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It isn't too late.
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Any man who wishes
to turn back...
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go now...
4
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with no dishonor.
5
00:00:43,086 --> 00:00:44,696
We cross this stream...
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we are fighting
all the way to Rome.
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00:00:50,876 --> 00:00:52,313
Are you with me?
8
00:00:52,443 --> 00:00:54,619
Long live Caesar!
9
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Let the dice fly high!
10
00:01:07,937 --> 00:01:10,679
Caesar stands
as a colossus in world history.
11
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He is one of the most brilliant
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but also dangerous statesmen
who ever lived.
13
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He was an orator, a warrior.
14
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He built an empire.
15
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Victory, or death!
16
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Caesar took on
the greatest rivals of his day
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and defeated them one by one.
18
00:01:34,050 --> 00:01:37,401
Caesar turns the Roman Republic
into the Roman Empire.
19
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The defining aspect
of Caesar's personality
20
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is his willingness to gamble.
21
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He is cunning, he's devious,
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he's not always
as sincere as he proclaims.
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The three of us
would be invincible.
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Does he declare war
on the Republic
25
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in order to save it,
or to dismantle it?
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Your bruised ego
means war, does it?
27
00:02:02,513 --> 00:02:04,994
So much
of our modern world is shaped
28
00:02:05,125 --> 00:02:06,952
by Julius Caesar
and the Roman Empire.
29
00:02:07,823 --> 00:02:11,043
Julius Caesar
is this pivot point
30
00:02:11,174 --> 00:02:12,306
in Western history.
31
00:02:13,742 --> 00:02:15,309
Now!
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This is a man who amassed power
33
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and couldn't be satisfied
with what he had.
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There's a tremendous warning
for us in Caesar's story.
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As dark as it sounds,
36
00:02:27,147 --> 00:02:30,237
Caesar's story
is the story of Rome.
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Rome, 81 BC.
38
00:02:51,562 --> 00:02:54,609
For eight years,
a brutal civil war
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between rival political factions
has torn the city apart.
40
00:03:00,441 --> 00:03:04,358
Now, a ruthless commander,
called Sulla, has triumphed.
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And he is purging
his political rivals.
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Thousands are killed.
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Caught up
in this bloody violence,
44
00:03:32,255 --> 00:03:34,562
is a young man,
called Julius Caesar.
45
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Caesar comes from
a moderately well-known family.
46
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They weren't the wealthiest,
the most powerful
47
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and they were actually
on the defeated side
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of the civil war.
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He was in danger.
50
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He is tied
by blood and by marriage
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to the losing side.
52
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This puts Caesar
in a difficult position.
53
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Hey! Stop right there!
54
00:04:03,721 --> 00:04:05,419
Hey! Stop right there!
55
00:04:05,549 --> 00:04:08,117
Wait, wait, wait!
56
00:04:09,205 --> 00:04:11,816
Hey, stop! Hey, stop!
57
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Over the centuries,
before the civil war...
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Rome has gone from
a small regional power,
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00:04:34,665 --> 00:04:37,277
to a major player
on the world stage.
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00:04:38,190 --> 00:04:40,584
From a city state
on seven hills,
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00:04:40,715 --> 00:04:43,979
it's bit by bit conquered
and absorbed surrounding tribes
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until it dominates Italy, Greece
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00:04:45,807 --> 00:04:47,635
and most of the Mediterranean.
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00:04:48,810 --> 00:04:51,856
Once a monarchy,
Rome has been a republic,
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a city ruled
by elected officials,
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since 500 BC.
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A period of more than 400 years.
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The whole principle
of the Roman Republic
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is that no one individual
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00:05:03,172 --> 00:05:05,174
should gain permanent,
supreme power.
71
00:05:06,784 --> 00:05:08,133
So, power is divided.
72
00:05:11,398 --> 00:05:13,443
But at the end of the civil war,
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one man rules
the Roman Republic unchallenged,
74
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Sulla, the dictator.
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A dictator was a special office
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that was only called upon
in times of emergency.
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A dictator
had absolute authority
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but a dictator only served
for a period of six months,
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or the duration of the crisis,
whichever was shorter.
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00:05:43,386 --> 00:05:45,823
What makes Sulla's
dictatorship unique,
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is that he never puts a deadline
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on when he's gonna
give up power.
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Caesar's uncle, Marius,
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and father-in-law, Cinna,
85
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were both leaders
of the defeated side in the war.
86
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Cinna and Marius fought the war
on behalf of the populares,
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00:06:02,797 --> 00:06:04,668
which essentially
means "populists."
88
00:06:04,799 --> 00:06:07,279
These are the aristocrats
who are looking to support
89
00:06:07,410 --> 00:06:09,586
the causes
of the general public.
90
00:06:09,717 --> 00:06:12,894
Sulla had fought the civil war
on behalf of the optimates,
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meaning "Rome's best men."
92
00:06:14,461 --> 00:06:17,377
They were
conservative aristocrats
93
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and they were really looking
to maintain the status quo.
94
00:06:22,164 --> 00:06:24,384
Given the suspect
loyalty of Caesar's family...
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Get up.
...Rome's new ruler
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wants to see
where his allegiances lie.
97
00:06:30,738 --> 00:06:32,566
Now I heard you ran from my men.
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00:06:33,654 --> 00:06:35,264
Not sure your uncle
would approve.
99
00:06:38,267 --> 00:06:40,182
Do you stand against me
like your dead father-in-law?
100
00:06:42,184 --> 00:06:43,620
I stand with the Republic.
101
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Oh.
102
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Prove it.
103
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Divorce your wife.
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00:06:57,417 --> 00:07:00,681
How does that
benefit the Republic?
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00:07:00,811 --> 00:07:01,856
It benefits me.
106
00:07:03,858 --> 00:07:04,946
I am the Republic.
107
00:07:08,210 --> 00:07:10,560
Caesar is married to Cornelia,
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the daughter of Cinna.
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Cinna had been
Sulla's mortal enemy
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and so Sulla wants to make sure
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Julius Caesar
does not become a threat
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because of his marriage connection.
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You have until sunrise.
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Refusing Sulla's request
would be an amazing risk.
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Sulla is a terrifying
and ferocious character
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who had brought a new level
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of ruthless savagery
to Roman politics.
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But Caesar
doesn't divorce Cornelia.
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Is it because
of the political connections?
120
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Is it because
he genuinely loved Cornelia?
121
00:08:00,088 --> 00:08:03,439
We don't know
but we know it's a great risk.
122
00:08:06,311 --> 00:08:07,835
Cornelia. Cornelia.
123
00:08:11,360 --> 00:08:13,449
Why didn't you leave when you
heard they were coming for you?
124
00:08:13,580 --> 00:08:15,233
I couldn't go
without seeing you.
125
00:08:15,364 --> 00:08:17,105
There are heads
up on spikes by the bridge,
126
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- do you want to be one?
- Cornelia!
127
00:08:18,976 --> 00:08:20,848
It won't always be like this.
128
00:08:23,241 --> 00:08:24,373
You have to go now.
129
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Having made
an enemy of Sulla,
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Caesar slips out of the city.
131
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Caesar may hope that one day,
he can return to Rome
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and fix what he sees
as a broken Republic.
133
00:09:18,383 --> 00:09:20,385
By the time Julius Caesar
is a young man,
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00:09:20,516 --> 00:09:23,258
Rome has grown to a city
of almost a million people.
135
00:09:24,738 --> 00:09:26,870
The population density
is approaching
136
00:09:27,001 --> 00:09:28,568
what we see in modern Manhattan.
137
00:09:29,873 --> 00:09:32,920
As Rome's power
and population increase,
138
00:09:33,050 --> 00:09:36,184
it's Republic becomes
fundamentally less democratic.
139
00:09:38,099 --> 00:09:40,101
The line between
Rome's rich and poor
140
00:09:40,231 --> 00:09:41,450
has only gotten greater.
141
00:09:43,408 --> 00:09:46,368
There are a great number of very
impoverished people in the city
142
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who actually survive
on a grain dole from the state.
143
00:09:51,068 --> 00:09:53,201
The populares,
including Caesar's family,
144
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think that they can fix
these problems of Rome's poor.
145
00:10:01,644 --> 00:10:03,385
But first,
146
00:10:03,515 --> 00:10:05,692
the fugitive Caesar
has to stay alive.
147
00:10:09,086 --> 00:10:10,827
Caesar is being hunted down
148
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by some of Sulla's
bounty hunters
149
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because his name
is now on the lists.
150
00:10:15,876 --> 00:10:18,356
Caesar is forced
to go on the run for months,
151
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it's one of the worst
times in his life.
152
00:10:20,924 --> 00:10:22,839
And when he gets caught
by Sulla's men,
153
00:10:22,970 --> 00:10:25,799
he's forced to bribe them
using all the money he has.
154
00:10:38,159 --> 00:10:39,508
Back in Rome,
Caesar's family
155
00:10:39,639 --> 00:10:41,641
lobbies Sulla to pardon Caesar.
156
00:10:44,774 --> 00:10:46,341
He eventually gives in
to their persistence.
157
00:10:48,560 --> 00:10:50,475
Despite being pardoned by Sulla,
158
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Caesar returning to Rome
would not necessarily be safe.
159
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And so, instead, he joins up
with the Roman military,
160
00:10:57,744 --> 00:11:01,269
looking for experience
that will possibly lead
161
00:11:01,399 --> 00:11:03,793
to some degree
of advancement later on.
162
00:11:05,099 --> 00:11:06,535
My name is Caesar.
163
00:11:06,666 --> 00:11:08,668
I believe
my family's been in touch.
164
00:11:09,277 --> 00:11:11,105
Every Roman aristocrat
165
00:11:11,235 --> 00:11:12,976
was expected
to serve in the military.
166
00:11:13,716 --> 00:11:16,632
It was a society
which rewarded it's warriors.
167
00:11:18,199 --> 00:11:19,679
Caesar is sent
to a Greek island.
168
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Part of a force
169
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tasked with
bringing down a rebellion.
170
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They end up in a battle.
171
00:11:30,559 --> 00:11:32,256
Caesar steps in to save
172
00:11:32,387 --> 00:11:34,302
one of his fallen
Roman soldiers.
173
00:11:41,309 --> 00:11:44,138
In this, it is witnessed
as an act of bravery.
174
00:11:45,574 --> 00:11:46,967
He wins what the Romans know
175
00:11:47,097 --> 00:11:48,795
as the Corona Civica.
176
00:11:48,925 --> 00:11:51,841
This is the Civic Crown,
it was the highest award
177
00:11:51,972 --> 00:11:54,888
for individual gallantry that
the Roman state could issue.
178
00:11:55,976 --> 00:11:57,978
It is perhaps the first sign
179
00:11:58,108 --> 00:12:00,720
that Caesar is not
your ordinary Roman soldier.
180
00:12:02,809 --> 00:12:04,724
Caesar stays in the army
for several years.
181
00:12:05,942 --> 00:12:08,249
During this time,
he gets a real understanding
182
00:12:08,379 --> 00:12:10,642
of what it means
to be part of an empire.
183
00:12:10,773 --> 00:12:13,558
Roman politics is not just
about the city of Rome,
184
00:12:13,689 --> 00:12:15,299
it's about the world at large.
185
00:12:16,648 --> 00:12:19,086
Finally, four years
after he left Rome...
186
00:12:20,174 --> 00:12:23,003
Caesar learns that
the dictator, Sulla, is dead.
187
00:12:24,700 --> 00:12:27,007
The death of Sulla in 78 BC
188
00:12:27,137 --> 00:12:29,270
brings some good news
for Caesar,
189
00:12:29,400 --> 00:12:31,838
it means he can go back to Rome
without threat of being killed.
190
00:12:42,587 --> 00:12:44,024
After Caesar
returns to Rome,
191
00:12:44,154 --> 00:12:45,242
he works as a lawyer.
192
00:12:46,200 --> 00:12:47,854
But he is really eager
193
00:12:47,984 --> 00:12:49,769
to get his foot
on the ladder of politics.
194
00:12:51,422 --> 00:12:53,598
Having been forced
to go into hiding,
195
00:12:53,729 --> 00:12:56,297
Caesar spent months
as a penniless refugee,
196
00:12:56,427 --> 00:12:58,560
relying on the charity
of others.
197
00:12:58,690 --> 00:13:01,476
It's the kind of thing that
might've affected his outlook.
198
00:13:01,606 --> 00:13:03,347
Working as a lawyer in Rome,
199
00:13:03,478 --> 00:13:06,133
he takes on the cases
of the underdogs.
200
00:13:08,309 --> 00:13:10,354
Caesar and Cornelia
now have one daughter,
201
00:13:10,485 --> 00:13:12,400
Julia,
202
00:13:12,530 --> 00:13:14,837
but Caesar
has little time for family,
203
00:13:14,968 --> 00:13:17,797
thanks to the demands of work
and his burning ambitions.
204
00:13:19,146 --> 00:13:20,756
One of the defining features
205
00:13:20,887 --> 00:13:22,802
in this era
of the Roman Republic
206
00:13:22,932 --> 00:13:26,196
is incredible ambition
in young men.
207
00:13:26,327 --> 00:13:29,765
There's more to it than
just blind ambition for Caesar.
208
00:13:29,896 --> 00:13:33,813
He's living in a Republic
that's absolutely broken.
209
00:13:34,552 --> 00:13:38,121
Sulla is dead but he still
has appointed cronies
210
00:13:38,252 --> 00:13:40,384
who are in the government still
211
00:13:40,515 --> 00:13:43,387
and in this situation
of rank corruption,
212
00:13:43,518 --> 00:13:46,086
Caesar feels like
he can fix things
213
00:13:46,216 --> 00:13:48,044
but in order to do that,
214
00:13:48,175 --> 00:13:50,090
he needs more power
and more influence.
215
00:13:50,699 --> 00:13:51,831
Will you be
joining us for dinner?
216
00:13:53,441 --> 00:13:54,703
Sorry, hearing tomorrow.
217
00:13:54,834 --> 00:13:56,139
Surely you can take a break?
218
00:13:56,966 --> 00:13:58,185
Your daughter never sees you.
219
00:13:59,055 --> 00:14:00,840
To gain more power,
220
00:14:00,970 --> 00:14:02,885
Caesar needs to climb
the cursus honorum,
221
00:14:03,016 --> 00:14:05,235
the Roman ladder of offices.
222
00:14:05,932 --> 00:14:07,934
What Caesar wants
is the opportunity
223
00:14:08,064 --> 00:14:10,458
to jump a few rungs up.
224
00:14:12,416 --> 00:14:15,593
Caesar is impatient
to progress in Roman society
225
00:14:15,724 --> 00:14:17,552
but he is forced
to wait for his chance.
226
00:14:19,510 --> 00:14:21,991
Five years after Caesar
returns to Rome,
227
00:14:22,122 --> 00:14:25,777
the opportunity he has been
hoping for rears its head.
228
00:14:29,912 --> 00:14:31,479
A gladiatorial rebellion
229
00:14:31,609 --> 00:14:33,133
engulfs all of Italy...
230
00:14:34,351 --> 00:14:37,006
and it's leader
is named Spartacus.
231
00:14:40,749 --> 00:14:44,492
n]
232
00:14:44,622 --> 00:14:46,320
In 73 BC,
233
00:14:46,450 --> 00:14:48,539
a group of gladiators
breaks free
234
00:14:48,670 --> 00:14:50,237
from the captivity in the school
235
00:14:50,367 --> 00:14:51,586
where they're being
trained to fight.
236
00:14:57,984 --> 00:14:59,550
They're led
by Spartacus,
237
00:14:59,681 --> 00:15:01,030
the man who would become famous.
238
00:15:05,774 --> 00:15:07,689
Within a few months,
Spartacus has rallied
239
00:15:07,819 --> 00:15:10,431
120,000 slaves to his cause.
240
00:15:15,523 --> 00:15:18,743
This is the biggest slave
rebellion in Roman history.
241
00:15:23,661 --> 00:15:25,707
The first two years
of the rebellion
242
00:15:25,837 --> 00:15:28,449
go very well for Spartacus
and very poorly for the Romans.
243
00:15:28,579 --> 00:15:30,538
Two different armies
that are raised
244
00:15:30,668 --> 00:15:32,932
and paid for by the Senate
are completely crushed.
245
00:15:35,108 --> 00:15:37,632
But while Spartacus'
uprising is a crisis for Rome...
246
00:15:39,460 --> 00:15:40,940
it's good news for Caesar.
247
00:15:42,593 --> 00:15:45,161
As Spartacus' rebellion
breaks out,
248
00:15:45,292 --> 00:15:47,337
Caesar stands
for his first elected role
249
00:15:47,468 --> 00:15:49,296
as military tribune
and he's successful.
250
00:15:54,040 --> 00:15:55,780
The military
tribune is an important officer
251
00:15:55,911 --> 00:15:57,304
in the Roman army,
252
00:15:57,434 --> 00:15:58,305
it's the equivalent
of a colonel.
253
00:15:59,436 --> 00:16:02,135
For Caesar, Spartacus' uprising
254
00:16:02,265 --> 00:16:04,485
presents an opportunity.
255
00:16:04,615 --> 00:16:06,748
If Caesar can be
a part of the group
256
00:16:06,878 --> 00:16:09,620
that brings Spartacus down,
257
00:16:09,751 --> 00:16:12,188
it gives him a profound standing
258
00:16:12,319 --> 00:16:13,798
within the Roman Republic.
259
00:16:15,365 --> 00:16:17,977
At some point, I will lose,
I promise, I promise.
260
00:16:18,107 --> 00:16:20,762
The man in charge
of the Roman armies
261
00:16:20,892 --> 00:16:22,982
is Marcus Licinius Crassus.
262
00:16:24,984 --> 00:16:27,682
You do know gambling is illegal.
263
00:16:30,990 --> 00:16:33,340
- Name?
- Gaius Julius Caesar.
264
00:16:34,123 --> 00:16:35,516
You won the Civic Crown.
265
00:16:36,865 --> 00:16:38,127
I've heard about you.
266
00:16:39,259 --> 00:16:40,347
All good, I hope.
267
00:16:42,610 --> 00:16:44,003
We should play a real game...
268
00:16:44,786 --> 00:16:46,353
not one decided by luck.
269
00:16:47,223 --> 00:16:48,877
Play well and, uh...
270
00:16:50,487 --> 00:16:51,706
I might forget about this.
271
00:16:57,712 --> 00:16:59,888
Marcus Licinius Crassus
is famous
272
00:17:00,019 --> 00:17:02,151
as the richest man in Rome.
273
00:17:02,282 --> 00:17:04,849
He's the kind of
ancient world's Tywin Lannister.
274
00:17:06,112 --> 00:17:08,244
The Senate
turns to Crassus for help
275
00:17:08,375 --> 00:17:10,377
because nobody else
wants the position.
276
00:17:10,507 --> 00:17:13,467
Spartacus has already
defeated several Roman generals.
277
00:17:14,468 --> 00:17:16,992
But Crassus is ambitious,
278
00:17:17,123 --> 00:17:19,647
he doesn't have the military
reputation that he wants
279
00:17:19,777 --> 00:17:21,997
to rise to the top
of Roman politics.
280
00:17:22,128 --> 00:17:25,044
He's very eager
to have a military success.
281
00:17:25,174 --> 00:17:28,482
Crassus also
has the personal wealth
282
00:17:28,612 --> 00:17:31,528
to be able to build
and maintain the army himself.
283
00:17:33,095 --> 00:17:34,618
Caesar now
has an opportunity
284
00:17:34,749 --> 00:17:35,750
to form a relationship...
285
00:17:37,273 --> 00:17:38,927
with one of Rome's
most powerful men.
