What if Julius Caesar Was Not Assassinated? - Dacian Triumph and Rome Reforged (Part 2 of 4)

Today we'll be continuing our series examining what might have happened if Julius Caesar was not assassinated on the Ides of March. In part one we explored Caesar's campaign in Dacia which resulted in victory for the legions. Now the conquering general returns to Rome to celebrate a triumph and embark on new projects before setting off for his real objective, a war with Parthia. If you want to take the reins of your own what-if scenario and see the Romans conquer the world, you can do so through our sponsor Paradox and their historical grand strategy game Imperator Rome. This title lets you forge and manage a great empire across an incredibly large and diverse map of ancient powers from antiquity. Since launch there have been several big updates substantially overhauling a lot of key features. The latest one, Livy, revamps missions, great families, armies, supply trains, and much more. Additionally Paradox released a free Punic Wars content pack to further enrich the experience. It introduces 10 unique mission trees guiding the Roman Republic to master Italy and 9 unique mission trees to lead the Carthaginians to dominate Africa, Spain, and Sicily. New unit models like the Numidians and Carthaginian fleets are included as well as additional music scores to put you right in the mood of conquest. From now until December 8th the game is free to play and there are a ton of discounts to take advantage of. If you want to dive in definitely do so using the link in the description below. As the Dacian war draws to a close we must consider the fallout of this affair. In the short term the fate of the region would be dictated by the demands of Caesar's peace talks. The amount of concessions he would be able to extract would be a factor of his leverage. On the one hand yes in our scenario he has been able to defeat the enemy in a series of victories. On the other hand however the quick surface level campaign would be unlikely to result in the immediate subjugation of wider Dacia. Push too hard and Caesar might just incite a huge blowback effect as had happened in Gaul which resulted in his near destruction at Alesia when almost everyone rose up against him. Therefore it's likely that Caesar's terms would call for an annexation of the territory south of the Danube as a province while the tribes beyond would bow informally to Rome. Some might become client kingdoms with obligations to provide tribute supplies or troops whilst others might merely trade with their new neighbor or at the very least adopt non-aggression stances. The everyday Dacian people caught in the middle of all this may have decided to simply stay put and live their lives under the new overlords while others may have joined a mass migration out of the occupied zones. Meanwhile the new border at the Danube would be reinforced by the Romans. As can be seen during the imperial period this would probably start with a few garrisoned forts and walls that would slowly evolve into an entire defensive network. From here the Romans could safely keep an eye on border crossings and stage expeditions out as needed. Within this protective barrier all sorts of activity would begin to take place. If real history is anything to go by this would see an explosion in agriculture, animal breeding, mineral extraction, commerce, and city development. Roman businessmen and politicians would jockey for a piece of the pie with Caesar as presiding dictator for life in a position to dole these out as rewards to those who he deemed most worthy. This sort of political game would be best played back in Rome. Thus Caesar would have made a return journey to the capital shortly after his victory to sort out the spoils. Along the way he is sure to have been busy sending out a flurry of letters to all his important contacts whilst also meeting with delegations eager to sing his praise and curry favor. Among these would likely have been Octavian and members of the senate. As Caesar approached Rome the clock would be ticking. There were only about five to six months left before the start of his long-awaited war against the Parthians set for the following year. During this interlude he would want to celebrate his victory, enact key policies, and settle politics at home before setting off once more. Let's start by discussing celebrations. This would likely have involved the heaping of new titles and accolades upon Caesar. Previously these had included such names as liberator, father of the fatherland, and imperator. Now he might have been granted the glorious use of Dasycus or conqueror of Dacia as would be done with the future emperor Trajan. A triumph would Caesar was no stranger to such events. Just two years prior he had celebrated an extravagant quadruple triumph for concluding his four wars in Gaul, Egypt, Pontus, and Numidia. That monumental occasion would be tough to beat. However it had been somewhat tarnished by the fact that the victories were in part celebrating the defeat of fellow Romans in civil war. Thus this Dacian triumph would be a great way to unite everyone in a more clear-cut victory against a foreign foe. As was pretty standard at the time this would involve a procession of troops through the streets of Rome alongside the spoils of war with Caesar himself at the center of attention atop a chariot. Prisoners of war would be displayed for the public and later sold into slavery or executed. Typically a high-profile leader would be ritually strangled. If Caesar had managed to capture King Brubista alive he would have been a likely candidate to follow in the footsteps of Vercingetorix. Meanwhile there would be several days or even weeks of celebration throughout the city with banquets, games, and entertainment. Eventually however the festivities would die down and Caesar would have to get back to the more serious business of governance. We can get a sense of what this would have entailed by referencing sources like Plutarch, by looking at what was already in the works, and by looking at what his successors did historically. One of these would have been a major policy of construction. In Rome this meant finishing the current projects like the Septa, the Julian Forum, and the New Curia. In addition he intended to build a new temple of Mars, a new theater, and a library based on the Alexandrian model. From a civil project's perspective he