talks about some of the reforms brought about by Caesar such as the calendar; the effect of which is felt till date.
Julius Caesar is a personality whom nearly everyone has heard of but know very little about mainly owing to the very limited scope of Shakespeare’s play and yes, I was no exception to this and I am really glad that I read this book considering how; reading this, I also got to know about the political system in Roman Empire and how they managed to hold on to such a large empire during ancient times. The campaigns of Caesar and also his unusually merciful attitudes towards his political dissidents were also brought out quite well. The book also had a brief mention of Caesar’s famous aide Mark Anthony (again, made famous by Shakespeare) and as to what exactly was his role prior to giving his highly emotional speech. The book also touched upon other famous people made known to the world such as Cleopatra and Caesar’s role in giving her the powerful role in Egypt (to be honest, I first came to know of both these historical figures through Asterix). Ultimately, the book also delivered on its promise on telling the history of Julius Caesar in an hour.
The only aspect upon which the book could have been a little better is to have mentioned a little more about another person made famous by Shakespeare; being Brutus, who barely had a mention in the book.
On the whole, I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book especially considering my knowledge of pre-medieval history being limited; this book conveyed a lot of information in a short span of time. I would award the book a rating of four on five.
“Veni, vidi, vici” Julius Caesar Someone has to be the first. How or why isn’t always clear. It could be due to individual achievement, talent, or only circumstances. Whatever it is that causes it, molding events and directing the future, and hundreds or even thousands of years, changing history. The son of Caius Caesar, Governor of the Asia Province, Julius, had what it took to take his place as the first of a dynasty that would last centuries. Julius was born into the aristocratic patrician class, putting him above a major portion of Roman society. Born 100 BCE, Julius was originally planning to enter the priesthood, for the Roman god of Jupiter. The death of his father and political unrest not only put an end to his plans but also sent him fleeing Rome for his life. The political climate combined with his military abilities and civil and organizational talents made him the perfect candidate to rule Rome and expand the Roman Empire. His name “Caesar” will become synonymous with Emperor and continue as a descriptive adjective, until the last days of the empire.
While reading this short biography, I couldn’t help but note the similarities with another great military leader, conqueror of most of Western Europe and civil and governmental innovator, Napoleon Bonaparte. Both of these men were as pragmatic as they were confident. Again I must praise Hourly History for publishing yet another bite-size biography, filled with all of the essentials, and inspiring enough to make the reader hungry for more. This book forms the perfect entrée for fuller and more filling literary meals to be had.
When you only have 45 minutes, this is a good choice
The title of the series tells you what you need to know: it's written for people who only have under an hour to invest in a topic. In a few dozen pages you don't get Gibbon, nor do you expect it, and you do get something a bit more extensive and readable than your basic Wikipedia listing. Within that constraint I give it a high rating, as the book packs in much of what you'd want to know about Julius Caesar as well as a surprising amount of background considering the limited reading-time goal. A very useful refresher book.
I had just finished reading a book about Cleopatra and I found it interesting that she had a child with Julius Caesar. Quote from book: "Cleopatra came up with the idea of smuggling herself into Caesar's chambers. She managed to slip through her brother's dragnet and arrived in Alexandria in a small boat. She then had her servants wrap her up in a rug and carry her right inside the palace where Caesar was staying. Once inside, her servants unfurled the rug and Cleopatra introduced herself to a very surprised Julius Caesar. This abrupt meeting would be the beginning of a very powerful relationship as the two brokered the future of the entire Mediterranean world."
A good overview of one of history's greatest military commander and controversial figures.
It is hard to summarize the dramatic aspects of Caesar's life, his career and his downfalls but this bio manages to do it really well. Relying solely on facts, archaeological evidence and primary and secondary sources; this short introduction brings us the true Caesar. A Caesar we seldom have seen or ever will see in fiction.