286
00:17:40,233 --> 00:17:41,364
Your turn.
287
00:17:48,893 --> 00:17:49,938
Bold move.
288
00:17:51,505 --> 00:17:52,810
Aggression is the key
to winning any battle.
289
00:17:53,724 --> 00:17:55,596
Including our war
with the gladiators.
290
00:17:57,554 --> 00:17:59,513
Our gladiators
are extremely well-trained,
291
00:17:59,643 --> 00:18:01,254
they'll beat you
in a contest of aggression.
292
00:18:03,256 --> 00:18:05,084
There's more than one way
to defeat an enemy.
293
00:18:06,433 --> 00:18:08,957
You see,
we Romans have an advantage,
294
00:18:09,088 --> 00:18:11,264
we're the best engineers
in the world.
295
00:18:13,048 --> 00:18:15,572
Why fight an open battle
when you don't have to?
296
00:18:16,878 --> 00:18:19,402
Why take on a strong enemy
297
00:18:19,533 --> 00:18:22,623
when you can weaken them first?
298
00:18:24,146 --> 00:18:26,627
One of the most impressive
things about the Romans
299
00:18:26,757 --> 00:18:29,369
was their military
engineering ability.
300
00:18:29,499 --> 00:18:32,285
Crassus will drive Spartacus
down to the toe of Italy
301
00:18:32,415 --> 00:18:34,635
and across that toe,
302
00:18:34,765 --> 00:18:37,116
Crassus will build
a forty-mile wall.
303
00:18:42,599 --> 00:18:45,036
Crassus hopes
to either starve the army,
304
00:18:45,167 --> 00:18:47,256
get them to surrender
305
00:18:47,387 --> 00:18:50,868
or enable him to fight them
when they're weak and hungry.
306
00:18:50,999 --> 00:18:53,480
Eventually,
Spartacus' provisions run out.
307
00:18:57,440 --> 00:18:59,138
But then,
fate intervenes.
308
00:18:59,268 --> 00:19:01,923
There's a storm
and snow fills up the trenches
309
00:19:02,053 --> 00:19:04,839
so that Spartacus and his men
are able to escape the walls
310
00:19:04,969 --> 00:19:07,320
and make one desperate
last stand against the Romans.
311
00:19:16,067 --> 00:19:18,983
But Crassus' force
decisively defeats
312
00:19:19,114 --> 00:19:20,855
the weak and hungry gladiators.
313
00:19:37,915 --> 00:19:39,917
It's probably during
the Spartacus War,
314
00:19:40,048 --> 00:19:42,920
that Crassus and Caesar
become allies,
315
00:19:43,051 --> 00:19:44,879
perhaps even close friends.
316
00:19:46,794 --> 00:19:50,363
This is a relationship
that's going to last 20 years.
317
00:19:58,632 --> 00:20:00,111
At the end
of the Spartacus War,
318
00:20:00,242 --> 00:20:02,288
Caesar has two things
going for him.
319
00:20:02,418 --> 00:20:04,290
He has a reputation
for military accomplishment
320
00:20:04,420 --> 00:20:05,900
and he has the backing
321
00:20:06,030 --> 00:20:07,641
of the richest man
in Rome, Crassus.
322
00:20:07,771 --> 00:20:09,208
That's a great basis
323
00:20:09,338 --> 00:20:10,339
on which to build
a political career.
324
00:20:11,122 --> 00:20:12,559
The slave army...
325
00:20:13,777 --> 00:20:15,866
is defeated!
326
00:20:15,997 --> 00:20:18,869
But it takes more
than money to succeed in Rome.
327
00:20:21,045 --> 00:20:25,267
The gladiator rebellion
has been crushed!
328
00:20:25,398 --> 00:20:28,444
Apart from Crassus, the other
man who vies for the title
329
00:20:28,575 --> 00:20:31,360
of the most powerful man in Rome
at this time is Pompey.
330
00:20:32,927 --> 00:20:35,538
While Crassus
decisively defeated Spartacus
331
00:20:35,669 --> 00:20:37,366
at the Battle of Silarius River,
332
00:20:37,497 --> 00:20:39,194
Pompey is able to wipe up
333
00:20:39,325 --> 00:20:42,850
a few scattered remains
of Spartacus' army,
334
00:20:42,980 --> 00:20:46,984
he thus gets the opportunity
to claim victory for himself.
335
00:20:47,115 --> 00:20:50,249
Pompey once had the nickname
"The adolescent butcher"
336
00:20:50,379 --> 00:20:52,381
for his ruthlessness,
337
00:20:52,512 --> 00:20:55,079
and now he's taken
on this title "Magnus,"
338
00:20:55,210 --> 00:20:58,300
which means "The Great,"
same as "Alexander The Great."
339
00:20:58,431 --> 00:21:00,607
Now Pompey
is a brilliant general
340
00:21:00,737 --> 00:21:03,392
but he's a little bit
of a glory junkie,
341
00:21:03,523 --> 00:21:06,308
he's always looking
for his next hit of fame,
342
00:21:06,439 --> 00:21:08,136
even if it wasn't
entirely earned.
343
00:21:12,967 --> 00:21:14,447
"Pompey the Great."
344
00:21:15,186 --> 00:21:18,407
Great at stealing credit
for other men's victories.
345
00:21:18,538 --> 00:21:20,844
Glory is for generals, Crassus,
346
00:21:20,975 --> 00:21:22,585
not money-lenders.
347
00:21:22,716 --> 00:21:24,283
Generals?
348
00:21:24,413 --> 00:21:27,286
You feed on my glory
like a parasite.
349
00:21:29,462 --> 00:21:31,464
Pompey and Crassus
hated each other
350
00:21:31,594 --> 00:21:33,117
from the moment they first met.
351
00:21:33,248 --> 00:21:35,816
Crassus saw Pompey
352
00:21:35,946 --> 00:21:38,384
as someone who was
undeserving of the glory
353
00:21:38,514 --> 00:21:40,473
and credit he had received,
354
00:21:40,603 --> 00:21:43,432
while Crassus had been
denied those same honors.
355
00:21:44,041 --> 00:21:46,130
Pompey saw in Crassus,
356
00:21:46,261 --> 00:21:50,396
really, the only major threat
to Pompey's exultation.
357
00:21:51,135 --> 00:21:52,833
The rivalry
between Pompey and Crassus
358
00:21:52,963 --> 00:21:54,748
defines Roman politics
at this point in time,
359
00:21:54,878 --> 00:21:56,663
that makes things
very difficult for Caesar
360
00:21:56,793 --> 00:21:58,926
because he can't afford
to offend either one of them.
361
00:21:59,056 --> 00:22:02,146
A wrong step here could halt
his political career for good.
362
00:22:03,583 --> 00:22:05,976
Back in Rome,
for the next two years,
363
00:22:06,107 --> 00:22:09,023
Caesar focuses on building up
his public reputation.
364
00:22:10,764 --> 00:22:12,853
What he wants is a chance
to enter political office...
365
00:22:16,900 --> 00:22:18,685
but as Caesar
turns thirty-one...
366
00:22:20,426 --> 00:22:21,949
he faces a personal tragedy.
367
00:22:40,533 --> 00:22:42,230
In the summer of 69 BC,
368
00:22:42,361 --> 00:22:44,188
two years
after Spartacus' revolt,
369
00:22:44,319 --> 00:22:46,103
his wife, Cornelia, dies.
370
00:22:47,104 --> 00:22:49,672
We can't be sure exactly how
but there's a very good theory
371
00:22:49,803 --> 00:22:51,413
that it may have
been childbirth,
372
00:22:51,544 --> 00:22:53,241
which did kill
up to a third of women.
373
00:22:55,939 --> 00:22:58,594
Given that Caesar refused
374
00:22:58,725 --> 00:23:02,772
to divorce Cornelia for Sulla
375
00:23:02,903 --> 00:23:06,559
and given how long
their marriage lasted,
376
00:23:06,689 --> 00:23:08,474
I think it's safe to assume
377
00:23:08,604 --> 00:23:12,086
that he had a great deal
of affection for Cornelia.
378
00:23:14,915 --> 00:23:18,309
Caesar decides
to give her a public funeral.
379
00:23:19,223 --> 00:23:20,616
Now this is something
that generally
380
00:23:20,747 --> 00:23:23,576
was not done for Roman women.
381
00:23:24,490 --> 00:23:27,362
In Roman tradition,
funerals were a way
382
00:23:27,493 --> 00:23:30,539
of displaying everything
that your family had done
383
00:23:30,670 --> 00:23:32,193
on behalf of the Roman state.
384
00:23:38,895 --> 00:23:42,116
Cornelia's death is a blow
to Caesar's ambitions,
385
00:23:42,246 --> 00:23:45,075
he loses her connections
to a powerful family.
386
00:23:47,643 --> 00:23:49,906
But Caesar also turns
his personal tragedy
387
00:23:50,037 --> 00:23:51,430
into a political opportunity.
388
00:23:55,608 --> 00:23:59,046
Upon dying,
Romans would have a mask
389
00:23:59,176 --> 00:24:00,613
made of their remains.
390
00:24:01,744 --> 00:24:03,311
During a funeral,
391
00:24:03,442 --> 00:24:06,140
those masks
would be worn by performers.
392
00:24:07,054 --> 00:24:10,361
Caesar displays masks
of his ancestors,
393
00:24:10,492 --> 00:24:13,452
his uncle, Marius,
and his father-in-law, Cinna.
394
00:24:14,409 --> 00:24:16,672
And even though Sulla is dead,
395
00:24:16,803 --> 00:24:19,458
displaying the masks
of his opponents
396
00:24:19,588 --> 00:24:21,285
is still illegal.
397
00:24:23,505 --> 00:24:25,464
So, this is
a political statement,
398
00:24:25,594 --> 00:24:27,161
Caesar is saying,
399
00:24:27,291 --> 00:24:29,990
"It's okay to be
a populare again."
400
00:24:30,817 --> 00:24:33,254
Caesar's actions are
an affront to the optimates...
401
00:24:34,473 --> 00:24:36,605
the faction
that still holds power in Rome.
402
00:24:37,911 --> 00:24:40,827
This man holds up
his ancestors to be heroes.
403
00:24:42,437 --> 00:24:44,613
They were outlaws and rebels...
404
00:24:45,701 --> 00:24:47,181
enemies to the Republic.
405
00:24:49,400 --> 00:24:52,752
Cato will become
Caesar's greatest enemy.
406
00:24:52,882 --> 00:24:56,495
He's a key leader
of the political conservatives,
407
00:24:56,625 --> 00:24:58,671
a member of the optimates.
408
00:25:02,501 --> 00:25:03,806
You should hang
your head in shame...
409
00:25:06,461 --> 00:25:08,507
your uncle
and father-in-law lost the war.
410
00:25:09,899 --> 00:25:12,162
Cato loathes
Julius Caesar.
411
00:25:12,293 --> 00:25:13,642
It's even stronger than hate,
412
00:25:13,773 --> 00:25:16,515
he bitterly detests this man.
413
00:25:17,690 --> 00:25:20,127
They are both
highly ambitious men,
414
00:25:20,257 --> 00:25:22,608
who wish to rise
to the top of Roman society.
415
00:25:40,800 --> 00:25:42,889
My name is Gaius Julius Caesar.
416
00:25:45,282 --> 00:25:46,545
I've come here...
417
00:25:48,155 --> 00:25:49,548
to honor my wife.
418
00:25:50,766 --> 00:25:52,072
I've also come here...
419
00:25:53,856 --> 00:25:56,511
to make a promise to you all.
420
00:25:57,381 --> 00:26:00,907
For Caesar, this funeral oration
is a political awakening.
421
00:26:02,212 --> 00:26:05,302
My family
has the sanctity of kings.
422
00:26:06,086 --> 00:26:08,871
He's asserting,
that his family, the Julii,
423
00:26:09,002 --> 00:26:12,092
an old and noble family,
deserve to be treated
424
00:26:12,222 --> 00:26:15,051
with the same respect as
all of Rome's leading families.
425
00:26:15,922 --> 00:26:19,142
But more than this,
I am one of you.
426
00:26:21,231 --> 00:26:22,929
A Roman.
Yes!
427
00:26:24,234 --> 00:26:27,934
There are too many men
running this city
428
00:26:28,064 --> 00:26:30,023
who are only out for themselves.
429
00:26:30,545 --> 00:26:32,329
He announces that
430
00:26:32,460 --> 00:26:35,419
he is going to try
to move forward,
431
00:26:35,550 --> 00:26:38,292
to make things better
for the ordinary people of Rome.
432
00:26:38,422 --> 00:26:40,599
Join me...
Yes!
433
00:26:40,729 --> 00:26:42,122
...and I will show you...
434
00:26:43,645 --> 00:26:45,516
what we can do together.
435
00:26:48,911 --> 00:26:50,739
And he doesn't care
who stands in his way,
436
00:26:50,870 --> 00:26:53,046
his political aspirations
have never become clearer.
437
00:27:09,671 --> 00:27:12,805
g]
438
00:27:15,895 --> 00:27:18,593
Within months of his wife,
Cornelia's death,
439
00:27:18,724 --> 00:27:21,204
Caesar has raised
enough political support
440
00:27:21,335 --> 00:27:22,771
to become a senator.
441
00:27:28,168 --> 00:27:30,953
One of the ways one
becomes a senator in Rome,
442
00:27:31,084 --> 00:27:33,303
is by being elected
to one of the junior positions
443
00:27:33,434 --> 00:27:34,870
on the cursus honorum.
444
00:27:35,001 --> 00:27:37,525
This is how Caesar
becomes a senator.
445
00:27:37,656 --> 00:27:40,789
In Caesar's day,
there are about 600 senators.
446
00:27:40,920 --> 00:27:43,226
Now the word "senate"
comes from the word "senex,"
447
00:27:43,357 --> 00:27:45,228
which means old or wise man
448
00:27:45,359 --> 00:27:47,143
and this fits
the Senate to the "T".
449
00:27:48,449 --> 00:27:51,191
They are the oldest, wisest,
but really what they are,
450
00:27:51,321 --> 00:27:53,193
is the most
powerful men in Rome.
451
00:27:54,847 --> 00:27:56,370
Julius Caesar.
452
00:27:57,850 --> 00:27:59,286
Senators.
453
00:27:59,416 --> 00:28:01,941
I think that Caesar,
in many ways,
454
00:28:02,071 --> 00:28:04,291
was very idealistic.
455
00:28:05,161 --> 00:28:07,337
He really wants
to bring about change to Rome,
456
00:28:07,468 --> 00:28:09,383
to lift up the poor people,
457
00:28:09,513 --> 00:28:11,820
I think he really
does want to do good
458
00:28:11,951 --> 00:28:13,517
for the Roman Republic.
459
00:28:14,301 --> 00:28:16,869
Young Caesar
often backs idealistic,
460
00:28:16,999 --> 00:28:19,262
popular causes and this seems
461
00:28:19,393 --> 00:28:22,831
like a dashing rebellion
against the establishment
462
00:28:22,962 --> 00:28:24,659
but in fact, popular causes
463
00:28:24,790 --> 00:28:26,879
are a well-known route to power.
464
00:28:28,271 --> 00:28:30,883
Every decision he makes
as a young man,
465
00:28:31,013 --> 00:28:35,104
is designed to cement his image
as a supporter of the people.
466
00:28:35,931 --> 00:28:37,846
Once you're elected
into the Senate,
467
00:28:37,977 --> 00:28:40,762
you're there for life, like
the US Supreme Court Justices.
468
00:28:40,893 --> 00:28:42,982
However,
you could lose your seat.
469
00:28:43,983 --> 00:28:46,072
One of the ways is if you
have to declare bankruptcy.
470
00:28:46,202 --> 00:28:48,161
Politicians were not paid,
471
00:28:48,291 --> 00:28:51,033
not only would they be spending
on their campaign funds
472
00:28:51,164 --> 00:28:52,600
but they would be expected
473
00:28:52,731 --> 00:28:54,689
to cover civic
infrastructure projects.
474
00:28:54,820 --> 00:28:56,909
So, they might have to
repair bridges or roads.
475
00:28:59,999 --> 00:29:01,957
Caesar
is not a wealthy man
476
00:29:02,088 --> 00:29:04,568
when he begins
his career in politics,
477
00:29:04,699 --> 00:29:06,570
he runs up tremendous debts.
478
00:29:06,701 --> 00:29:10,879
By 64 BC,
Caesar is in so much debt
479
00:29:11,010 --> 00:29:12,489
that two of his fellow politicians
480
00:29:12,620 --> 00:29:14,056
have actually gone bankrupt,
481
00:29:14,187 --> 00:29:16,058
just trying
to keep pace with him.
482
00:29:17,320 --> 00:29:18,626
As Caesar's
debt balloons...
483
00:29:19,888 --> 00:29:22,978
five years into
his career as a senator,
484
00:29:23,109 --> 00:29:25,459
he decides to stage
gladiatorial games for the city.
485
00:29:27,287 --> 00:29:28,767
This is
an incredible opportunity
486
00:29:28,897 --> 00:29:30,681
to display his generosity.
487
00:29:32,858 --> 00:29:34,642
Caesar scours
gladiator schools across Italy.
488
00:29:35,643 --> 00:29:36,731
Their best fighters.
489
00:29:39,081 --> 00:29:40,343
Caesar
wants to put on
490
00:29:40,474 --> 00:29:42,258
the biggest show
in Rome's history
491
00:29:42,389 --> 00:29:44,217
but gladiators don't come cheap
492
00:29:44,347 --> 00:29:46,480
and Caesar needs
some extra financial help.
493
00:29:48,569 --> 00:29:50,571
At this point,
Caesar owes somewhere
494
00:29:50,701 --> 00:29:53,487
in the range
of 31 million sesterces.
495
00:29:53,617 --> 00:29:55,794
That's over $100 million
in today's money.
496
00:29:57,796 --> 00:30:00,668
It means every Roman creditor
is on the lookout for Caesar.
497
00:30:02,191 --> 00:30:03,976
They know his name,
they know what he owes.
498
00:30:06,065 --> 00:30:08,545
As Caesar's debts
continue to rise,
499
00:30:08,676 --> 00:30:11,113
his creditors become
more and more impatient
500
00:30:11,244 --> 00:30:14,508
and there's only one man
in Rome who can bail him out.
501
00:30:15,552 --> 00:30:18,817
- Caesar, you wanted to see me?
- Crassus, thank you for coming.
502
00:30:20,688 --> 00:30:22,603
One of my creditors,
503
00:30:22,733 --> 00:30:24,126
they're threatening me
with court.
504
00:30:26,563 --> 00:30:27,651
What's your plan?
505
00:30:29,523 --> 00:30:31,438
I've been thinking,
506
00:30:31,568 --> 00:30:33,527
perhaps you can help.
507
00:30:35,268 --> 00:30:36,530
I've never lost an election...
508
00:30:38,010 --> 00:30:40,621
if I was in your debt
instead of theirs,
509
00:30:40,751 --> 00:30:42,318
think of what you'd get back
on your investment.
510
00:30:45,495 --> 00:30:48,847
If I do this, I own you.
511
00:30:49,760 --> 00:30:51,153
You do know what that means.
512
00:30:51,284 --> 00:30:53,286
For you,
it means influence, favor--
513
00:30:53,416 --> 00:30:57,507
For you, it means
every single decision you face,
514
00:30:57,638 --> 00:31:00,554
your first thought will not be,
"How does this benefit Caesar?"
515
00:31:01,468 --> 00:31:03,557
But, "How does this
benefit Crassus?"
516
00:31:04,253 --> 00:31:06,995
You lose an election,
even once...
