General Notes

Note: Born 124 B.C. and died in 84 B.C.
(Research):Caius Julius Caesar III., the Praetor, who die
d suddenly "while putting on his shoes" at Pisa, 84 B.C., h
aving married Aurelia, "an excellent and learned lady." Acc
ording to Durant, "she was a matron of dignity and wisdom
, frugally managing her small home in the unfashionable Sub
ura, a district of shops, taverns, and brothels." They wer
e the parents of the following children:
1. Julia, died at an early age.
2. Caius Julius Caesar IV. ("The Julius Caesar"), one of th
e Nine Worthies, the greatest general Rome ever produced, b
orn July 12, 100 B.C., in Subura, allegedly by the deliver
y operation that bears his name.
According to Durant,
"He traced his pedigree to Julus Ascanius, son of Aeneas, s
on of Venus, daughter of Jupiter: he began and ended as a g
od. The Julian gens, though impoverished, was one of the ol
dest and noblest in Italy. A Caius Julius had been consul i
n 489 B.C., another in 482 B.C., a Vopiscus Julius in 473 B
.C., a Sextus Julius in 157 B.C., another in 90 B.C."
He with Pompey and Crassus formed the first triumvirate. H
e produced many works, of which his commentaries on the Gal
lic and Civil Wars alone have been preserved. Pliny record
s that Caesar "could employ, at one and the same time, hi
s ears to listen, his eyes to read, his hand to write, an
d his tongue to dictate." He is often called the greatest s
tatesman in the world's history. On the Ides of March (Marc
h 15th) 44 B.C., Caesar was murdered at the age of 56. He m
arried in Rome in 84 B.C. (1) Cossutia to please his father
; when soon after his father died, he divorced her and marr
ied (2) Cornelia, daughter of Cinna; their daughter, Julia
, married Pompey. Caesar left no grandchildren surviving. W
hen Cornelia died in 68 B.C., Caesar married (3) Pompeia, g
randdaughter of Sulla. He finally married (4) Calpurnia, da
ughter of L. Piso. In his later years Julius Caesar had aff
airs with many women, often the wives of both friends and e
nemies.
According to Durant,
"We must think of Caesar as at first an unscrupulous politi
cian and a reckless rake, slowly transformed by growth an
d responsibility into one of history's most profound and co
nscientious statesmen. We must not forget, as we rejoice a
t his faults, that he was a great man notwithstanding. We c
annot equate ourselves with Caesar by proving that he seduc
ed women, bribed ward leaders, and wrote books."
The month of July was named in his honor. See Shakespeare'
s "Julius Caesar." Also see Durant, pp. 167-197, for detail
s on his life.
3. Julia II, the second daughter with this name.