would seek to curb the Tiber's flooding problems by draining the marshes of Pompecia and Sicia while also diverting the river just below the city into a deep channel that would stretch out to the sea at Terracina for safe and easy boat travel. Yet more would be done to improve naval activity by revamping the port of Ostia. This involved building great breakwaters, clearing away obstructions, and erecting new harbors. Construction would even extend beyond Rome. One of the major projects apparently included a plan to construct a canal across the Gulf of Corinth which would greatly improve travel in the region. In reality several future emperors would attempt this feat, but none succeeded due to the technical issues at hand. Another fascinating set of projects would be the establishment of new colonies across Italy, Greece, and North Africa. Such activities had long been a part of Rome's expansion, but it appears that these specifically would be carried out on a massive scale. The historian Adrian Goldsworthy for instance states that such a scheme would relocate over 80,000 veteran soldiers and urban poor. One of their destinations was the ancient site of Carthage where Caesar planned to plant a new colony. Historically this occurred after his assassination, and this new Carthage would rise to become one of the largest in the empire. But that's not all. Apparently Caesar even had greater ambitions for change. While not all of these could have been completed this year, it's likely that he would have at least attempted to get the ball rolling. These additional policies included the following. Codifying Roman law, which historically didn't really happen until Justinian six centuries later. Reforming the juries to include centurions regardless of their census class. Creating a new appellate system. Granting citizenship to all the communities in Sicily, and recalling exiles among many other acts. So yeah it would have been a pretty busy time, but there is precedence for this frenzy of activity as was the case in 46 BC when Caesar returned to Rome in the midst of the civil war to push through tons of reforms. As the months rolled by however, the countdown to Persia drew nearer, and the dictator would have to make sure his administration was stable before leaving. With this in mind, let's now finally turn to the settling of the political scene. For context, you must know that the institutions of the Roman Republic had been in a state of steady decay for several centuries. By the time Caesar was appointed dictator for life, these systems were still propped up for appearances, but were increasingly being undermined. For instance the practice of voting in annual elections and on bills still took place. It's just that now the candidates and the legislation in question were pre-selected by Caesar. Technicalities were also used to further erode the traditional institutions of government. Caesar for instance had used his powers in 47 BC to appoint many new loyalist senators, and eventually raised the total membership of the body to 900, thus diluting the voice of his opposition. Yet more control was exerted by abusing the suffix consulship. The role was meant to be used to replace a consul who had died or otherwise vacated their office. Typically this called for a snap election of sorts, but when Caesar had stepped down as sole consul in 45 BC, he used the method to install two chosen successors. This precedent would get worse over the following decades as Augustus and future emperors used it to justify their installment of officials of their own choosing. Often this meant the promotion of loyalists and new men to the detriment of the traditional establishment. Meanwhile terms of office were increasingly restricted to guard against the potential rise of future opponents. All these tools and more would have been a part of Caesar's process of consolidating power before heading off for his eastern campaigns. According to history this was already underway prior to the Ides of March. One major move was to pass a law which allowed him to appoint all magistrates for the year of 43 BC and all consuls and tribunes for the year of 42 BC. Thus Caesar would have spent a good time of 44 BC contemplating his staffing decisions. In fact the first round of elections had already been held early in the year prior to the Ides of March, so we do have records of what these appointments would have looked like. Arrangements for instance were made to have Hercius and Pansa elected consuls while this list shows how other key positions were filled. Upon Caesar's return from Dacia he would likely want to start thinking about the next round of elections. Perhaps as the months rolled into the new year he might even decide to supervise early election for 42 BC while still in the city. However it might also be the case that he would want to head out for distant Parthia as soon as possible, maybe even getting an early head start on the campaigning season. After all not all of his decisions had to be made right now. Caesar could continue to play the role of puppet master whilst on campaign by staying in touch via letter or by relying on trusted representatives. To this end it's likely that he would have entrusted Lepidus as master of horse to carry out much of his will. Other favorites like young Octavian or even Brutus might play a key role in holding down the home front during his absence. Amidst all of this there is sure to have been some whispers of conspiracy among Caesar's would-be assassins to finally enact a ploy similar to the one used historically on the Ides of March. However in our scenario we will assume that they will lay low as the window of opportunity had largely passed. They will instead hope that Caesar's departure for the east presents them with a better hand of cards. Perhaps if they're lucky the Persians will get the job done for them. Join me in our next episode as we turn to the long-awaited eastern war. As always I look forward to reading your own takes on this alt-history timeline. A huge thanks is owed to our supporters on Patreon and to many talented researchers, writers, and artists who made this video possible. Please consider contributing to fund future content. If you found this topic interesting check out these related videos about our fascinating past. Be sure to like and subscribe for more history and check out our description for ways to support the channel. Thanks for watching!