517
00:31:08,562 --> 00:31:10,694
I will gut you
for everything you own.
518
00:31:12,435 --> 00:31:13,523
I know the risks.
519
00:31:15,177 --> 00:31:17,614
Caesar asks for Crassus
to essentially be
520
00:31:17,745 --> 00:31:20,966
the guarantor on his loans,
521
00:31:21,096 --> 00:31:24,056
but in return,
Caesar will become Crassus' man.
522
00:31:29,844 --> 00:31:32,455
This is an extremely
risky move from Caesar.
523
00:31:32,586 --> 00:31:34,457
He's gambling here
that he will get high enough
524
00:31:34,588 --> 00:31:36,111
on Rome's political ladder
525
00:31:36,242 --> 00:31:37,896
that he will be able
to pay Crassus back.
526
00:31:39,810 --> 00:31:41,856
If he loses the next election,
527
00:31:41,987 --> 00:31:43,771
he could be looking
at making an enemy
528
00:31:43,902 --> 00:31:46,034
of one of Rome's
most powerful men
529
00:31:46,165 --> 00:31:48,210
and an effective end
to his political career.
530
00:31:52,998 --> 00:31:54,913
The time has come
for us to choose.
531
00:31:55,043 --> 00:31:56,131
For the next
several years,
532
00:31:56,262 --> 00:31:58,090
Caesar and Crassus are both
533
00:31:58,220 --> 00:32:01,223
political allies
and economic partners.
534
00:32:01,354 --> 00:32:04,052
Caesar has to rise
for Crassus to be paid back,
535
00:32:04,183 --> 00:32:07,838
and now, only one office remains
for Caesar to take,
536
00:32:07,969 --> 00:32:09,101
the consulship.
537
00:32:09,928 --> 00:32:12,104
When the Romans
got rid of their kings,
538
00:32:12,234 --> 00:32:15,194
they replaced them
with the consuls.
539
00:32:15,324 --> 00:32:18,545
So the consuls acted
as the commander-in-chief
540
00:32:18,675 --> 00:32:20,764
of the Roman military.
541
00:32:20,895 --> 00:32:23,767
They were proposing
all bills to the Senate,
542
00:32:23,898 --> 00:32:27,119
the consuls also acted
as the chief judicial officer.
543
00:32:27,249 --> 00:32:29,425
They were the ones
who passed judgement
544
00:32:29,556 --> 00:32:31,297
and who executed punishments.
545
00:32:32,211 --> 00:32:34,300
Caesar is now 40 years old,
546
00:32:34,430 --> 00:32:37,477
which is the youngest anyone can
get elected to the consulship.
547
00:32:37,607 --> 00:32:40,045
The consulship is the high point
548
00:32:40,175 --> 00:32:42,047
of any Roman's career.
549
00:32:42,177 --> 00:32:44,353
This is the position
that Caesar has been
550
00:32:44,484 --> 00:32:47,835
preparing to take
his entire life.
551
00:32:49,315 --> 00:32:52,579
But Caesar's route
to the consulship is not easy.
552
00:32:54,059 --> 00:32:55,756
Rome's
two most powerful men,
553
00:32:55,886 --> 00:32:58,411
Crassus and Pompey,
hate each other
554
00:32:58,541 --> 00:33:00,674
and they've spent years
fighting each other.
555
00:33:07,724 --> 00:33:08,899
Running
for the consulship,
556
00:33:09,030 --> 00:33:11,293
Caesar is now part
557
00:33:11,424 --> 00:33:13,730
of Crassus' faction.
558
00:33:13,861 --> 00:33:16,255
Which means, Pompey's supporters
559
00:33:16,385 --> 00:33:18,126
will be gunning for him.
560
00:33:19,214 --> 00:33:21,086
He has to find
some sort of middle ground
561
00:33:21,216 --> 00:33:22,913
that will allow him
to be elected.
562
00:33:36,840 --> 00:33:38,103
But Caesar
is an incredibly savvy
563
00:33:38,233 --> 00:33:39,365
political operator.
564
00:33:41,802 --> 00:33:43,847
Roman politics is a snake pit
565
00:33:43,978 --> 00:33:46,763
and Caesar navigates it
with incredible dexterity.
566
00:33:58,253 --> 00:34:00,212
- Pompey, thank you for coming.
- Why the secrecy?
567
00:34:04,564 --> 00:34:06,261
I'm not interested
in playing games.
568
00:34:06,392 --> 00:34:08,872
Stop, please,
569
00:34:09,003 --> 00:34:10,570
just hear what I have to say.
570
00:34:13,138 --> 00:34:15,662
You two should be
the most powerful men in Rome,
571
00:34:15,792 --> 00:34:18,926
but you put all of your energy
into fighting each other.
572
00:34:20,841 --> 00:34:22,756
What if, instead,
573
00:34:22,886 --> 00:34:26,586
you worked for each other?
574
00:34:28,066 --> 00:34:29,110
Why would we?
575
00:34:29,676 --> 00:34:31,634
Back me to become consul
576
00:34:31,765 --> 00:34:34,768
and I'll make sure
the Senate works for you.
577
00:34:36,900 --> 00:34:38,076
The three of us.
578
00:34:39,599 --> 00:34:42,080
We'd be invincible.
579
00:34:43,385 --> 00:34:45,083
Why should I trust you?
580
00:34:47,868 --> 00:34:49,348
I have one child, my daughter,
581
00:34:49,478 --> 00:34:51,959
she's everything to me.
582
00:34:53,874 --> 00:34:56,442
I offer her to you...
583
00:34:57,312 --> 00:34:58,966
as your wife.
584
00:35:00,228 --> 00:35:01,621
We'd be bonded in blood...
585
00:35:03,318 --> 00:35:04,276
family.
586
00:35:08,802 --> 00:35:11,370
Pompey wants land
for his ex-soldiers,
587
00:35:11,500 --> 00:35:13,720
he hasn't been able
to get that through the Senate.
588
00:35:13,850 --> 00:35:16,679
Crassus wants financial support
for his tax-collectors,
589
00:35:16,810 --> 00:35:18,899
he hasn't been able
to get that through,
590
00:35:19,029 --> 00:35:20,988
and Caesar, of course,
wants to be consul.
591
00:35:28,691 --> 00:35:30,302
Caesar is basically
gambling here,
592
00:35:30,432 --> 00:35:32,782
that all three men
are self-interested enough
593
00:35:32,913 --> 00:35:35,307
to put aside their personal beef
and work together.
594
00:35:44,142 --> 00:35:46,100
The secret deal
that Caesar persuades
595
00:35:46,231 --> 00:35:49,495
Pompey and Crassus to agree to,
is called the Triumvirate.
596
00:35:51,236 --> 00:35:53,629
It literally means
"rule of three."
597
00:35:58,504 --> 00:36:01,115
Individually,
they've all been able to get
598
00:36:01,246 --> 00:36:03,857
some of what they want,
but never all of it.
599
00:36:05,467 --> 00:36:08,862
Together, they can dominate
Roman politics...
600
00:36:10,646 --> 00:36:12,039
for years to come.
601
00:36:19,916 --> 00:36:23,311
Caesar immediately
leans on his deal,
602
00:36:23,442 --> 00:36:25,966
with his fellow members
of the Triumvirate,
603
00:36:26,096 --> 00:36:27,881
Crassus and Pompey,
604
00:36:28,011 --> 00:36:31,145
to make sure
he's elected consul.
605
00:36:31,276 --> 00:36:33,974
The Triumvirate
is an ideal arrangement.
606
00:36:34,104 --> 00:36:36,063
Caesar brings
the political skill
607
00:36:36,194 --> 00:36:37,717
and dexterity,
608
00:36:37,847 --> 00:36:39,675
Pompey brings the muscle.
609
00:36:39,806 --> 00:36:43,113
Friends,
the elections are coming
610
00:36:43,244 --> 00:36:46,943
and we are here to ensure
that you vote for the right man.
611
00:36:47,901 --> 00:36:50,469
And Crassus?
He brings the cold, hard cash.
612
00:36:51,383 --> 00:36:53,385
I was just glad I could
offer help when you needed it.
613
00:36:54,081 --> 00:36:56,518
Now, it's my turn.
614
00:36:56,649 --> 00:37:00,087
Bribery was rampant
in ancient Roman elections.
615
00:37:00,218 --> 00:37:02,089
Cast your vote
for Julius Caesar.
616
00:37:02,829 --> 00:37:04,439
You could buy votes
617
00:37:04,570 --> 00:37:06,659
and it was not even considered
618
00:37:06,789 --> 00:37:08,313
bad manners to do this.
619
00:37:09,705 --> 00:37:11,620
Caesar.
620
00:37:11,751 --> 00:37:13,927
Twenty-four votes and counting.
621
00:37:14,797 --> 00:37:15,842
Keep it up.
622
00:37:17,713 --> 00:37:18,845
Voting is only for men...
623
00:37:21,456 --> 00:37:23,415
but this doesn't mean
women carry no influence.
624
00:37:25,330 --> 00:37:27,810
After Cornelia's death,
Caesar does remarry,
625
00:37:27,941 --> 00:37:31,161
but he is also known
as a bit of womanizer.
626
00:37:31,292 --> 00:37:33,120
Servilia, Silanus,
627
00:37:33,251 --> 00:37:35,514
how lovely to see you both.
628
00:37:35,644 --> 00:37:37,646
Servilia
is Cato's sister,
629
00:37:37,777 --> 00:37:40,214
she also happens to be
Caesar's mistress.
630
00:37:40,345 --> 00:37:42,564
They've been together for years,
631
00:37:42,695 --> 00:37:44,827
even though both of them
are married.
632
00:37:44,958 --> 00:37:46,481
In addition to being
Caesar's mistress,
633
00:37:46,612 --> 00:37:48,875
Servilia plays
a very important role here,
634
00:37:49,005 --> 00:37:52,182
as a kind of back-channel
negotiator of the ancient world.
635
00:37:52,313 --> 00:37:54,576
Senator,
can I count on your support?
636
00:37:56,709 --> 00:37:57,971
Silanus will back you up.
637
00:37:59,581 --> 00:38:01,409
My brother's politics
aren't ours.
638
00:38:13,900 --> 00:38:16,555
Candidates in Roman elections
wore special togas,
639
00:38:16,685 --> 00:38:19,688
the toga candida,
which means "bright white."
640
00:38:20,472 --> 00:38:22,865
A Roman who is wearing
the toga candida
641
00:38:22,996 --> 00:38:26,129
was a candidatus,
"one dressed in bright white."
642
00:38:26,260 --> 00:38:28,958
This is where we get
our modern word "candidate."
643
00:38:30,220 --> 00:38:32,527
Caesar is an extremely
charismatic politician.
644
00:38:32,658 --> 00:38:35,051
He's attractive, he's witty.
645
00:38:35,182 --> 00:38:38,490
In fact, one could say
that he has all the talents.
646
00:38:40,622 --> 00:38:43,886
There's a lot riding on this
election day for you, Caesar,
647
00:38:44,017 --> 00:38:45,279
for all of us.
648
00:38:47,412 --> 00:38:49,501
We will see you later,
at the victory party.
649
00:38:53,418 --> 00:38:56,769
And it had better be
a victory party.
650
00:38:58,074 --> 00:39:00,250
The stakes
could not be higher for Caesar,
651
00:39:00,381 --> 00:39:03,079
he literally cannot afford
to lose this election.
652
00:39:09,738 --> 00:39:11,697
But Caesar
had no need to worry.
653
00:39:14,047 --> 00:39:16,136
The election day
proves to be everything
654
00:39:16,266 --> 00:39:18,791
that Caesar could've wished for
because he tops the ballot
655
00:39:18,921 --> 00:39:21,359
by a landslide,
so he is elected consul.
656
00:39:23,883 --> 00:39:25,885
A consul's term
is only one year,
657
00:39:26,015 --> 00:39:28,017
so if they want to
get things done,
658
00:39:28,148 --> 00:39:30,846
they have to push them through,
from the first day in office.
659
00:39:33,066 --> 00:39:35,851
Caesar now has to pay back
his allies.
660
00:39:35,982 --> 00:39:38,898
The first law
Caesar has to pass as consul,
661
00:39:39,028 --> 00:39:41,379
is a land bill that gives land
662
00:39:41,509 --> 00:39:43,250
to Pompey's veterans.
663
00:39:44,251 --> 00:39:47,385
The land is there to be farmed.
664
00:39:47,515 --> 00:39:49,474
The former soldiers of Pompey
665
00:39:49,604 --> 00:39:51,084
risked their lives
for the Roman Republic
666
00:39:51,214 --> 00:39:53,173
but are now reduced to poverty.
667
00:39:53,303 --> 00:39:55,567
Pompey wants to give them
farms as a reward.
668
00:39:56,481 --> 00:39:58,352
Should it not be given
669
00:39:58,483 --> 00:40:00,354
to destitute men
670
00:40:00,485 --> 00:40:03,705
who once fought for us all?
671
00:40:10,712 --> 00:40:13,106
Cato, you wish
to support my bill?
672
00:40:15,064 --> 00:40:18,416
Cato
is one of the leading members
673
00:40:18,546 --> 00:40:20,983
of the optimates,
"The Conservative."
674
00:40:21,114 --> 00:40:24,944
He is perhaps the most
conservative man in Rome.
675
00:40:25,074 --> 00:40:28,164
Cato has a kind of
personality cult going on.
676
00:40:28,295 --> 00:40:30,993
He has a very distinctive
way of dress,
677
00:40:31,124 --> 00:40:34,823
what he imagines was the attire
678
00:40:34,954 --> 00:40:36,825
of the earliest leaders of Rome.
679
00:40:36,956 --> 00:40:39,959
He goes barefoot
and even commando
680
00:40:40,089 --> 00:40:42,614
and he does this
style himself as a man
681
00:40:42,744 --> 00:40:45,094
who is returning to simpler days
682
00:40:45,225 --> 00:40:47,488
but really what he's doing
is representing the aims
683
00:40:47,619 --> 00:40:50,143
of a very small group
of aristocrats.
684
00:40:50,273 --> 00:40:51,318
Consul.
685
00:40:52,711 --> 00:40:56,279
There is much to admire
in this land bill.
686
00:40:56,715 --> 00:40:59,369
The hand is elegant,
687
00:40:59,500 --> 00:41:02,155
the papyrus
is of the finest quality...
688
00:41:05,114 --> 00:41:08,291
but it would be
a very grave mistake
689
00:41:08,422 --> 00:41:11,860
to set such a precedent
at this point in time.
690
00:41:11,991 --> 00:41:14,559
Like senators
in the United States today,
691
00:41:14,689 --> 00:41:17,953
Roman senators could
effectively stop legislation
692
00:41:18,084 --> 00:41:19,433
simply by talking...
693
00:41:19,955 --> 00:41:22,262
And we are to obey.
694
00:41:22,392 --> 00:41:23,698
...and talking...
695
00:41:23,829 --> 00:41:25,308
There are points aplenty
696
00:41:25,439 --> 00:41:26,919
that are wrong with this text.
697
00:41:27,049 --> 00:41:28,224
...and talking.
698
00:41:28,877 --> 00:41:31,401
Cato is a master
at the filibuster.
699
00:41:31,532 --> 00:41:35,449
How very,
very tedious of Caesar...
700
00:41:35,580 --> 00:41:39,409
Cato's an obstructionist
and he's trying to make sure
701
00:41:39,540 --> 00:41:42,761
that nothing that represents
the aims of Caesar,
702
00:41:42,891 --> 00:41:45,720
Pompey and Crassus
gets turned into law.
703
00:41:45,851 --> 00:41:48,114
Cato's opposition
to Caesar's land bill
704
00:41:48,244 --> 00:41:50,899
isn't just political,
it's also personal.
705
00:41:51,030 --> 00:41:54,773
These two guys
really do not get on
706
00:41:54,903 --> 00:41:56,644
and that's made worse
by the fact that Caesar
707
00:41:56,775 --> 00:41:59,212
is having this affair
with Cato's sister.
708
00:41:59,342 --> 00:42:01,040
...a waste
of our time, senators.
709
00:42:01,170 --> 00:42:03,608
That's enough Cato.
710
00:42:08,482 --> 00:42:09,527
Maybe one-- what is this?
711
00:42:10,353 --> 00:42:11,441
What is this?
712
00:42:13,792 --> 00:42:16,751
Let us give
the honorable Senator
713
00:42:16,882 --> 00:42:20,146
some time alone
to think about the land bill.
714
00:42:20,276 --> 00:42:23,802
Caesar sends attendants
to manhandle Cato
715
00:42:23,932 --> 00:42:25,238
and lead him off
towards the prison...
716
00:42:28,241 --> 00:42:30,591
hoping this will simply
stop Cato in his tracks.
717
00:42:31,592 --> 00:42:34,247
Before I was
so rudely interrupted.
718
00:42:38,164 --> 00:42:40,514
Caesar doesn't have
the power to keep Cato there
719
00:42:40,645 --> 00:42:42,734
for very long,
but he's broadcasting a message.
720
00:42:46,085 --> 00:42:49,697
He is not above using violence
to get what it is that he wants,
721
00:42:49,828 --> 00:42:51,612
so he wields a very heavy stick
722
00:42:51,743 --> 00:42:54,267
and the optimates
hate him for it.
723
00:42:58,488 --> 00:43:01,883
Over the next year,
Caesar, Pompey and Crassus
724
00:43:02,014 --> 00:43:04,277
resort to any means necessary,
725
00:43:04,407 --> 00:43:06,758
legal and illegal...
726
00:43:06,888 --> 00:43:08,847
to push through their agenda.
727
00:43:10,239 --> 00:43:12,590
As it becomes less secret
and more openly violent,
728
00:43:12,720 --> 00:43:14,940
the Triumvirate acquires
a nickname,
729
00:43:15,070 --> 00:43:16,463
"The three-headed monster."
730
00:43:17,420 --> 00:43:20,032
Consuls can only serve
one year in office,
731
00:43:20,162 --> 00:43:22,034
it's possible
to serve another year
732
00:43:22,164 --> 00:43:23,383
but not consecutively.
733
00:43:24,645 --> 00:43:26,778
And so Caesar knows
that his time
734
00:43:26,908 --> 00:43:28,823
is coming to an end
and he needs a plan.
735
00:43:30,259 --> 00:43:32,958
With Caesar out of office,
he will no longer have
736
00:43:33,088 --> 00:43:35,351
political immunity
from prosecution.
737
00:43:35,482 --> 00:43:37,702
What Caesar's enemies
really want to do
738
00:43:37,832 --> 00:43:40,313
is prosecute him
for all of the crimes
739
00:43:40,443 --> 00:43:42,271
that he has committed
in the last year.
740
00:43:43,055 --> 00:43:45,361
Caesar needs a way
741
00:43:45,492 --> 00:43:48,016
to extend his immunity,
742
00:43:48,147 --> 00:43:50,802
so that Cato and the optimates
cannot charge him.
743
00:43:53,979 --> 00:43:55,371
We don't have
much more time
744
00:43:55,502 --> 00:43:57,330
with you as consul.
745
00:43:57,460 --> 00:43:59,027
What comes next?
746
00:43:59,158 --> 00:44:00,420
I've been
working on something.
747
00:44:02,074 --> 00:44:05,643
I need [indistinct],
one with a military command.
748
00:44:05,773 --> 00:44:07,645
How does that benefit us?
749
00:44:07,775 --> 00:44:10,473
It benefits us all.
Slaves, gladiators, wealth.
750
00:44:11,126 --> 00:44:14,086
Everyone in Rome will know
751
00:44:14,216 --> 00:44:17,263
everything that's sent back
is from the three of us.
752
00:44:17,393 --> 00:44:18,917
The people will love us.
