Julius Caesar

Julius Caesar (100–44 BC), Gaius Julius Caesar, was a Roman general, statesman and author whose career led to the end of the Roman Republic and prepared the way for the Roman Empire. As governor of Gaul from 58 to 50 BC he brought the region under Roman rule, recording these campaigns in his Commentaries on the Gallic War, still read for their clear Latin prose. The turning point came in January 49 BC, when he led his army across the Rubicon River into Italy, beginning a civil war from which he emerged as dictator. He introduced the Julian calendar of 365 days with a leap year, the basis of the calendar used today. He was assassinated by a group of senators on the Ides of March, 44 BC. His adopted heir, Octavian, became the emperor Augustus, and the month of July bears Caesar's name.