This is an excellent starting point for the Caesar novice. It's a quick and very clear read. I came to it wanting a bit of context as preparation for teaching Shakespeare's play. It gave me useful information, not just on Caesar's death, but on the background to it, such as his relationship with Pompey, and with the general populace of Rome.
It isn't for anyone who already has any knowledge or specialisation in the field, but what it sets out to achieve, I think it does really well.
These one hour books are like small Windows in to the life of the people and civilisations that each book represents . I find them great for having a sneak preview into a subject and then if I find the subject matter interesting I will research more into it . I believe that these sort of books could be used in schools to get children excited by history as the format is a great intro into the vastness of history.
I normally love the hourly history books, but there was something didn't about this one. The English was.... Off. At some points it seemed like out had been translated from another language and didn't cross over well, but i can't complain too much, it was free!
That aside, it's a nice, neat little overview of Caesar and how he came to power. I didn't know he was so generous!
Ein af þessu rosalega stuttu sögubókum sem hægt er að lesa á röskum klukkutíma. Ágætt þegar maður vill ná einhverju ágripi úr sögunni án þess að þurfa að dvelja neitt sérstaklega við einhver smáatriði. Þessi bók er t.a.m. alveg ágætt þannig, talsvert mörgu áhugaverðu reyndar sleppt. Kannski mætti kalla þetta Júlíus Sesar fyrir byrjendur. Ef þú hefur aldrei lesið neitt um þennan mann þá er e.t.v. best bara að byrja hér á svona einfaldri klukkutíma sögubók.
Julius Caesar’s life was so dramatic that William Shakespeare was compelled to write it into an historic remembrance. He was a great warrior, yet a benevolent man (possibly to endear himself to the common man), but he was too trusting of those whom he believed to be friends. An exciting story full of interesting facts and background.
This biography of Julius Caesar will take you 30 minutes to read it from start to finish. This book hits all the highlights in the life of Julius Caesar.
This is my 14th volume of 'A Life from Beginning to End'. All have been easy reads and full of the right level of detail. Each historical character has been worth reading about. In the case of Julius Caesar, I appreciated learning about his early aspirations as a religious person.
Good to read. Short and precise. This hero is definitely one of the greatest in history. The undefeated are always betrayed by the most trusted ones, this is what history says.
This was an interesting, concise history of Julius Caesar. This book was fairly well written, but there were several punctuation errors throughout. Where was the editor? Otherwise, this was a very good book.
This is a short but informative book. I would have enjoyed reading the book more were it not for the frequent errors in punctuation, spelling, and syntax. Other than that, its not too terrible.
Every once in a great while, someone comes into this world seemingly born with a mission; they ride the wings of fate to heights of glory, and it’s the most the rest of us can do to just take note of their ascent to the heavens.
This story about Julius Caesar provides information not taught in school about his early life and family. Finding the events and names that did not get in the history textbooks was one of the reasons I read this book. The Ides of March chapter could have been expanded to include more about his principal assassins and their individual motivations, but that is a small complaint.
The life of Julius Caesar although short & dramatic was full to the brim of war, love & endless drama From small beginnings to a great leader this history is well written & documented! Great book for those studying this subject!
This short book is not .completely awful but it does include a number of truly terrible lines. Perhaps the biggest disappointment is the misused vocabulary, which on occasion renders the whole tale unintelligible.
Reading this short history leave you wanting more. Realizing the purpose of these short history books, it is adequate, but it might be good for the “conclusion” to recommend further reading.
Covering Julius Caesar’s 56 years, there are quick discussions of his youth, rise to power and fall. Almost too superficial, you still get a good survey of his life and impacts on Ancient Rome. A decent intro.
Very useful review for people interested in Julius Caesar or the situation in the late Republic period of Ancient Rome. Very quick read that does not get bogged down in details.
I enjoyed this look at Julius Caesar. It was a solid overview with very important and telling stories dispersed throughout. It used a familiarity with the reader style I don't like, but I'd recommend it to others.