753
00:44:19,047 --> 00:44:21,180
Caesar's plan
is to get a governorship
754
00:44:21,310 --> 00:44:22,921
with military responsibilities.
755
00:44:23,051 --> 00:44:25,053
He would be
immune from prosecution,
756
00:44:25,184 --> 00:44:26,881
perhaps more importantly
for Caesar is,
757
00:44:27,012 --> 00:44:30,363
he doesn't have military glory
at a larger scale
758
00:44:30,493 --> 00:44:32,408
and that's what he would get
if he became the governor
759
00:44:32,539 --> 00:44:34,715
and on top of that,
he's terribly broke.
760
00:44:34,846 --> 00:44:37,022
It would be an opportunity
to get himself out of debt.
761
00:44:37,718 --> 00:44:39,415
Where do you propose?
762
00:44:47,728 --> 00:44:49,991
With help
from Pompey and Crassus,
763
00:44:50,122 --> 00:44:53,299
Caesar secures the position
as governor of Italian Gaul.
764
00:44:55,344 --> 00:44:58,043
Italian Gaul
is the northern-most part
765
00:44:58,173 --> 00:45:00,306
of the Roman Republic.
766
00:45:00,436 --> 00:45:04,005
On the border between
modern-day France and Italy.
767
00:45:04,136 --> 00:45:07,269
So while Italian Gaul
is under Roman control,
768
00:45:07,400 --> 00:45:09,489
the rest of Gaul
is a kind of wild,
769
00:45:09,619 --> 00:45:12,057
independent area
that covers France,
770
00:45:12,187 --> 00:45:13,885
Belgium, the Netherlands,
771
00:45:14,015 --> 00:45:16,017
even up to the Rhine river
in Germany.
772
00:45:16,148 --> 00:45:18,846
The Gauls don't have
a single government like Rome.
773
00:45:18,977 --> 00:45:20,761
According to the Roman
historian, Plutarch,
774
00:45:20,892 --> 00:45:22,894
there are actually
about 300 tribes
775
00:45:23,024 --> 00:45:24,722
who are constantly
at war with each other.
776
00:45:25,810 --> 00:45:28,160
Some are allies of Rome,
some fight Rome,
777
00:45:28,290 --> 00:45:29,422
but they're not united.
778
00:45:31,598 --> 00:45:33,774
For Caesar,
Gaul is not only a vast,
779
00:45:33,905 --> 00:45:35,558
untapped reserve of wealth,
780
00:45:35,689 --> 00:45:37,952
it's a powder-keg
of warring tribes
781
00:45:38,083 --> 00:45:39,258
ready to explode.
782
00:45:39,998 --> 00:45:41,913
If he's able
to conquer this territory,
783
00:45:42,043 --> 00:45:45,090
he could become the wealthiest,
most powerful man in Rome.
784
00:45:46,874 --> 00:45:50,095
but Caesar can't get
involved militarily in Gaul
785
00:45:50,225 --> 00:45:51,096
without a pretext.
786
00:45:53,402 --> 00:45:54,664
So?
787
00:45:55,317 --> 00:45:57,537
Caesar's most important
commander in Gaul
788
00:45:57,667 --> 00:46:00,540
is a talented general
named Titus Labienus.
789
00:46:00,670 --> 00:46:02,977
Earlier in his career,
he'd been associated with Pompey
790
00:46:03,108 --> 00:46:04,500
and now
he's working with Caesar.
791
00:46:04,631 --> 00:46:06,720
An envoy from the Aedui,
792
00:46:06,851 --> 00:46:09,114
a border tribe
and allies with Rome
793
00:46:09,244 --> 00:46:10,768
is begging
for a meeting with you.
794
00:46:11,899 --> 00:46:13,466
Shall I send him away?
795
00:46:13,596 --> 00:46:14,597
Bring him in.
796
00:46:21,256 --> 00:46:22,301
Speak.
797
00:46:23,258 --> 00:46:25,434
We need Rome's protection.
798
00:46:26,479 --> 00:46:29,177
Weeks after taking up
his position as Governor,
799
00:46:29,308 --> 00:46:31,876
Caesar is approached
by Gaul's ally to Rome,
800
00:46:32,006 --> 00:46:34,879
asking for help
against another tribe,
801
00:46:35,009 --> 00:46:36,358
the Helvetii.
802
00:46:37,272 --> 00:46:40,275
The Helvetii are a tribe
living in modern-day Switzerland
803
00:46:40,406 --> 00:46:42,060
but they're looking
for somewhere else to go.
804
00:46:44,236 --> 00:46:45,672
As the Helvetii emigrate,
805
00:46:45,803 --> 00:46:47,195
they clash with other tribes.
806
00:46:47,326 --> 00:46:49,850
There's violence
and there's death.
807
00:46:49,981 --> 00:46:52,026
Some of these tribes
are allied to Rome.
808
00:46:52,157 --> 00:46:54,986
Those loyal tribes will come
to Caesar seeking help.
809
00:46:56,161 --> 00:46:57,336
What do you think, Labienus?
810
00:46:58,903 --> 00:47:02,167
Are we not bound
to help our allies?
811
00:47:03,733 --> 00:47:06,475
It becomes an opportunity
for Caesar to engage militarily.
812
00:47:36,723 --> 00:47:39,465
As the Helvetii
continue their migration,
813
00:47:39,595 --> 00:47:41,380
Caesar intercepts.
814
00:47:48,996 --> 00:47:50,389
In Gaul,
Caesar is a predator.
815
00:47:52,521 --> 00:47:54,219
There's just
no other way to describe it.
816
00:47:57,483 --> 00:47:59,224
You have to think
of the Helvetii
817
00:47:59,354 --> 00:48:02,618
as essentially refugees,
looking for a new place to live.
818
00:48:02,749 --> 00:48:04,142
A great deal of their number
819
00:48:04,272 --> 00:48:05,578
would've been
women and children.
820
00:48:17,590 --> 00:48:20,158
This really isn't
a great military conquest
821
00:48:20,288 --> 00:48:23,204
on Caesar's part,
so much as it is an atrocity...
822
00:48:25,641 --> 00:48:28,340
but Caesar is able
to turn this into a story
823
00:48:28,470 --> 00:48:29,819
of a military victory,
824
00:48:29,950 --> 00:48:31,256
that helps
make him popular in Rome.
825
00:48:37,349 --> 00:48:39,655
Having suppressed the Helvetii,
826
00:48:39,786 --> 00:48:42,963
one might expect
that Caesar would leave Gaul
827
00:48:43,094 --> 00:48:45,313
and return
to his Governor's province,
828
00:48:45,444 --> 00:48:48,751
in northern Italy,
but Caesar has other ideas.
829
00:48:53,147 --> 00:48:55,236
They'll be impressed
with our horde back in Italy.
830
00:48:55,367 --> 00:48:56,455
It'll have to wait.
831
00:48:58,283 --> 00:48:59,937
We can't stay here without
permission from the Senate.
832
00:49:00,067 --> 00:49:03,201
There's been a new appeal
from another ally,
833
00:49:03,331 --> 00:49:05,638
I think it's our duty
to stay and help...
834
00:49:07,857 --> 00:49:10,512
and we don't need
the approval of the Senate
835
00:49:10,643 --> 00:49:11,818
to do our duty.
836
00:49:13,689 --> 00:49:16,083
Just months
after defeating the Helvetii,
837
00:49:16,214 --> 00:49:18,042
Caesar decides to go for broke,
838
00:49:18,172 --> 00:49:20,087
he wants all of Gaul.
839
00:49:22,263 --> 00:49:24,222
It's a huge gamble
for Caesar.
840
00:49:24,352 --> 00:49:25,963
He's miles from home,
841
00:49:26,093 --> 00:49:28,922
the tribes outnumber his troops
842
00:49:29,053 --> 00:49:31,403
and he doesn't have proper
supply lines for his army.
843
00:49:32,534 --> 00:49:35,494
And yet, for him,
it's worth the gamble.
844
00:49:38,453 --> 00:49:40,020
Ceasar makes
a Faustian pact.
845
00:49:40,151 --> 00:49:41,848
Stand tall.
846
00:49:41,979 --> 00:49:43,763
To conquer Gaul,
he raises troops
847
00:49:43,893 --> 00:49:45,765
from the local provincials
in Italian Gaul.
848
00:49:47,897 --> 00:49:49,247
But he does it
without the Senate's permission.
849
00:49:49,377 --> 00:49:51,118
Eyes forward...
850
00:49:51,814 --> 00:49:53,425
When Rome
would raise a legion,
851
00:49:53,555 --> 00:49:55,035
they would swear
allegiance to Rome.
852
00:49:55,166 --> 00:49:56,341
...as one.
853
00:49:56,471 --> 00:49:58,212
When Caesar raises them,
854
00:49:58,343 --> 00:49:59,866
to whom do they swear
allegiance?
855
00:49:59,997 --> 00:50:01,694
One could argue
it's to Julius Caesar.
856
00:50:03,696 --> 00:50:05,437
As he raises these legions,
857
00:50:05,567 --> 00:50:08,614
to pay for them,
he must conquer parts of Gaul.
858
00:50:08,744 --> 00:50:09,702
It forces him forward.
859
00:50:12,922 --> 00:50:14,185
Over the next four years...
860
00:50:16,230 --> 00:50:18,537
Caesar conquers
huge parts of Gaul.
861
00:50:22,758 --> 00:50:25,239
Caesar's a divide
and conquer strategist.
862
00:50:25,370 --> 00:50:27,067
He figures out
who the opposition is...
863
00:50:27,198 --> 00:50:28,982
Now!
864
00:50:29,113 --> 00:50:31,376
...he makes alliances
with some tribes...
865
00:50:35,510 --> 00:50:37,599
...and he calls
other tribes his enemies.
866
00:50:39,688 --> 00:50:41,864
He brings
the friendly tribes to bear
867
00:50:41,995 --> 00:50:43,649
against the enemy tribes,
868
00:50:43,779 --> 00:50:45,172
then he turns
on the friendly tribes.
869
00:50:48,219 --> 00:50:50,917
He's clever,
he's charming and he's ruthless.
870
00:50:52,745 --> 00:50:55,487
Along the way,
he will be careful to manage
871
00:50:55,617 --> 00:50:57,184
the narrative
that gets back to Rome.
872
00:50:58,403 --> 00:51:01,406
Caesar
encouraged the men personally.
873
00:51:02,189 --> 00:51:05,149
Ordering the men to open ranks
874
00:51:05,279 --> 00:51:07,325
so they might use
their swords more easily.
875
00:51:08,717 --> 00:51:12,460
"Omnia Gallia,
in tres partes divida est",
876
00:51:13,200 --> 00:51:15,768
All Gaul
is divided into three parts.
877
00:51:15,898 --> 00:51:19,641
It's the famous opening line
of Caesar's Gallic Commentaries.
878
00:51:20,729 --> 00:51:22,688
His bravery
gave the men fresh hope.
879
00:51:24,168 --> 00:51:27,127
Caesar manages the narrative
of the Gallic War back in Rome
880
00:51:27,258 --> 00:51:29,434
in a way
that's absolutely classic.
881
00:51:29,564 --> 00:51:32,915
Every man was eager to do well
882
00:51:33,046 --> 00:51:36,223
in his commander's sight.
883
00:51:36,354 --> 00:51:39,313
He does so
by writing his own history.
884
00:51:39,444 --> 00:51:41,750
Caesar realized
the outcome...
885
00:51:43,056 --> 00:51:44,144
was on a knife-edge.
886
00:51:45,189 --> 00:51:47,060
But Caesar
turns it into something new,
887
00:51:47,191 --> 00:51:48,627
exciting, even cinematic.
888
00:51:50,063 --> 00:51:51,760
He snatched a shield...
889
00:51:53,545 --> 00:51:55,808
from a soldier at the rear...
890
00:51:57,505 --> 00:51:59,116
and walked
straight to the front line.
891
00:51:59,855 --> 00:52:01,596
And his reports are read
892
00:52:01,727 --> 00:52:04,382
to the people of Italy
in public, year after year,
893
00:52:04,512 --> 00:52:06,688
glorifying Caesar's
achievements in Gaul.
894
00:52:07,646 --> 00:52:09,996
"So he snatched a shield
from a soldier in the rear,
895
00:52:10,127 --> 00:52:11,650
"made his way
to the front line."
896
00:52:13,217 --> 00:52:14,870
It's almost indescribably
897
00:52:15,001 --> 00:52:17,090
persuasive language.
898
00:52:17,221 --> 00:52:19,527
He was an extraordinary
master of writing.
899
00:52:19,658 --> 00:52:22,226
Modern politicians
would love to email CNN
900
00:52:22,356 --> 00:52:24,706
or Fox News
their version of events
901
00:52:24,837 --> 00:52:26,404
and have those
news media sources
902
00:52:26,534 --> 00:52:28,536
present them
completely uncritically.
903
00:52:29,668 --> 00:52:31,974
For Caesar, this is
what the Commentaries are.
904
00:52:33,150 --> 00:52:36,849
Caesar is also
building up his defense,
905
00:52:36,979 --> 00:52:39,678
he knows
that he has broken Roman law.
906
00:52:41,549 --> 00:52:43,812
And so it is from
Caesar's Commentaries
907
00:52:43,943 --> 00:52:46,250
that we get his excuse
908
00:52:46,380 --> 00:52:49,340
about defending Roman interests
from the Helvetii.
909
00:52:51,037 --> 00:52:53,387
His defense of raising troops
910
00:52:53,518 --> 00:52:55,259
when he did not
have the authority.
911
00:52:56,651 --> 00:52:59,350
Caesar's popularity
with ordinary Romans grows
912
00:52:59,480 --> 00:53:01,482
with every report
that he sends back.
913
00:53:01,613 --> 00:53:04,529
To them, he is the hero,
defending the glory of Rome.
914
00:53:06,008 --> 00:53:07,923
But amongst
some Senators,
915
00:53:08,054 --> 00:53:10,448
his exploits raise
serious concerns.
916
00:53:11,492 --> 00:53:14,191
Senators,
what he is doing in Gaul
917
00:53:14,321 --> 00:53:16,193
is completely against the law!
918
00:53:17,716 --> 00:53:20,284
Cato is already
making the argument
919
00:53:20,414 --> 00:53:22,851
that Caesar
has violated Roman law.
920
00:53:22,982 --> 00:53:25,332
This is not war, this is crime!
921
00:53:26,115 --> 00:53:29,467
That Caesar needs to be
stripped of his command,
922
00:53:29,597 --> 00:53:31,033
brought back to Rome
to stand trial
923
00:53:31,164 --> 00:53:32,948
to answer for his crimes.
924
00:53:33,079 --> 00:53:35,386
His men are loyal only to him,
925
00:53:35,516 --> 00:53:36,865
not to the Senate!
926
00:53:36,996 --> 00:53:39,346
This is dangerous.
927
00:53:39,477 --> 00:53:43,611
I move that Caesar
be handed over to the Gauls
928
00:53:43,742 --> 00:53:45,526
for them to pass judgement.
929
00:53:45,657 --> 00:53:48,007
Oh, no! No!
930
00:53:48,137 --> 00:53:50,183
Cato
can't actually do anything
931
00:53:50,314 --> 00:53:52,011
as long as Caesar is governor
932
00:53:52,141 --> 00:53:53,752
and as long as
he has the support
933
00:53:53,882 --> 00:53:55,580
of Crassus and Pompey.
934
00:53:55,710 --> 00:53:57,886
But if that situation
should change,
935
00:53:58,017 --> 00:54:00,106
then Cato can strike.
936
00:54:06,721 --> 00:54:08,419
In 54 BC,
937
00:54:08,549 --> 00:54:10,421
a new staff officer is sent out
938
00:54:10,551 --> 00:54:12,597
to assist Caesar in Gaul.
939
00:54:14,686 --> 00:54:16,253
He's a contact of Crassus'.
940
00:54:18,733 --> 00:54:19,952
Mark Antony reporting, sir.
941
00:54:23,260 --> 00:54:26,132
Mark Antony,
Crassus' man, come in, come in.
942
00:54:26,959 --> 00:54:29,266
Antony's a man
who has real talent.
943
00:54:29,396 --> 00:54:32,269
He's a warrior, also very astute
944
00:54:32,399 --> 00:54:34,793
and he quickly becomes
one of Caesar's key lieutenants.
945
00:54:37,665 --> 00:54:38,623
Something wrong?
946
00:54:41,669 --> 00:54:42,627
I have bad news from Rome.
947
00:54:43,976 --> 00:54:44,977
It's your daughter.
948
00:54:46,848 --> 00:54:47,936
She's passed.
949
00:54:53,290 --> 00:54:55,248
Caesar suffers
a personal tragedy
950
00:54:55,379 --> 00:54:57,337
when news arrives
that his daughter, Julia,
951
00:54:57,468 --> 00:55:00,297
his only child,
has died in childbirth.
952
00:55:01,646 --> 00:55:05,084
Caesar is so utterly devastated
953
00:55:05,214 --> 00:55:07,869
by the loss of his daughter,
954
00:55:08,000 --> 00:55:11,177
by the loss of his
last connection to Cornelia
955
00:55:11,308 --> 00:55:14,223
that he will be
haunted by nightmares
956
00:55:14,354 --> 00:55:17,618
about Julia's death
for the next decade.
957
00:55:19,228 --> 00:55:21,013
Not only
is this a personal tragedy,
958
00:55:21,143 --> 00:55:23,320
it's also
politically very dangerous,
959
00:55:23,450 --> 00:55:25,539
because she had cemented
the alliance with Pompey
960
00:55:25,670 --> 00:55:27,236
and that was part of the gel
961
00:55:27,367 --> 00:55:29,456
joining
the Triumvirate together,
962
00:55:29,587 --> 00:55:31,197
but all that has suddenly gone.
963
00:55:33,155 --> 00:55:34,679
To make matters
worse for Caesar,
964
00:55:34,809 --> 00:55:36,855
not long after Julia's death,
965
00:55:36,985 --> 00:55:38,987
Crassus is killed
on a military expedition
966
00:55:39,118 --> 00:55:40,206
in modern-day Iran.
967
00:55:43,688 --> 00:55:45,472
The legend has it,
that he was killed
968
00:55:45,603 --> 00:55:48,257
by having molten gold
poured down his throat
969
00:55:48,388 --> 00:55:50,695
by an enemy who had heard
of his love of money.
970
00:55:52,392 --> 00:55:53,915
The collapse
of the Triumvirate
971
00:55:54,046 --> 00:55:56,744
raises the stakes
for Caesar in Gaul.
972
00:55:56,875 --> 00:55:58,877
He realizes that
when he comes back to Rome,
973
00:55:59,007 --> 00:56:01,923
he will no longer have Pompey
and Crassus watching his back.
974
00:56:02,837 --> 00:56:05,840
He will be at the mercy
of Cato and the optimates.
975
00:56:07,407 --> 00:56:09,844
But if Caesar can win
total victory in Gaul,
976
00:56:09,975 --> 00:56:13,500
then maybe he can go home
rich enough, popular enough,
977
00:56:13,631 --> 00:56:16,242
powerful enough to avoid
the attacks of his enemies.
978
00:56:23,554 --> 00:56:25,556
There is
one obstacle to Caesar's plan.
979
00:56:27,471 --> 00:56:29,995
The Gauls are not ready
to give up just yet.
980
00:56:30,952 --> 00:56:33,825
In 52 BC, a new threat emerges.
981
00:56:33,955 --> 00:56:35,522
Vercingetorix.
982
00:56:35,653 --> 00:56:38,438
Son of a chieftain,
who is very charismatic,
983
00:56:38,569 --> 00:56:41,310
he is intent
on liberating his people
984
00:56:41,441 --> 00:56:43,008
from Roman rule.
985
00:56:43,138 --> 00:56:45,793
He brings together
a number of tribes,
986
00:56:45,924 --> 00:56:48,230
to include some that had already
987
00:56:48,361 --> 00:56:50,058
pledged allegiance to Rome.
988
00:56:50,711 --> 00:56:54,106
Caesar and his army
came here as our allies.
989
00:56:56,630 --> 00:56:58,589
Now they try and stay
as our conquerors.
990
00:57:02,070 --> 00:57:03,768
This is our last chance...
991
00:57:06,118 --> 00:57:07,249
to unite.
992
00:57:10,209 --> 00:57:12,559
This is our last chance
993
00:57:12,690 --> 00:57:15,954
to fight for our freedom!
994
00:57:17,259 --> 00:57:19,740
What this does is it creates
the worst nightmare
995
00:57:19,871 --> 00:57:22,874
that Julius Caesar can face,
a united enemy.
996
00:57:25,050 --> 00:57:27,226
If Vercingetorix
is able to rally
997
00:57:27,356 --> 00:57:28,619
all the Gauls together...
998
00:57:30,577 --> 00:57:32,623
they will outnumber
Caesar's forces
999
00:57:32,753 --> 00:57:34,320
by about ten to one.
1000
00:57:34,451 --> 00:57:36,148
The entire population of Gaul
1001
00:57:36,278 --> 00:57:38,629
is estimated to be
about five million.
1002
00:57:41,109 --> 00:57:44,678
This is a population
that far outstrips
1003
00:57:44,809 --> 00:57:46,637
the army that Caesar
has deployed,
1004
00:57:46,767 --> 00:57:50,379
and, in fact,
would present a direct threat...
1005
00:57:50,510 --> 00:57:52,599
Who is with me?
1006
00:57:52,730 --> 00:57:55,472
...to the Roman Empire itself.
1007
00:57:58,518 --> 00:58:03,567
]
1008
00:58:08,006 --> 00:58:10,356
In the initial phases
of his campaign against Caesar,
1009
00:58:10,487 --> 00:58:12,837
Vercingetorix's strategy
seems to consist
1010
00:58:12,967 --> 00:58:15,056
of denying supplies to Caesar
1011
00:58:15,187 --> 00:58:17,232
through a scorched-earth
strategy
1012
00:58:17,363 --> 00:58:19,234
whilst fighting
an informal guerilla war.
1013
00:58:20,497 --> 00:58:22,150
Using the terrain
and their local knowledge
1014
00:58:22,281 --> 00:58:23,891
to their advantage.
1015
00:58:24,022 --> 00:58:26,415
Vercingetorix fights Caesar
for six months
1016
00:58:26,546 --> 00:58:29,288
until finally,
he brings things to a head
1017
00:58:29,418 --> 00:58:30,855
at a place called Alesia.
1018
00:58:37,601 --> 00:58:39,864
Vercingetorix is aware
1019
00:58:39,994 --> 00:58:42,649
that he needs
to make a stand at Alesia
1020
00:58:42,780 --> 00:58:46,827
because the guerilla warfare
is not enough to defeat Caesar.
1021
00:58:46,958 --> 00:58:49,177
He needs to find a way
to have a decisive battle.
1022
00:58:51,702 --> 00:58:52,659
Well?
1023
00:58:54,313 --> 00:58:56,358
The city walls
are made of stone.
1024
00:58:56,489 --> 00:58:57,925
We can't burn them down.
1025
00:58:59,100 --> 00:59:00,972
And if we try
to break through them,
1026
00:59:01,102 --> 00:59:02,408
it will cost us
thousands of men.
1027
00:59:04,758 --> 00:59:06,325
You weren't with us
when Crassus
1028
00:59:06,455 --> 00:59:08,196
defeated Spartacus, were you?
1029
00:59:09,371 --> 00:59:10,721
Maybe we don't need
to get in at all.
1030
00:59:13,637 --> 00:59:15,073
We just need
to stop them from getting out.
1031
00:59:17,510 --> 00:59:19,164
When Julius Caesar arrives
1032
00:59:19,294 --> 00:59:22,646
outside of Alesia
and sees a fortified town
1033
00:59:22,776 --> 00:59:26,388
on top of high ground
with 80,000 Gauls inside,
1034
00:59:26,519 --> 00:59:27,999
he assesses this as being
1035
00:59:28,129 --> 00:59:30,131
too much of a risk
to attack frontally.
1036
00:59:30,262 --> 00:59:32,525
Caesar decides
to wall the Gauls in.
1037
00:59:32,656 --> 00:59:35,702
In many ways, this is a replay
of Crassus' decision
1038
00:59:35,833 --> 00:59:38,096
to wall Spartacus off
into southern Italy.
1039
00:59:39,401 --> 00:59:41,621
Caesar's strategy
is to use
1040
00:59:41,752 --> 00:59:44,493
Vercingetorix's army
against itself.
1041
00:59:44,624 --> 00:59:46,931
It takes a lot of food
to feed 80,000 men
1042
00:59:47,061 --> 00:59:49,324
so you can starve them
pretty quickly.
1043
00:59:54,721 --> 00:59:57,115
Caesar's wall
was going to start with a ditch
1044
00:59:57,245 --> 00:59:59,378
that is dug out,
the spoils thrown up
1045
00:59:59,508 --> 01:00:01,206
to create a 15 foot high wall,
1046
01:00:01,336 --> 01:00:04,252
almost ten miles around,
1047
01:00:04,383 --> 01:00:07,473
all in an effort
to trap Vercingetorix's army.
1048
01:00:11,956 --> 01:00:14,349
Caesar's wall around Alesia
1049
01:00:14,480 --> 01:00:17,526
is one of the great
military feats
1050
01:00:17,657 --> 01:00:19,093
of the ancient world.
1051
01:00:19,224 --> 01:00:20,660
It takes about a month
1052
01:00:20,791 --> 01:00:23,315
to build out
this wall around the city.
1053
01:00:24,185 --> 01:00:25,273
How much longer?
1054
01:00:25,883 --> 01:00:26,797
This section.
1055
01:00:28,625 --> 01:00:29,974
And up the hills
on the left side.
1056
01:00:41,463 --> 01:00:43,814
Vercingetorix
sends out messengers
1057
01:00:43,944 --> 01:00:47,121
before the siege is complete,
to all the other tribes of Gaul.
1058
01:00:48,514 --> 01:00:50,995
He wants them
to bring a massive army
1059
01:00:51,125 --> 01:00:53,127
to take Caesar from behind,
1060
01:00:53,258 --> 01:00:55,521
and crush Caesar
by sheer weight of numbers.
1061
01:00:56,870 --> 01:00:57,654
He's sending for help.
1062
01:00:59,394 --> 01:01:00,831
If they attack us from behind,
we're dead.
1063
01:01:21,025 --> 01:01:24,593
We build a second wall
around the first.
1064
01:01:24,724 --> 01:01:25,856
And trap ourselves?
1065
01:01:26,421 --> 01:01:27,509
Just do it.
1066
01:01:31,557 --> 01:01:35,953
Caesar is extraordinarily
cool under pressure.
1067
01:01:36,083 --> 01:01:38,390
He is a decisive leader.
1068
01:01:39,304 --> 01:01:41,828
Once he has made a decision,
he's going to commit to it.
1069
01:01:42,873 --> 01:01:44,788
What Caesar
decides to do is to build
1070
01:01:44,918 --> 01:01:47,094
another set of earthworks,
but this time,
1071
01:01:47,225 --> 01:01:49,096
instead of facing in,
they face out.
1072
01:01:49,227 --> 01:01:52,143
The Roman defenses
are in the shape of a doughnut,
1073
01:01:52,273 --> 01:01:55,146
with Alesia in the center
and Gauls on the outside.
1074
01:01:55,276 --> 01:01:56,974
He is besieging Alesia.
1075
01:01:57,104 --> 01:01:59,019
But when we draw
the entire picture,
1076
01:01:59,150 --> 01:02:00,194
who's besieging who?
1077
01:02:00,934 --> 01:02:02,501
'Cause when
the external forces come,
1078
01:02:02,631 --> 01:02:04,546
they will be surrounded
from the outside
1079
01:02:04,677 --> 01:02:06,287
and from the inside.
1080
01:02:07,071 --> 01:02:08,986
An extraordinarily
vulnerable place.
1081
01:02:21,433 --> 01:02:24,088
One day,
they hear these terrible sounds,
1082
01:02:24,218 --> 01:02:25,785
they hear Gallic war cries.
1083
01:02:32,574 --> 01:02:34,925
Vercingetorix's relief army
has arrived.
1084
01:02:37,231 --> 01:02:39,190
If you're a Roman soldier,
you look at the relief force,
1085
01:02:39,320 --> 01:02:41,627
you see that
you're outnumbered three to one,
1086
01:02:41,758 --> 01:02:43,455
and you wonder if those numbers
1087
01:02:43,585 --> 01:02:45,718
are ultimately,
gonna mean your demise,
1088
01:02:45,849 --> 01:02:48,025
but one thing
that you have is Julius Caesar,
1089
01:02:48,155 --> 01:02:49,896
and those seem
to even the odds by a degree.
1090
01:02:51,028 --> 01:02:53,117
Comrades, this is it.
1091
01:02:53,247 --> 01:02:55,510
Caesar knows
that this is going to be the end
1092
01:02:55,641 --> 01:02:56,642
of the Gallic campaign.
1093
01:02:57,817 --> 01:03:00,211
Everything
we've been fighting for,
1094
01:03:00,341 --> 01:03:04,519
for the past seven years,
is now on the line.
1095
01:03:05,129 --> 01:03:06,565
Either they'll win,
1096
01:03:06,695 --> 01:03:07,784
and all of Gaul
will be conquered,
1097
01:03:07,914 --> 01:03:09,307
or they will be annihilated.
1098
01:03:10,308 --> 01:03:13,137
We must fight, and we must win!
1099
01:03:14,094 --> 01:03:16,793
Victory or death,
1100
01:03:16,923 --> 01:03:18,838
which will you choose?
1101
01:03:19,491 --> 01:03:22,102
- For victory!
- For Rome!
1102
01:03:22,233 --> 01:03:25,540
For victory!
For Rome! For victory!
1103
01:03:25,671 --> 01:03:28,195
For Caesar, the stakes
of Alesia are everything.
1104
01:03:28,326 --> 01:03:30,719
He has gambled
his entire existence
1105
01:03:30,850 --> 01:03:33,026
on this single moment.
1106
01:03:40,817 --> 01:03:43,863
Vercingetorix and his men
have seen the attack
1107
01:03:43,994 --> 01:03:46,344
from the relief force outside,
1108
01:03:46,474 --> 01:03:48,563
and now, they can launch
an attack
1109
01:03:48,694 --> 01:03:51,044
from inside of Alesia.
1110
01:03:58,008 --> 01:04:00,924
He's got 8,000 Gauls
on the inside,
1111
01:04:01,054 --> 01:04:02,490
250,000 on the outside.
1112
01:04:04,318 --> 01:04:07,365
It looks like Caesar
is in deep trouble.
1113
01:04:09,846 --> 01:04:12,326
Caesar is either going to die
1114
01:04:12,457 --> 01:04:15,721
along with the entirety
of his legacy at this moment...
1115
01:04:18,637 --> 01:04:21,640
or somehow, emerge triumphant.
1116
01:04:30,954 --> 01:04:32,433
That area's breached.
1117
01:04:41,529 --> 01:04:43,314
The start
of the battle of Alesia
1118
01:04:43,444 --> 01:04:46,230
looks very bad for Caesar
and very good for the Gauls.
1119
01:04:46,360 --> 01:04:47,884
They look as though
they might win.
1120
01:04:49,407 --> 01:04:51,496
They have managed to tear down
a section of the wall,
1121
01:04:51,626 --> 01:04:53,672
and set to destroy
1122
01:04:53,802 --> 01:04:55,587
the much, much smaller
Roman army.
1123
01:04:58,633 --> 01:05:00,461
Caesar has to take
drastic action,
1124
01:05:00,592 --> 01:05:02,246
or everything will be lost.
1125
01:05:08,905 --> 01:05:12,473
Caesar himself leaps
into the frontlines,
1126
01:05:12,604 --> 01:05:15,520
inspiring his men,
encouraging them
1127
01:05:15,650 --> 01:05:16,913
to continue to fight.
1128
01:05:19,480 --> 01:05:23,223
You've beaten
these barbarians before,
1129
01:05:23,354 --> 01:05:24,921
you'll do it again!
1130
01:05:26,748 --> 01:05:30,100
You're the greatest soldiers
in the world!
1131
01:05:30,970 --> 01:05:32,058
For Rome!
1132
01:05:34,321 --> 01:05:37,411
Caesar sees himself
1133
01:05:37,542 --> 01:05:41,459
as lifting his men's morale,
and keeping them together
1134
01:05:41,589 --> 01:05:44,375
in the face
of this terrifying enemy.
1135
01:05:49,902 --> 01:05:52,600
Caesar manages to rally
his troops to hold the line,
1136
01:05:52,731 --> 01:05:55,516
and to not allow the Gauls
to penetrate and wreak havoc
1137
01:05:55,647 --> 01:05:56,953
in the back of the Roman lines.
1138
01:05:59,042 --> 01:06:00,739
But Caesar knows
the Romans can't hold out
1139
01:06:00,869 --> 01:06:02,480
against numbers
like this for long.
1140
01:06:04,264 --> 01:06:05,526
Although Julius Caesar
has now gone
1141
01:06:05,657 --> 01:06:07,050
to the point
of greatest friction,
1142
01:06:07,180 --> 01:06:08,616
I think he also starts
to recognize
1143
01:06:08,747 --> 01:06:09,922
this might not be enough.
1144
01:06:11,184 --> 01:06:13,056
Now, he starts
to go through his rolodex
1145
01:06:13,186 --> 01:06:14,840
of "What else
might I be able to do?
1146
01:06:14,971 --> 01:06:17,060
"How can I solve the pressure
1147
01:06:17,190 --> 01:06:19,801
"on this direct attack
against the Roman line?"
1148
01:06:19,932 --> 01:06:23,370
Labienus, hold the breach.
1149
01:06:23,980 --> 01:06:25,459
Then ride around the walls.
1150
01:06:25,590 --> 01:06:26,939
Yes, sir!
1151
01:06:27,070 --> 01:06:29,376
Hold the breach, hold the walls!
1152
01:06:29,507 --> 01:06:32,336
Caesar makes this decision
to deploy his cavalry
1153
01:06:32,466 --> 01:06:34,077
outside his perimeter.
1154
01:06:34,860 --> 01:06:37,515
The cavalry
rides 'round the back
1155
01:06:37,645 --> 01:06:39,082
of the Gaulish positions.
1156
01:06:39,212 --> 01:06:40,518
Keep formation!
1157
01:06:41,171 --> 01:06:42,520
Don't lose it!
1158
01:06:53,183 --> 01:06:55,446
Caesar's cavalry forces slam
1159
01:06:55,576 --> 01:06:57,361
into the rear
of the Gallic army,
1160
01:06:57,491 --> 01:06:59,711
taking them
completely by surprise...
1161
01:07:01,060 --> 01:07:03,019
spreading panic
throughout their entire ranks.
1162
01:07:04,890 --> 01:07:06,587
They think that
they're completely surrounded
1163
01:07:06,718 --> 01:07:08,546
by the Roman army,
and they start fleeing.
1164
01:07:09,634 --> 01:07:10,852
Attack!
1165
01:07:17,207 --> 01:07:18,730
These men start
to run for their lives,
1166
01:07:18,860 --> 01:07:20,297
rather than fight
for their lives.
1167
01:07:20,427 --> 01:07:22,255
Roman cavalry
will ride them down,
1168
01:07:22,386 --> 01:07:23,604
and it becomes a bloodbath.
1169
01:07:42,362 --> 01:07:45,017
After seven years of war,
1170
01:07:45,148 --> 01:07:47,498
Caesar has crushed
Gallic resistance
1171
01:07:47,628 --> 01:07:48,586
once and for all.
1172
01:07:51,589 --> 01:07:53,765
Caesar's conquest
of Gaul stands
1173
01:07:53,895 --> 01:07:56,811
as one of the most
impressive achievements
1174
01:07:56,942 --> 01:07:58,552
in human history.
1175
01:07:59,510 --> 01:08:02,643
The fact that he has, really,
a minimal amount of manpower
1176
01:08:02,774 --> 01:08:05,255
to pull off this huge campaign.
1177
01:08:17,876 --> 01:08:21,836
Caesar's conquest of Gaul
adds more than 300,000 miles
1178
01:08:21,967 --> 01:08:22,968
to Roman territory.
1179
01:08:24,448 --> 01:08:26,014
Rome now extends
1180
01:08:26,145 --> 01:08:27,929
from the Atlantic ocean
in the west...
1181
01:08:28,974 --> 01:08:30,628
to the river Rhine in the east.
1182
01:08:32,586 --> 01:08:34,806
Caesar's conquest of Gaul
in seven years
1183
01:08:34,936 --> 01:08:37,722
is an impressive
military achievement,
1184
01:08:37,852 --> 01:08:40,246
but it would be strange
to not acknowledge
1185
01:08:40,377 --> 01:08:44,555
that Caesar basically,
engages in genocide.
1186
01:08:45,773 --> 01:08:50,038
He himself claimed to kill
one million people
1187
01:08:50,169 --> 01:08:51,388
in the conquest of Gaul.
1188
01:08:52,128 --> 01:08:55,957
And to have enslaved
1.1 million people.
1189
01:08:56,088 --> 01:08:58,046
He killed or enslaved, what,
1190
01:08:58,177 --> 01:09:00,745
20% of the entire population
of northern Europe?
1191
01:09:00,875 --> 01:09:02,094
And we have to be
reminded of that,
1192
01:09:02,225 --> 01:09:04,618
because we're so pre-conditioned
1193
01:09:04,749 --> 01:09:06,229
by the shape of history,
1194
01:09:06,359 --> 01:09:08,100
to think of Caesar
as a remarkable figure.
1195
01:09:08,231 --> 01:09:10,233
It's absolutely incredible.
1196
01:09:10,363 --> 01:09:13,540
Alesia would remain
as a national trauma
1197
01:09:13,671 --> 01:09:16,369
for Gaulish peoples
for hundreds of years.
1198
01:09:16,500 --> 01:09:18,415
As the Gauls' back
had been broken,
1199
01:09:18,545 --> 01:09:21,461
never again would a large
federation ally like this
1200
01:09:21,592 --> 01:09:23,333
against the Romans.
1201
01:09:23,463 --> 01:09:26,858
Our great Caesar,
hurried to join into the fight.
1202
01:09:26,988 --> 01:09:29,034
After his total victory in Gaul,
1203
01:09:29,165 --> 01:09:31,167
Caesar's popularity
with ordinary Romans
1204
01:09:31,297 --> 01:09:32,951
goes higher and higher.
1205
01:09:33,081 --> 01:09:35,823
They regard him now,
as the very definition
1206
01:09:35,954 --> 01:09:38,478
of a successful Roman warlord.
1207
01:09:38,609 --> 01:09:40,088
The conspicuous color
1208
01:09:40,219 --> 01:09:42,265
of the cloak
he always wore into battle,
1209
01:09:42,395 --> 01:09:43,875
proclaimed his arrival.
1210
01:09:45,485 --> 01:09:47,444
The Gauls turned tail,
1211
01:09:47,574 --> 01:09:49,881
and the cavalry charged them
as they fled!
1212
01:09:50,360 --> 01:09:52,362
A massive slaughter followed.
1213
01:09:53,014 --> 01:09:55,539
Caesar wants to return
to Rome in triumph.
1214
01:09:55,669 --> 01:09:58,063
He wants to win
a second term as consul,
1215
01:09:58,194 --> 01:10:00,500
and be Rome's
undisputed first man.
1216
01:10:01,632 --> 01:10:03,155
But Caesar has a problem.
1217
01:10:10,423 --> 01:10:12,208
Cato has different plans
1218
01:10:12,338 --> 01:10:14,514
for how Caesar's life
will turn out.
1219
01:10:15,428 --> 01:10:19,432
Caesar has indeed
won great victories
1220
01:10:19,563 --> 01:10:21,217
for our republic,
1221
01:10:21,347 --> 01:10:25,003
but these victories
come at a price.
1222
01:10:26,918 --> 01:10:30,574
One that we will pay for
with our republic itself.
1223
01:10:31,662 --> 01:10:34,926
Caesar recruited an army
that answers only to himself.
1224
01:10:36,884 --> 01:10:40,584
Cato and the optimates have
tremendous distrust of Caesar,
1225
01:10:40,714 --> 01:10:44,805
based on his previous consulship
and his growth of power in Gaul.
1226
01:10:44,936 --> 01:10:48,722
Some senators fear
that he may seize power in Rome,
1227
01:10:48,853 --> 01:10:51,638
and this fear
is becoming self-fulfilling.
1228
01:10:51,769 --> 01:10:55,207
This is too much power
for any man,
1229
01:10:55,338 --> 01:10:57,165
let alone Caesar.
1230
01:10:58,602 --> 01:11:02,693
Can we forget how he behaved
when he was consul?
1231
01:11:02,823 --> 01:11:05,261
I think Cato was able
to rally a group of senators
1232
01:11:05,391 --> 01:11:07,350
against Caesar,
partially out of jealousy.
1233
01:11:07,480 --> 01:11:09,221
These senators resent
1234
01:11:09,352 --> 01:11:11,310
that Caesar's
the most popular man in Rome
1235
01:11:11,441 --> 01:11:12,877
and that they're not the ones
1236
01:11:13,007 --> 01:11:14,705
who are having
all of these victories.
1237
01:11:14,835 --> 01:11:17,795
I move that Caesar
1238
01:11:17,925 --> 01:11:20,580
be stripped of his command.
Yes!
1239
01:11:20,711 --> 01:11:23,148
For them, it's both
a political calculation,
1240
01:11:23,279 --> 01:11:24,454
but it's also a personal one.
1241
01:11:25,237 --> 01:11:27,065
Crassus is dead,
1242
01:11:27,195 --> 01:11:29,894
Pompey is no longer
politically aligned with Caesar.
1243
01:11:30,024 --> 01:11:31,591
The optimates see this
as the moment
1244
01:11:31,722 --> 01:11:34,028
where they can end
Caesar's career for good.
1245
01:11:34,159 --> 01:11:35,900
Caesar is vulnerable.
1246
01:11:36,030 --> 01:11:38,598
We must
back to Rome,
1247
01:11:38,729 --> 01:11:40,208
and prosecute him!
1248
01:11:45,997 --> 01:11:49,174
g]
1249
01:11:51,698 --> 01:11:55,441
Cato is resolved to destroy
his old foe, Caesar,
1250
01:11:55,572 --> 01:11:57,661
but he can't do it without help.
1251
01:11:58,923 --> 01:12:00,664
The optimates are impotent
1252
01:12:00,794 --> 01:12:02,796
to bring Caesar to heel
without an army.
1253
01:12:02,927 --> 01:12:05,146
And the only person capable
of raising an army
1254
01:12:05,277 --> 01:12:07,453
besides Caesar, is Pompey.
1255
01:12:08,280 --> 01:12:10,413
The Republic
needs you again, Pompey.
1256
01:12:10,543 --> 01:12:11,501
I've retired.
1257
01:12:18,377 --> 01:12:20,423
How many families
will be sacrificed
1258
01:12:20,553 --> 01:12:23,164
if Caesar is allowed
to march on Rome.
1259
01:12:23,295 --> 01:12:26,646
They will only be sacrificed
if we go to war with him.
1260
01:12:27,517 --> 01:12:31,172
His army is loyal only to him,
1261
01:12:31,303 --> 01:12:32,348
not Rome.
1262
01:12:33,131 --> 01:12:35,742
Loyalty is a virtue, Cato.
1263
01:12:35,873 --> 01:12:39,006
Caesar is a danger
to the Republic.
1264
01:12:40,268 --> 01:12:42,358
He's more powerful
than any Roman before him.
1265
01:12:43,446 --> 01:12:44,360
More than Sulla.
1266
01:12:46,057 --> 01:12:47,624
More even than you.
1267
01:13:05,772 --> 01:13:07,731
Pompey ends up
siding with Cato
1268
01:13:07,861 --> 01:13:09,820
and the optimates.
1269
01:13:09,950 --> 01:13:12,475
I think he was jealous
of Caesar's popularity.
1270
01:13:12,605 --> 01:13:16,000
Caesar was essentially
and unequivocally replacing him
1271
01:13:16,130 --> 01:13:18,742
as the military darling
of the Roman population.
1272
01:13:20,483 --> 01:13:22,006
As the temperature
rises in Rome,
1273
01:13:22,136 --> 01:13:24,400
Caesar sends back Antony
1274
01:13:24,530 --> 01:13:26,402
to represent him
in the Roman Senate.
1275
01:13:28,578 --> 01:13:29,970
Caesar
reminds the Senate
1276
01:13:30,101 --> 01:13:32,146
of all
that he has done for Rome.
1277
01:13:32,973 --> 01:13:36,063
How he served
dutifully as consul,
1278
01:13:36,194 --> 01:13:38,849
how he pacified Gaul,
1279
01:13:38,979 --> 01:13:42,853
and he vows
that he will lay down his arms,
1280
01:13:42,983 --> 01:13:45,116
if Pompey does the same.
1281
01:13:47,597 --> 01:13:49,773
But if the Senate
will not see sense,
1282
01:13:49,903 --> 01:13:52,732
Caesar will uphold
his personal honor
1283
01:13:52,863 --> 01:13:54,734
by any means necessary.
1284
01:13:54,865 --> 01:13:56,649
Senators,
1285
01:13:56,780 --> 01:13:59,478
this is nothing
but a declaration of war.
1286
01:14:00,914 --> 01:14:04,309
I move that the house
declare Caesar a public enemy.
1287
01:14:04,440 --> 01:14:06,311
Yes!
- Who's in favor?
1288
01:14:10,576 --> 01:14:12,970
The house
has spoken, Antony.
1289
01:14:17,888 --> 01:14:20,020
Veto, the vote is set aside.
1290
01:14:20,673 --> 01:14:22,675
I call upon the gods
as witnesses,
1291
01:14:22,806 --> 01:14:25,069
it is you
who are against the Republic!
1292
01:14:25,722 --> 01:14:28,289
You are the one
leading us to war!
1293
01:14:28,986 --> 01:14:30,770
Fearing Caesar's growing power,
1294
01:14:30,901 --> 01:14:33,643
the Roman Senate
declares him a public enemy.
1295
01:14:38,256 --> 01:14:41,825
And now, he faces the biggest
decision of his life.
1296
01:14:43,914 --> 01:14:45,785
The Rubicon was a river,
1297
01:14:45,916 --> 01:14:48,353
so small, at the time
it was more like a stream,
1298
01:14:48,484 --> 01:14:51,051
about 200 miles north of Rome.
1299
01:14:51,182 --> 01:14:53,706
And the reason this stream
was so important
1300
01:14:53,837 --> 01:14:56,927
was it marked the boundary
between Italian Gaul
1301
01:14:57,057 --> 01:15:00,844
and territory directly
controlled by Rome itself.
1302
01:15:02,715 --> 01:15:05,065
Crossing the Rubicon
with an army
1303
01:15:05,196 --> 01:15:08,460
means that
not only has a governor
1304
01:15:08,591 --> 01:15:11,463
left his territory behind,
which is a violation of law,
1305
01:15:11,594 --> 01:15:14,553
but now, he is moving
against Rome.
1306
01:15:14,684 --> 01:15:16,903
It is an outright act
of treason,
1307
01:15:17,034 --> 01:15:20,690
it is a declaration of war
against the Roman State.
1308
01:15:22,909 --> 01:15:24,824
Caesar
doesn't have great options.
1309
01:15:24,955 --> 01:15:27,740
If he crosses the Rubicon,
he's begun a civil war.
1310
01:15:27,871 --> 01:15:29,612
But if he obeys the Senate,
1311
01:15:29,742 --> 01:15:31,788
he has to give up his command
of his armies
1312
01:15:31,918 --> 01:15:34,312
and face the fact
that he's going to be hauled
1313
01:15:34,442 --> 01:15:36,270
into court in Rome,
put on trial,
1314
01:15:36,401 --> 01:15:38,403
probably be convicted,
and face execution.
1315
01:15:42,886 --> 01:15:46,542
The offer
I sent back with Antony
1316
01:15:46,672 --> 01:15:47,891
has been rejected.
1317
01:15:51,024 --> 01:15:52,896
I must return
to the Senate in person.
1318
01:15:54,245 --> 01:15:55,768
I will have to take
at least a legion
1319
01:15:55,899 --> 01:15:57,553
across the river with me
for my own protection.
1320
01:15:59,119 --> 01:16:00,251
Across the Rubicon?
1321
01:16:01,818 --> 01:16:03,254
You know
this is against the law.
1322
01:16:06,823 --> 01:16:08,781
If there's a war,
1323
01:16:08,912 --> 01:16:10,566
you will be fighting
your own people.
1324
01:16:12,393 --> 01:16:14,439
Then let's hope
it doesn't come to that.
1325
01:16:20,184 --> 01:16:21,098
Let's hope not.
1326
01:16:22,621 --> 01:16:24,275
Pompey has
twice as many men as us.
1327
01:16:27,670 --> 01:16:29,236
But we have
something he doesn't.
1328
01:16:35,721 --> 01:16:37,244
Me.
1329
01:16:38,289 --> 01:16:39,769
And you, Labienus.
1330
01:16:42,119 --> 01:16:43,120
Do I have you?
1331
01:16:53,130 --> 01:16:54,653
When Caesar arrives
at the Rubicon,
1332
01:16:54,784 --> 01:16:56,524
he's in this
difficult situation.
1333
01:16:56,655 --> 01:16:59,527
He knows that
if he crosses with his legions,
1334
01:16:59,658 --> 01:17:02,313
he plays into the hands
of his opponents,
1335
01:17:02,443 --> 01:17:05,316
because he has violated
Rome's law,
1336
01:17:05,446 --> 01:17:08,536
by bringing his military forces
into the political game.
1337
01:17:09,450 --> 01:17:12,453
I think he believes
that if he doesn't do that,
1338
01:17:12,584 --> 01:17:15,543
Pompey and others will have
maneuvered against him,
1339
01:17:15,674 --> 01:17:17,633
and so he believes
he's gotta act.
1340
01:17:18,721 --> 01:17:20,636
It isn't too late.
1341
01:17:20,766 --> 01:17:23,943
Any man who wishes to turn back,
1342
01:17:24,074 --> 01:17:26,293
go now, with no dishonor.
1343
01:17:29,035 --> 01:17:30,994
But cross this stream...
1344
01:17:33,474 --> 01:17:35,520
and we are fighting
all the way to Rome.
1345
01:17:36,826 --> 01:17:37,783
Are you with me?
1346
01:17:38,392 --> 01:17:40,264
Long live Caesar!
1347
01:17:40,394 --> 01:17:42,179
According to one source,
1348
01:17:42,309 --> 01:17:45,835
Caesar quotes a line
from Greek drama,
1349
01:17:45,965 --> 01:17:47,663
as he prepares
to cross the Rubicon.
1350
01:17:48,620 --> 01:17:51,449
Let the dice fly high!
1351
01:17:55,888 --> 01:17:57,629
"Let the dice fly high."
1352
01:17:57,760 --> 01:17:59,457
In other words,
"Let's take a risk,
1353
01:17:59,587 --> 01:18:00,893
"and come what may."
1354
01:18:05,506 --> 01:18:07,247
Caesar knew
he was in trouble.
1355
01:18:07,378 --> 01:18:09,293
He had a choice,
he could surrender,
1356
01:18:09,423 --> 01:18:13,340
and go peacefully to Rome,
or he could bring his legion,
1357
01:18:13,471 --> 01:18:15,429
rely on his popularity,
1358
01:18:15,560 --> 01:18:18,041
and seize power in Rome.
1359
01:18:18,171 --> 01:18:21,566
Caesar chose for himself,
rather than for his country.
1360
01:18:23,133 --> 01:18:25,831
Crossing the Rubicon
is a critical moment in history.
1361
01:18:25,962 --> 01:18:28,878
Caesar will always be someone
who, when confronted
1362
01:18:29,008 --> 01:18:31,184
with other people
raising the stakes,
1363
01:18:31,315 --> 01:18:33,665
he'll raise the stakes again,
he'll take up the challenge,
1364
01:18:33,796 --> 01:18:35,623
he will gamble,
he will trust that he will win.
1365
01:18:43,457 --> 01:18:45,982
Crossing the Rubicon
is a terrible gamble for Caesar.
1366
01:18:46,112 --> 01:18:48,811
It means there is
only one way out of this.
1367
01:18:48,941 --> 01:18:50,726
Defeating the Senate,
1368
01:18:50,856 --> 01:18:53,816
and making himself
the central power in Rome.
1369
01:18:53,946 --> 01:18:56,557
Any other outcome ends
in his death and destruction.
1370
01:18:57,515 --> 01:18:58,690
He wants the glory
1371
01:18:58,821 --> 01:19:00,083
that he believes
that he deserves
1372
01:19:00,213 --> 01:19:01,998
for his conquest of Gaul,
1373
01:19:02,128 --> 01:19:04,304
the glory
that he was denied by Cato.
1374
01:19:04,435 --> 01:19:06,698
But he frames what he's doing
1375
01:19:06,829 --> 01:19:10,484
as an act of protecting
the democratic ideals
1376
01:19:10,615 --> 01:19:11,572
of the Roman State.
1377
01:19:13,226 --> 01:19:14,488
Caesar has
marched into Italy
1378
01:19:14,619 --> 01:19:16,577
with very few soldiers
behind him.
1379
01:19:16,708 --> 01:19:18,492
More will be coming,
but it will take a long time
1380
01:19:18,623 --> 01:19:20,320
before he has a major army.
1381
01:19:20,451 --> 01:19:23,497
News will take time
to reach his opponents.
1382
01:19:24,629 --> 01:19:27,110
Pompey has boasted,
"I have only to stamp my feet,
1383
01:19:27,240 --> 01:19:29,460
"and legions will spring up
out of the soil of Italy."
1384
01:19:29,590 --> 01:19:31,027
But they're not ready yet.
1385
01:19:31,157 --> 01:19:33,507
Caesar rushes on,
he overruns settlements,
1386
01:19:33,638 --> 01:19:35,466
and many people welcome him,
1387
01:19:35,596 --> 01:19:36,859
that means
he's gaining momentum.
1388
01:20:01,274 --> 01:20:03,189
Caesar
is riding on the road south
1389
01:20:03,320 --> 01:20:05,061
when a figure in slave's clothes
1390
01:20:05,191 --> 01:20:06,149
comes into view.
1391
01:20:08,325 --> 01:20:09,326
It's Antony.
1392
01:20:10,980 --> 01:20:13,547
He's dressed as a slave
to escape the city.
1393
01:20:14,070 --> 01:20:16,333
What happened? Cato? The Senate?
1394
01:20:19,858 --> 01:20:20,816
Men, come close.
1395
01:20:22,643 --> 01:20:25,168
It is our friend and comrade...
1396
01:20:26,343 --> 01:20:27,344
Mark Antony.
1397
01:20:27,997 --> 01:20:28,998
A war-hero...
1398
01:20:30,608 --> 01:20:33,350
driven from Rome
in defiance of all that is just.
1399
01:20:35,569 --> 01:20:37,354
Will you let this stand?
1400
01:20:38,442 --> 01:20:40,792
Caesar is declaring war
on his own people
1401
01:20:40,923 --> 01:20:44,491
to serve the interests
of the Roman population
1402
01:20:44,622 --> 01:20:46,319
as his basic political case.
1403
01:20:46,450 --> 01:20:49,018
However, it is obviously
about his own dignity
1404
01:20:49,148 --> 01:20:51,759
and his own
growing thirst for power.
1405
01:20:51,890 --> 01:20:56,373
It is also, because Caesar
never, ever backs down.
1406
01:20:56,503 --> 01:20:59,376
Will you let these senators,
1407
01:20:59,506 --> 01:21:02,074
who care nothing for Rome,
1408
01:21:02,205 --> 01:21:03,380
destroy it?
1409
01:21:03,989 --> 01:21:07,732
Will you let Pompey and Cato
1410
01:21:07,863 --> 01:21:09,516
attack my honor?
1411
01:21:11,997 --> 01:21:13,825
After
eight years of war,
1412
01:21:13,956 --> 01:21:17,046
the soldiers
are completely loyal to Caesar.
1413
01:21:17,176 --> 01:21:18,656
He's doubled their pay,
1414
01:21:18,786 --> 01:21:21,006
and he's given each man
his own slave.
1415
01:21:22,616 --> 01:21:25,837
It's the sort of
personal loyalty from the army
1416
01:21:25,968 --> 01:21:28,361
that makes Caesar so powerful,
1417
01:21:28,492 --> 01:21:31,712
and also, uniquely dangerous
in the eyes of the Senate.
1418
01:21:44,638 --> 01:21:46,814
With war now inevitable,
1419
01:21:46,945 --> 01:21:49,600
Caesar suffers a real,
serious defection.
1420
01:21:50,993 --> 01:21:52,908
Labienus goes over
to Pompey's side.
1421
01:21:53,996 --> 01:21:56,476
It's possible that Labienus
turned against Caesar,
1422
01:21:56,607 --> 01:21:58,739
because he was offended
by Caesar's actions.
1423
01:21:59,871 --> 01:22:01,960
On the other hand,
we know that Labienus
1424
01:22:02,091 --> 01:22:04,267
started his career
as a Pompey guy,
1425
01:22:04,397 --> 01:22:06,878
and so perhaps,
he's just going back
1426
01:22:07,009 --> 01:22:08,227
to his original patron.
1427
01:22:09,054 --> 01:22:11,100
What we see in this civil war,
1428
01:22:11,230 --> 01:22:13,450
is that everybody
has to choose sides,
1429
01:22:13,580 --> 01:22:16,018
and rarely is it about policy,
1430
01:22:16,148 --> 01:22:17,933
or belief, or ideals,
1431
01:22:18,063 --> 01:22:19,499
it's about personal loyalty.
1432
01:22:22,981 --> 01:22:25,114
As Caesar
continues towards Rome...
1433
01:22:27,986 --> 01:22:30,119
his former ally, Pompey,
1434
01:22:30,249 --> 01:22:32,469
tries to negotiate
one last time.
1435
01:22:34,253 --> 01:22:36,995
Even though
Caesar has crossed the Rubicon,
1436
01:22:37,126 --> 01:22:39,041
lines of communication
are still open
1437
01:22:39,171 --> 01:22:40,651
between him and Pompey.
1438
01:22:42,305 --> 01:22:44,437
I regret
it has come to this, Gaius.
1439
01:22:45,221 --> 01:22:48,485
My country called me to duty,
and I could not refuse.
1440
01:22:48,615 --> 01:22:51,575
I know you feel
you've been let down,
1441
01:22:51,705 --> 01:22:54,578
but can you not put Rome
before your pride?
1442
01:22:54,708 --> 01:22:56,972
You've raised an army
against me!
1443
01:22:57,102 --> 01:22:58,974
You've raised an army
against the Republic!
1444
01:23:01,454 --> 01:23:04,501
You know I can't just simply
surrender myself to Cato.
1445
01:23:05,415 --> 01:23:06,459
So...
1446
01:23:07,547 --> 01:23:09,897
your bruised ego means war,
does it?
1447
01:23:10,681 --> 01:23:13,945
Mark Antony's offer,
that we both lay down our arms,
1448
01:23:14,076 --> 01:23:14,990
was rejected.
1449
01:23:15,860 --> 01:23:18,167
So, a new offer.
1450
01:23:19,690 --> 01:23:21,561
Caesar makes
one final offer to Pompey.
1451
01:23:21,692 --> 01:23:23,824
They'll both leave Italy,
and they'll leave things
1452
01:23:23,955 --> 01:23:25,609
for the Senate
and the other bodies
1453
01:23:25,739 --> 01:23:27,915
of Roman political society
to figure out.
1454
01:23:28,046 --> 01:23:29,308
We don't know
how Pompey reacts to this,
1455
01:23:29,439 --> 01:23:31,049
but we know how the Senate does.
1456
01:23:31,658 --> 01:23:35,010
No, his offer
will not be accepted.
1457
01:23:35,140 --> 01:23:36,750
Caesar needs to face punishment,
1458
01:23:36,881 --> 01:23:39,840
and that means
you crushing him in battle.
1459
01:23:40,493 --> 01:23:42,147
Then we need to leave the city.
1460
01:23:42,278 --> 01:23:43,192
I will not run.
1461
01:23:44,889 --> 01:23:48,197
He is approaching right now
with his entire army.
1462
01:23:48,327 --> 01:23:50,460
We don't have
enough loyal soldiers in Italy
1463
01:23:50,590 --> 01:23:52,157
to defend Rome.
1464
01:23:52,288 --> 01:23:54,290
I thought Pompey
only has to stamp his feet,
1465
01:23:54,420 --> 01:23:55,595
and troops will appear.
1466
01:23:56,640 --> 01:23:59,295
My men are spread
through the Mediterranean.
1467
01:23:59,425 --> 01:24:00,774
We need time.
1468
01:24:02,341 --> 01:24:04,430
We must leave the city.
1469
01:24:04,561 --> 01:24:06,911
Anyone who stays
to welcome Caesar
1470
01:24:07,042 --> 01:24:09,044
is a traitor to the Republic.
1471
01:24:18,923 --> 01:24:23,101
g]
1472
01:24:28,498 --> 01:24:30,761
After Pompey
and the Senate fled Rome...
1473
01:24:32,502 --> 01:24:34,199
Caesar gave chase.
1474
01:24:34,330 --> 01:24:36,810
He pursued them first,
to southern Italy,
1475
01:24:36,941 --> 01:24:37,942
and then, to Greece.
1476
01:24:39,900 --> 01:24:41,685
Greece is one
of Pompey's power bases,
1477
01:24:41,815 --> 01:24:44,079
it's a place where he can gather
soldiers to resist Caesar.
1478
01:24:46,646 --> 01:24:49,171
The two armies
find each other camped,
1479
01:24:49,301 --> 01:24:51,042
at Pharsalus in Greece,
1480
01:24:51,173 --> 01:24:53,740
and at this point,
Pompey has the upper hand.
1481
01:24:54,654 --> 01:24:57,266
Caesar's army is very far
1482
01:24:57,396 --> 01:24:59,181
from their supply lines
and from reinforcements,
1483
01:24:59,311 --> 01:25:00,573
they're hungry.
1484
01:25:02,662 --> 01:25:04,838
Pompey has
numerical superiority,
1485
01:25:04,969 --> 01:25:06,971
greater equipment
and greater supply lines.
1486
01:25:08,233 --> 01:25:11,497
Caesar is completely outgunned.
1487
01:25:11,628 --> 01:25:15,458
He is in a win-or-die situation,
1488
01:25:15,588 --> 01:25:17,764
and time is not on his side.
1489
01:25:23,814 --> 01:25:26,251
We have him pinned down, here.
1490
01:25:27,774 --> 01:25:30,342
All we need to do
is starve him out.
1491
01:25:31,256 --> 01:25:32,475
How long?
- Perhaps a month.
1492
01:25:33,476 --> 01:25:35,217
A month?
1493
01:25:35,347 --> 01:25:36,957
How much money
will that cost the Republic?
1494
01:25:38,133 --> 01:25:40,396
Cato, this is our best option.
1495
01:25:41,484 --> 01:25:44,878
He will surrender.
Fewer lives will be lost.
1496
01:25:45,009 --> 01:25:47,838
I think
you're losing your nerve...
1497
01:25:48,882 --> 01:25:49,970
old man.
1498
01:25:51,407 --> 01:25:52,625
Pompey doesn't want to fight,
1499
01:25:52,756 --> 01:25:53,887
but Pompey is under pressure
1500
01:25:54,018 --> 01:25:55,454
from his fellow nobles.
1501
01:25:55,585 --> 01:25:57,108
They do want to fight a battle,
1502
01:25:57,239 --> 01:25:59,023
they believe
that they can defeat Caesar.
1503
01:26:02,940 --> 01:26:03,854
You want a battle?
1504
01:26:06,465 --> 01:26:07,466
Have it your way.
1505
01:26:12,863 --> 01:26:14,343
Pompey's taking the field.
1506
01:26:16,736 --> 01:26:18,347
Have the centurions
ready the men.
1507
01:26:18,477 --> 01:26:19,696
The men haven't eaten in days.
1508
01:26:21,698 --> 01:26:24,701
Hunger makes a man fight harder,
Pompey's men have grown fat.
1509
01:26:27,791 --> 01:26:29,532
Let's face it, my friend...
1510
01:26:31,360 --> 01:26:32,709
the odds
aren't going to get any better.
1511
01:26:44,590 --> 01:26:46,505
At Pharsalus,
1512
01:26:46,636 --> 01:26:50,553
Pompey has managed
to put together a massive force
1513
01:26:50,683 --> 01:26:52,076
from throughout
all of the territories
1514
01:26:52,207 --> 01:26:53,991
that Pompey
has conquered previously.
1515
01:26:54,121 --> 01:26:56,820
Pompey! Pompey! Pompey!
1516
01:26:56,950 --> 01:27:00,867
Jewish mercenaries,
Egyptians, Syrians and Greeks.
1517
01:27:01,694 --> 01:27:05,481
You fight for a just cause.
1518
01:27:06,351 --> 01:27:10,660
For liberty,
for our laws and the Senate,
1519
01:27:10,790 --> 01:27:12,923
against one man,
1520
01:27:13,053 --> 01:27:15,752
who is seizing supreme power.
1521
01:27:19,451 --> 01:27:21,061
Pompey is up in years.
1522
01:27:21,192 --> 01:27:23,150
It has been quite some time
1523
01:27:23,281 --> 01:27:26,676
since he actually engaged
in a battle and won one.
1524
01:27:26,806 --> 01:27:28,547
Top that with the fact
that he has
1525
01:27:28,678 --> 01:27:30,201
an inexperienced military force
1526
01:27:30,332 --> 01:27:32,377
that he's trying to work with.
1527
01:27:32,508 --> 01:27:35,554
Caesar! Caesar! Caesar!
1528
01:27:35,685 --> 01:27:37,469
Caesar has the veteran force,
1529
01:27:37,600 --> 01:27:40,037
Caesar's infantry
are more experienced in battle
1530
01:27:40,167 --> 01:27:41,734
than Pompey's,
and Pompey knows it.
1531
01:27:41,865 --> 01:27:43,127
Caesar!
1532
01:27:43,258 --> 01:27:45,956
Today, we face only men.
1533
01:27:47,697 --> 01:27:49,742
The same men,
1534
01:27:49,873 --> 01:27:52,528
who wanted to disband us,
1535
01:27:52,658 --> 01:27:54,181
without honors.
1536
01:27:54,312 --> 01:27:55,792
Remember,
1537
01:27:55,922 --> 01:27:59,230
they wanted this, not us.
1538
01:28:00,971 --> 01:28:03,103
Caesar has asked
his soldiers to do
1539
01:28:03,234 --> 01:28:05,628
many things in the last decade,
1540
01:28:05,758 --> 01:28:07,630
but one thing
that has kept them going,
1541
01:28:07,760 --> 01:28:10,676
is his intense confidence
in himself.
1542
01:28:11,242 --> 01:28:15,115
This day will decide everything.
1543
01:28:15,725 --> 01:28:18,554
I order you now, advance!
1544
01:28:25,125 --> 01:28:27,476
Caesar's soldiers
are more battle-hardened
1545
01:28:27,606 --> 01:28:29,129
than their opponents,
1546
01:28:29,260 --> 01:28:31,523
but Pompey has a secret weapon.
1547
01:28:31,654 --> 01:28:35,571
Caesar's former lieutenant,
Titus Labienus.
1548
01:28:35,701 --> 01:28:38,443
Labienus is now in command
of Pompey's cavalry.
1549
01:28:39,792 --> 01:28:42,273
Caesar is now facing
one of his deputies
1550
01:28:42,404 --> 01:28:44,319
who is familiar
with how Caesar operates.
1551
01:28:48,888 --> 01:28:51,543
Pompey wants to push
his infantry out into the center
1552
01:28:51,674 --> 01:28:54,372
and hold the line,
and allow Labienus' cavalry
1553
01:28:54,503 --> 01:28:56,374
to move around,
and outflank Caesar's.
1554
01:28:57,984 --> 01:29:01,858
Pompey's got about seven times
as many horsemen as Caesar has,
1555
01:29:01,988 --> 01:29:05,296
and he's concentrated them
on the one flank on the left.
1556
01:29:05,427 --> 01:29:08,212
Julius Caesar recognizes
his cavalry is outnumbered,
1557
01:29:08,343 --> 01:29:10,214
so he adapts incredibly quickly.
1558
01:29:11,084 --> 01:29:12,042
Javelin.
1559
01:29:13,739 --> 01:29:15,132
Listen carefully.
1560
01:29:17,961 --> 01:29:20,703
He hides infantrymen
in amongst his cavalry.
1561
01:29:32,192 --> 01:29:34,543
Caesar's infantrymen
use their javelins
1562
01:29:34,673 --> 01:29:37,241
to thrust
at the enemy cavalrymen.
1563
01:29:46,946 --> 01:29:48,992
This is a new strategy
1564
01:29:49,122 --> 01:29:51,864
that Caesar concocts
for this particular battle.
1565
01:29:54,171 --> 01:29:55,912
Javelins were usually used
1566
01:29:56,042 --> 01:29:58,523
as throwing weapons
in ancient warfare.
1567
01:29:59,742 --> 01:30:01,787
Labienus' men,
they are stunned,
1568
01:30:01,918 --> 01:30:03,528
taken by surprise,
he starts to suffer losses.
1569
01:30:03,659 --> 01:30:05,269
Do not retreat!
1570
01:30:07,097 --> 01:30:08,577
Keep formation!
1571
01:30:11,014 --> 01:30:13,146
Labienus is forced to retreat
1572
01:30:13,277 --> 01:30:15,061
and now Caesar has
the initiative in the battle.
1573
01:30:17,412 --> 01:30:18,413
Push!
1574
01:30:19,109 --> 01:30:20,850
Come on!
1575
01:30:20,980 --> 01:30:23,679
Caesar will now send
his infantry forward,
1576
01:30:23,809 --> 01:30:25,550
including
his most experienced men.
1577
01:30:26,203 --> 01:30:28,031
Harder!
1578
01:30:28,161 --> 01:30:30,990
Pompey's men
have not fought together before,
1579
01:30:31,121 --> 01:30:33,210
whereas Caesar's men
have tasted victory before,
1580
01:30:33,340 --> 01:30:34,690
they have greater confidence,
1581
01:30:34,820 --> 01:30:36,779
they smash
through Pompey's line.
1582
01:30:45,309 --> 01:30:47,442
Realizing
that he has lost the battle,
1583
01:30:47,572 --> 01:30:49,879
Pompey decides to flee.
1584
01:30:50,009 --> 01:30:52,229
It's his only chance to live
and fight again another day.
1585
01:30:58,191 --> 01:31:01,368
I think Pharsalus
shows Caesar at his finest.
1586
01:31:01,499 --> 01:31:03,893
The ploy that he uses
against Labienus' cavalry
1587
01:31:04,023 --> 01:31:05,721
is sheer genius.
1588
01:31:05,851 --> 01:31:08,941
Caesar may be a gambler
but he's a smart gambler
1589
01:31:09,072 --> 01:31:11,335
and smart gamblers often win.
1590
01:31:13,990 --> 01:31:16,775
Pompey heads east
through Greece and Turkey
1591
01:31:16,906 --> 01:31:19,996
and then south through Cyprus
and on to Egypt.
1592
01:31:20,953 --> 01:31:23,390
Officially,
Egypt is an independent country.
1593
01:31:23,521 --> 01:31:26,481
Unofficially,
it's almost a vassal of Rome.
1594
01:31:27,960 --> 01:31:30,049
Pompey thinks
he can get help in Egypt,
1595
01:31:30,180 --> 01:31:31,964
because the Egyptians owe him.
1596
01:31:32,095 --> 01:31:34,619
Pompey was the patron
of the king's father,
1597
01:31:34,750 --> 01:31:36,012
Ptolemy the 12th.
1598
01:31:37,361 --> 01:31:39,494
Caesar stays
on Pompey's heels,
1599
01:31:39,624 --> 01:31:41,104
following him to North Africa.
1600
01:31:41,234 --> 01:31:42,671
Caesar knows
1601
01:31:42,801 --> 01:31:44,977
that as long as Pompey
is out there,
1602
01:31:45,108 --> 01:31:46,979
he hasn't won the war.
1603
01:31:47,110 --> 01:31:50,983
He needs to stop Pompey
before he can rally a new army.
1604
01:31:56,815 --> 01:31:58,469
When Caesar arrives in Egypt,
1605
01:31:58,600 --> 01:32:01,037
the country
is tearing itself apart.
1606
01:32:01,167 --> 01:32:03,953
The boy-king,
Ptolemy Theos, is at war
1607
01:32:04,083 --> 01:32:06,042
with his older sister, Cleopatra.
1608
01:32:07,347 --> 01:32:09,828
With the help of his regent,
the eunuch Pathinas,
1609
01:32:09,959 --> 01:32:12,788
Theos manages
to oust Cleopatra from power,
1610
01:32:12,918 --> 01:32:14,006
for now.
1611
01:32:21,100 --> 01:32:22,972
Majesty,
1612
01:32:23,102 --> 01:32:26,497
I understand my countryman,
Pompey, is here in Egypt,
1613
01:32:26,628 --> 01:32:28,543
I only wish to speak with him.
1614
01:32:29,761 --> 01:32:32,198
Caesar, please, join us.
1615
01:32:33,330 --> 01:32:34,461
We have a gift for you.
1616
01:33:01,010 --> 01:33:03,882
Pompey is stabbed
to death and beheaded.
1617
01:33:04,579 --> 01:33:05,884
The Egyptian rulers at the time
1618
01:33:06,015 --> 01:33:07,233
saw the Battle of Pharsalus
1619
01:33:07,364 --> 01:33:09,148
as decisive in the civil war
1620
01:33:09,279 --> 01:33:11,194
and they wanted to curry favor
1621
01:33:11,324 --> 01:33:13,457
with the new overlord
of the Roman world.
1622
01:33:16,112 --> 01:33:17,983
Caesar is distraught
1623
01:33:18,114 --> 01:33:20,899
when he finds out about
what's happened to Pompey,
1624
01:33:21,030 --> 01:33:23,772
he does not think that the man
deserved such a cruel death.
1625
01:33:30,779 --> 01:33:31,997
After Pompey's death,
1626
01:33:32,128 --> 01:33:34,391
Caesar spends nine months
in Egypt
1627
01:33:34,521 --> 01:33:36,480
with a new ally and lover.
1628
01:33:37,829 --> 01:33:39,396
Caesar.
1629
01:33:39,526 --> 01:33:42,312
The Egyptian queen, Cleopatra,
1630
01:33:42,442 --> 01:33:44,314
the older sister
of Ptolemy Theos.
1631
01:33:45,402 --> 01:33:46,490
Leave us.
1632
01:33:51,843 --> 01:33:54,498
They even have a child together, Caesarion.
1633
01:33:55,847 --> 01:33:57,980
Caesar eventually leaves Egypt
1634
01:33:58,110 --> 01:34:00,286
in the summer of 47 BC,
1635
01:34:00,417 --> 01:34:02,506
nearly a year after he arrived.
1636
01:34:04,551 --> 01:34:07,467
Caesar then continues
fighting his enemies,
1637
01:34:07,598 --> 01:34:09,339
the remaining allies of Pompey,
1638
01:34:09,469 --> 01:34:11,123
who have regrouped under Cato
1639
01:34:11,254 --> 01:34:12,864
and are fighting
in North Africa.
1640
01:34:13,778 --> 01:34:15,562
Cato is defending
the city of Utica,
1641
01:34:15,693 --> 01:34:17,086
which is a seaport.
1642
01:34:17,216 --> 01:34:20,002
The city
is about to fall to Caesar
1643
01:34:20,132 --> 01:34:22,657
and Caesar offers Cato his life.
1644
01:34:22,787 --> 01:34:25,094
He says, "Ask me for pardon
1645
01:34:25,224 --> 01:34:26,748
"and I will spare you."
1646
01:34:26,878 --> 01:34:28,271
Cato refuses.
1647
01:34:28,880 --> 01:34:30,969
Rather than submit
to Caesar's will,
1648
01:34:31,100 --> 01:34:33,929
he decides that a good Roman
would rather commit suicide.
1649
01:34:34,843 --> 01:34:38,237
Cato's death
is exactly how he lived,
1650
01:34:38,368 --> 01:34:40,413
overly dramatic.
1651
01:34:40,544 --> 01:34:43,373
For some people,
he's gone down in history
1652
01:34:43,503 --> 01:34:45,418
as an example
of a freedom fighter,
1653
01:34:45,549 --> 01:34:48,204
who would rather die
than accept a dictatorship.
1654
01:34:51,381 --> 01:34:54,732
Finally, more than
a decade after he left for Gaul,
1655
01:34:54,863 --> 01:34:56,560
Caesar returns to Rome...
1656
01:34:58,780 --> 01:35:01,217
not as a rebel,
but as its ruler.
1657
01:35:02,784 --> 01:35:05,569
When Caesar returns
to Rome in 46 BC,
1658
01:35:05,700 --> 01:35:08,790
he is the unquestionable master
of Rome.
1659
01:35:08,920 --> 01:35:10,705
Nobody even competes
1660
01:35:10,835 --> 01:35:14,056
when it comes to the power
at Caesar's disposal.
1661
01:35:15,710 --> 01:35:17,407
Rome's Empire
under Caesar
1662
01:35:17,537 --> 01:35:20,540
now stretches
more than 2,500 miles.
1663
01:35:20,671 --> 01:35:23,195
From the French Atlantic coast,
1664
01:35:23,326 --> 01:35:25,067
to the river Euphrates in Syria.
1665
01:35:27,330 --> 01:35:29,636
Julius Caesar is
bestowed with the highest honor
1666
01:35:29,767 --> 01:35:32,639
that a Roman official
could receive, a triumph.
1667
01:35:32,770 --> 01:35:35,425
It's an extensive
military parade
1668
01:35:35,555 --> 01:35:37,601
that welcomes him back
into the city.
1669
01:35:38,297 --> 01:35:40,517
Caesar has
his face painted red,
1670
01:35:40,647 --> 01:35:42,824
because for one of [indistinct],
1671
01:35:42,954 --> 01:35:45,740
the triumph symbolizes
that this one man
1672
01:35:45,870 --> 01:35:48,612
is being given
the privilege of becoming a god.
1673
01:35:51,484 --> 01:35:53,008
All the while
1674
01:35:53,138 --> 01:35:54,400
that Caesar's going
through this triumph,
1675
01:35:54,531 --> 01:35:55,662
there's a slave with him,
1676
01:35:55,793 --> 01:35:57,273
whispering in his ear,
1677
01:35:57,403 --> 01:35:58,927
"Remember you are mortal.
1678
01:35:59,057 --> 01:36:00,493
"Remember you are mortal."
1679
01:36:00,624 --> 01:36:02,278
"Remember, you are not a god."
1680
01:36:02,408 --> 01:36:05,020
Even at the peak
of his accomplishments,
1681
01:36:05,150 --> 01:36:06,586
there is still somebody there
to remind Caesar
1682
01:36:06,717 --> 01:36:07,762
to keep his feet on the ground.
1683
01:36:11,591 --> 01:36:13,028
As part of the triumph,
1684
01:36:13,158 --> 01:36:15,117
high-profile prisoners
are executed
1685
01:36:15,247 --> 01:36:17,162
in front of the crowds.
1686
01:36:17,293 --> 01:36:19,904
Poor Vercingetorix
has been waiting for six years
1687
01:36:20,035 --> 01:36:23,473
since his defeat at Alesia,
to be executed in Rome.
1688
01:36:29,174 --> 01:36:31,568
This triumph
is establishing the narrative
1689
01:36:31,698 --> 01:36:34,136
"Caesar is the hero
that conquered Gaul for Rome.
1690
01:36:34,266 --> 01:36:36,791
"Here is the leader of the Gauls
being executed for us.
1691
01:36:40,533 --> 01:36:42,231
This is our moment to gloat,
1692
01:36:42,361 --> 01:36:44,624
on our victory
and our conquest of Gaul.
1693
01:36:53,503 --> 01:36:56,680
Caesar's big challenge
is to try to unite Rome
1694
01:36:56,811 --> 01:36:58,334
behind his unparalleled power.
1695
01:36:58,464 --> 01:37:00,205
But the problem with that
1696
01:37:00,336 --> 01:37:02,991
is Rome is supposed to be
a republican democracy.
1697
01:37:04,906 --> 01:37:06,995
Caesar's dominance
is completely abnormal
1698
01:37:07,125 --> 01:37:08,518
in Rome's recent history.
1699
01:37:08,648 --> 01:37:10,172
It only happened once before
1700
01:37:10,302 --> 01:37:12,304
within in Caesar's lifetime,
with Sulla.
1701
01:37:17,222 --> 01:37:19,572
Caesar has
the Senate declare him dictator.
1702
01:37:19,703 --> 01:37:21,748
At this point, the Senate
has no fight left in it,
1703
01:37:21,879 --> 01:37:23,011
Caesar has won.
1704
01:37:24,882 --> 01:37:27,711
Dictator
is a form of exceptional power
1705
01:37:27,842 --> 01:37:29,931
that was supposed
to be temporary.
1706
01:37:30,583 --> 01:37:33,282
Caesar is using this
as a fig leaf
1707
01:37:33,412 --> 01:37:35,197
to hide the fact
there are no limits
1708
01:37:35,327 --> 01:37:36,546
to his influence and power.
1709
01:37:42,030 --> 01:37:44,946
Caesar now uses
his unprecedented power
1710
01:37:45,076 --> 01:37:46,948
to pass reforms
he thinks are needed
1711
01:37:47,078 --> 01:37:48,863
to transform
a crumbling republic.
1712
01:37:51,996 --> 01:37:53,780
Caesar believes
1713
01:37:53,911 --> 01:37:56,958
that the Roman Republic
cannot function anymore,
1714
01:37:57,088 --> 01:38:00,309
because it was set up
to rule over a small city
1715
01:38:00,439 --> 01:38:03,442
and they're now ruling
over a vast empire.
1716
01:38:03,573 --> 01:38:05,531
The forms of government
in a republic
1717
01:38:05,662 --> 01:38:07,229
simply can't manage this.
1718
01:38:09,100 --> 01:38:11,233
Caesar has come
to the conclusion,
1719
01:38:11,363 --> 01:38:13,888
that the only way
to save the Republic,
1720
01:38:14,018 --> 01:38:16,891
is to fundamentally destroy
and rebuild it.
1721
01:38:17,848 --> 01:38:19,981
He needs to create a new system,
1722
01:38:20,111 --> 01:38:21,808
centered around him.
1723
01:38:21,939 --> 01:38:24,159
No longer
will there be open elections,
1724
01:38:24,289 --> 01:38:26,596
optimates and populares,
1725
01:38:26,726 --> 01:38:28,772
now there will
only be Caesar's will.
1726
01:38:30,817 --> 01:38:32,558
As Caesar's power grows,
1727
01:38:32,689 --> 01:38:34,952
he looks for new ways
to display that publicly,
1728
01:38:35,083 --> 01:38:37,215
to legitimate his new role.
1729
01:38:50,750 --> 01:38:52,883
Caesar wears
a purple robe
1730
01:38:53,014 --> 01:38:54,711
whenever he pleases.
1731
01:38:54,841 --> 01:38:56,278
Now, this is significant,
1732
01:38:56,408 --> 01:38:58,933
because purple
is the color of royalty.
1733
01:39:05,417 --> 01:39:07,028
Caesar has
his dictatorship
1734
01:39:07,158 --> 01:39:08,855
extended in perpetuity.
1735
01:39:08,986 --> 01:39:13,295
He will now rule
as a sole ruler for life.
1736
01:39:22,304 --> 01:39:24,349
Caesar now
has greater power
1737
01:39:24,480 --> 01:39:26,525
than the man he hated
and ran away from,
1738
01:39:26,656 --> 01:39:27,831
the dictator Sulla.
1739
01:39:29,267 --> 01:39:32,488
For a guy
who claims to be a populares,
1740
01:39:32,618 --> 01:39:36,100
for someone who stands up
for the little guy,
1741
01:39:36,231 --> 01:39:39,669
now he begins
to lose his mind with hubris.
1742
01:39:39,799 --> 01:39:44,021
This was a man
who used to be a reformer
1743
01:39:44,152 --> 01:39:47,329
and now he just wants
absolute power.
1744
01:39:47,459 --> 01:39:51,724
Caesar has always been
a populares
1745
01:39:51,855 --> 01:39:53,552
in name only.
1746
01:39:53,683 --> 01:39:55,467
He is not interested
1747
01:39:55,598 --> 01:39:58,601
in improving
the lot of the people.
1748
01:39:59,558 --> 01:40:02,605
The people were always
just a means to an end.
1749
01:40:04,041 --> 01:40:05,521
You're sure
this is the right thing to do?
1750
01:40:07,088 --> 01:40:09,133
I'm the most powerful man
Rome has ever seen.
1751
01:40:09,960 --> 01:40:11,875
It's time to make it official.
1752
01:40:12,006 --> 01:40:14,225
Long-serving Senators
might not take well to it,
1753
01:40:14,356 --> 01:40:15,922
even Sulla
was careful with them,
1754
01:40:16,053 --> 01:40:17,707
not to make them
feel disrespected.
1755
01:40:18,490 --> 01:40:19,535
They'll do nothing.
1756
01:40:20,797 --> 01:40:22,364
They owe me their lives.
1757
01:40:22,494 --> 01:40:25,410
- But the Republic--
- I am the Republic.
1758
01:40:26,281 --> 01:40:29,545
With each success,
Caesar's ambitions grow.
1759
01:40:31,286 --> 01:40:32,765
What else is there,
1760
01:40:32,896 --> 01:40:36,421
than Rome
and the power of ruling Rome?
1761
01:40:36,552 --> 01:40:38,945
There hasn't been a king
for 400 years.
1762
01:40:39,076 --> 01:40:42,079
Could he possibly
even become a king?
1763
01:40:42,601 --> 01:40:43,733
It's a gamble.
1764
01:40:45,213 --> 01:40:46,214
Yes.
1765
01:40:47,345 --> 01:40:48,216
But you forget...
1766
01:40:49,782 --> 01:40:50,783
I never lose.
1767
01:40:56,920 --> 01:40:57,747
]
1768
01:41:00,141 --> 01:41:02,186
Caesar,
from the beginning,
1769
01:41:02,317 --> 01:41:05,755
from Sulla's demand
to divorce Cornelia...
1770
01:41:07,191 --> 01:41:08,845
he was a gambler.
1771
01:41:08,975 --> 01:41:12,762
He was willing
to throw those dice.
1772
01:41:15,286 --> 01:41:17,897
Rome had been founded
by kings
1773
01:41:18,028 --> 01:41:22,337
and it was that foundation
that Caesar had invoked,
1774
01:41:22,467 --> 01:41:25,775
all the way back
at Cornelia's funeral.
1775
01:41:26,819 --> 01:41:28,299
For Caesar,
1776
01:41:28,430 --> 01:41:30,606
the only place
he has left to go,
1777
01:41:30,736 --> 01:41:32,782
is to become an outright king
1778
01:41:32,912 --> 01:41:35,132
and fulfill
that political mission
1779
01:41:35,263 --> 01:41:38,396
that he had set for himself
years previously.
1780
01:41:38,527 --> 01:41:40,006
At a public festival,
1781
01:41:40,137 --> 01:41:42,487
he has Mark Antony
try to crown him,
1782
01:41:42,618 --> 01:41:44,185
to see how the crowd will react.
1783
01:41:44,315 --> 01:41:46,448
The people ask me,
1784
01:41:46,578 --> 01:41:49,103
to give Caesar this crown.
1785
01:41:50,539 --> 01:41:52,802
Caesar is gambling
1786
01:41:52,932 --> 01:41:55,021
that the Roman people
will accept their first king
1787
01:41:55,152 --> 01:41:57,111
in 400 years.
1788
01:42:03,204 --> 01:42:05,119
It's a wager that backfires.
1789
01:42:08,557 --> 01:42:11,734
Jupiter alone
1790
01:42:11,864 --> 01:42:14,302
is king of the Romans.
1791
01:42:15,346 --> 01:42:16,304
I'm no king...
1792
01:42:18,001 --> 01:42:19,785
but only Caesar.
1793
01:42:23,354 --> 01:42:24,747
Senators
could never accept
1794
01:42:24,877 --> 01:42:26,357
the possibility
of a king in Rome,
1795
01:42:26,488 --> 01:42:28,098
that would be
the death of the Republic,
1796
01:42:28,229 --> 01:42:30,361
the death of everything
that they held sacred.
1797
01:42:30,492 --> 01:42:31,928
For them, this would be a line
1798
01:42:32,058 --> 01:42:33,495
that they would never be willing
to cross.
1799
01:42:35,279 --> 01:42:36,628
Within the Senate,
1800
01:42:36,759 --> 01:42:38,717
a growing group is now beginning
1801
01:42:38,848 --> 01:42:40,806
to organize opposition
against Caesar.
1802
01:42:40,937 --> 01:42:42,852
Around 60 Senators
are ever less comfortable
1803
01:42:42,982 --> 01:42:44,810
with Caesar's growing power
1804
01:42:44,941 --> 01:42:47,683
and start to accuse him
of becoming a tyrant.
1805
01:42:49,554 --> 01:42:51,469
One month
after the failed crowning,
1806
01:42:51,600 --> 01:42:53,297
on March 15th...
1807
01:42:54,429 --> 01:42:56,605
the Ides of March,
1808
01:42:56,735 --> 01:42:59,173
Caesar is invited
to meet a group of Senators.
1809
01:43:07,093 --> 01:43:08,356
One of the leaders
1810
01:43:08,486 --> 01:43:10,009
of the conspiracy
against Caesar,
1811
01:43:10,140 --> 01:43:12,186
is a man named Marcus Brutus.
1812
01:43:14,536 --> 01:43:15,885
Caesar.
1813
01:43:16,625 --> 01:43:17,713
Please, a petition.
1814
01:43:39,996 --> 01:43:42,738
Is it you, my son?
1815
01:43:44,609 --> 01:43:46,611
The words that are known
throughout the world
1816
01:43:46,742 --> 01:43:48,570
as being Caesar's
final words are,
1817
01:43:48,700 --> 01:43:51,050
"Et tu, Brutes?"
"And you, Brutus?"
1818
01:43:51,181 --> 01:43:53,749
But these words don't originate
in the ancient sources,
1819
01:43:53,879 --> 01:43:56,360
they actually originate
with Shakespeare.
1820
01:43:57,448 --> 01:43:59,233
What he said
to Brutus was,
1821
01:43:59,363 --> 01:44:00,408
"You, too, child?"
1822
01:44:01,626 --> 01:44:03,759
Brutus' mother, Servilia,
1823
01:44:03,889 --> 01:44:06,370
was Caesar's long-time mistress
1824
01:44:06,501 --> 01:44:08,677
and there're even those who say
1825
01:44:08,807 --> 01:44:12,071
that Brutus
was Caesar's natural child.
1826
01:44:15,423 --> 01:44:17,903
Every gambler
will tell you that, eventually,
1827
01:44:18,034 --> 01:44:19,514
their luck is going to run out.
1828
01:44:20,689 --> 01:44:22,473
Caesar gambled and gambled
and gambled
1829
01:44:22,604 --> 01:44:24,519
until, eventually, he lost.
1830
01:44:25,215 --> 01:44:27,086
In the end,
there's a real tragic irony
1831
01:44:27,217 --> 01:44:28,610
in Caesar's life.
1832
01:44:28,740 --> 01:44:32,004
That he ran
from a despot dictator
1833
01:44:32,135 --> 01:44:33,963
and he comes full circle
1834
01:44:34,093 --> 01:44:36,095
to actually end his life as one.
1835
01:44:40,056 --> 01:44:42,363
Caesar's assassins
are hoping to kill him
1836
01:44:42,493 --> 01:44:44,539
and to bring
the old Republic back.
1837
01:44:44,669 --> 01:44:46,889
In practice,
the result is a disaster.
1838
01:44:47,019 --> 01:44:50,806
The assassins do not
successfully restore democracy.
1839
01:44:52,764 --> 01:44:54,200
When Caesar dies,
1840
01:44:54,331 --> 01:44:56,507
there are just too many
1841
01:44:56,638 --> 01:44:58,466
ambitious,
powerful men around him.
1842
01:44:58,596 --> 01:45:00,206
There's Mark Antony,
1843
01:45:00,337 --> 01:45:03,427
who thinks of himself
as his protégé.
1844
01:45:03,558 --> 01:45:06,822
But Mark Antony
is not Caesar's chosen heir.
1845
01:45:06,952 --> 01:45:09,128
Instead, his will nominates
1846
01:45:09,259 --> 01:45:12,175
his cunning great-nephew,
Octavian.
1847
01:45:15,352 --> 01:45:17,311
The next few years
of Roman history
1848
01:45:17,441 --> 01:45:20,444
are a colossal struggle
over five separate civil wars.
1849
01:45:20,575 --> 01:45:22,664
Particularly between
Mark Antony and Octavian,
1850
01:45:22,794 --> 01:45:24,796
to inherit Caesar's power.
1851
01:45:24,927 --> 01:45:26,755
Octavian comes out on top
1852
01:45:26,885 --> 01:45:29,279
and becomes
the first-ever Emperor of Rome,
1853
01:45:29,410 --> 01:45:31,977
establishing what we now know
as the Roman Empire.
1854
01:45:32,108 --> 01:45:34,502
Crucially, Octavian
never declares himself king.
1855
01:45:35,503 --> 01:45:37,418
The Roman Empire
survived in the west
1856
01:45:37,548 --> 01:45:39,507
for another 500 years,
1857
01:45:39,637 --> 01:45:42,727
and the east,
for another 1,500 years.
1858
01:45:42,858 --> 01:45:45,861
And, really, it all goes back
to Julius Caesar.
1859
01:45:48,472 --> 01:45:49,865
Even though
Julius Caesar
1860
01:45:49,995 --> 01:45:52,607
did not himself
become the emperor,
1861
01:45:52,737 --> 01:45:55,827
there's a reason
why later European monarchs
1862
01:45:55,958 --> 01:45:58,003
named themselves after Caesar,
1863
01:45:58,134 --> 01:45:59,962
because he establishes
an example,
1864
01:46:00,092 --> 01:46:01,790
for well or ill,
1865
01:46:01,920 --> 01:46:05,228
of what leadership
and conquest looked like.
1866
01:46:06,490 --> 01:46:08,013
So, during World War I,
1867
01:46:08,144 --> 01:46:10,015
you have in Germany the Kaiser
1868
01:46:10,146 --> 01:46:12,496
and in Russia you have the Czar.
1869
01:46:12,627 --> 01:46:15,891
Both of these words
come from the Roman "Caesar."
1870
01:46:16,021 --> 01:46:18,763
Caesar's legacy
is dictatorship itself.
1871
01:46:18,894 --> 01:46:21,984
The excuse that a democracy,
when it's in trouble,
1872
01:46:22,114 --> 01:46:24,769
can be resolved
by giving all power to one man.
1873
01:46:25,553 --> 01:46:28,338
Every dictator since,
including Napoleon,
1874
01:46:28,469 --> 01:46:30,688
Mussolini, Pinochet,
1875
01:46:30,819 --> 01:46:33,343
is always drawing
on Julius Caesar.
1876
01:46:34,257 --> 01:46:35,867
Caesar was a great man,
1877
01:46:35,998 --> 01:46:37,565
he was equally good
1878
01:46:37,695 --> 01:46:40,524
at politics, at war,
and at literature.
1879
01:46:40,655 --> 01:46:43,092
But he's also a murderous man,
a violent man.
1880
01:46:44,572 --> 01:46:47,009
A man who commits genocide.
1881
01:46:48,706 --> 01:46:50,404
It is unfortunate,
1882
01:46:50,534 --> 01:46:54,277
that in people that have
this exceptional genius,
1883
01:46:54,408 --> 01:46:58,107
you also find
an exceptional ambition.
1884
01:47:01,327 --> 01:47:03,025
There was so much
1885
01:47:03,155 --> 01:47:05,854
that Caesar
could have accomplished
1886
01:47:05,984 --> 01:47:07,986
for the Roman state,
1887
01:47:08,117 --> 01:47:11,381
that to see him finally
get wrapped up in his own power,
1888
01:47:11,512 --> 01:47:13,688
is ultimately a tragedy.
1889
01:47:14,602 --> 01:47:16,038
I think
what Julius Caesar teaches us,
1890
01:47:16,168 --> 01:47:17,605
more than anything else,
1891
01:47:17,735 --> 01:47:19,650
is that there is a danger
1892
01:47:19,781 --> 01:47:21,870
with unparalleled ambition,
1893
01:47:22,000 --> 01:47:23,872
matched
with unparalleled ability.
1894
01:47:24,002 --> 01:47:25,787
Power corrupts
1895
01:47:25,917 --> 01:47:27,919
and absolute power
corrupts absolutely.
1896
01:47:28,050 --> 01:47:31,314
When you think you are
the smartest person in the room
1897
01:47:31,445 --> 01:47:33,534
and the only one
with all the answers...
1898
01:47:33,664 --> 01:47:36,580
Let the dice fly high!
1899
01:47:36,711 --> 01:47:37,973
...disaster awaits.
144026
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