Caesarism

"I came, I saw, I conquered."

Gaius Julius Caesar

Caesarism, also known as Roman Imperialism, is an authoritarian, economically center ideology that follows the ideals of the Roman Empire. Rome gained wealth through trade and conquest, it would conquer lands, take slaves, and sell the goods made by the slaves. Rome would create a national identity with citizenship, public spaces, and roads. Instead of taxation, Rome would use wealth from conquered lands to pay for necessities. Much like Mercantilism, it provided a unity between proto-capitalism and Authoritarianism, through using private contractors to build things like aqueducts (public buildings). Caesarism is a very broad ideology since there were many Roman Emperors. Caesar himself did conquer and pillage many barbarians, but was also noted for land reforms and giving grain to every citizen across the empire. Through this combination, Rome would not fit today's standards of left or right but would be in between, enslaving barbarians and feeding the citizens alike through a strong state. Rome would inspire Fascism, and many European Monarchies.

History

Julius Caesar. He was, as most know, never formally the “Emperor of Rome”, Augustus being the first Roman Emperor, but there is no doubt that he was the ‘founder of the feast’, so to speak. He laid the foundation, and it was from him that the subsequent monarchs of the Julio-Claudian dynasty and beyond drew their ancestral legitimacy and inspiration. Julius Caesar is known as one of the great conquerors of history, one of the commanding, controversial “strong men,” and also as an example, in a way, of republican extremism. Several times offered the crown of monarchial power, he declined it. Yet, he was assassinated out of fear that he would establish a monarchy by people who feared his power, his genius, and his popularity.

Gaius Julius Caesar was born on July 13, 100 BC. Born into a patrician family, he was also born into the intrigues and numerous civil wars that were overwhelming the late Roman Republic. The Social War, the invasions of Mithridates, and the ongoing feud between the populares and optimates. This had a direct impact on Caesar as his uncle Marius (a popularis) fought a violent feud with his old protégé Sulla (an optimas). When Julius Caesar became head of his family at the age of 16 in 85 BC, Sulla targeted his family. It was only through the influence of his mother’s relatives that he survived. He took refuge in the army, where he began to gain a prestigious reputation, which, not unusually, followed him into the political sphere as well. Over time, he was able to defy the Sulla regime in specific symbolic ways while increasing his power and influence.

Caesar held several offices and also began to accumulate more political enemies. An illustrative case came in 63 BC when he was accused of plotting against the Republic. He was cleared of the charges but removed as praetor the following year over a piece of legislation, but was reinstated when the people rose in his favor. Regimes in decline (like the Roman Republic) often punish success and fear popularity (the Roman Empire would do the same in its final days), and Caesar had already demonstrated both attributes. This only increased following a successful military campaign in the Iberian Peninsula, after which Caesar declined the honor of a triumph to continue his political career.

The result was the (informal) First Triumvirate of Caesar, Pompey, and Crassus. Early on, his political enemies attempted to limit his power as much as possible. Still, they were unsuccessful, and when his term ended, Caesar went on to gain even more prestige and popularity by waging and writing about a campaign of conquest in Gaul, fighting and subduing Gallic tribes, Spanish forces, and Belgian forces, and even raiding Britain. In his absence, in 50 BC, Pompey attempted to thwart Caesar by passing laws aimed at him, which prohibited him from standing for election in absentia, a practice that had previously been allowed. Ultimately, Caesar was forced to choose between losing his power in yet another coup or (as his old family foe Sulla had previously done) marching on Rome itself, which was sure to spark civil war. As we all know, Caesar decided to march on Rome and crossed the Rubicon, famously saying, “the die is now cast”.

With only the XIII Legion, Caesar was vastly outnumbered by Pompey, but he had no desire to fight the famed conqueror of most of Western Europe, and he fled. Leaving Lepidus and Marc Antony in charge in Rome, Caesar pursued Pompey to Alexandria, Egypt, where a Roman killed Pompey in the employ of King Ptolemy XIII. It was during the fighting and politicking in Egypt that Caesar famously fell victim to the charms of Queen Cleopatra. He installed her as the ruler of Egypt, and the two were even married in the Egyptian religion (which had no validity in Rome). The ambitious Cleopatra dreamed that she and Caesar would conquer the world and rule as divine monarchs in an Eastern style. How real these aspirations were and whether Caesar shared them is a matter of speculation, but he did go on to defeat the remnants of Pompey’s forces and was showered with honors in Rome.

By that point, the success and popularity of Caesar meant that his enemies, though few, were prepared to go to even greater extremes to stop him, even if it meant assassination. These enemies, numbering about 40 in all, were all senators, and more than anything else, they feared the establishment of a monarchy, which would pose a threat to them and possibly mean the demise of the political class. Caesar had already been declared “Father of the Country”, Supreme Pontiff, Emperor (Imperator, a military title), and finally Dictator for life. All that was left was the title of King and given that Caesar had earlier adopted his nephew Octavian as his son and heir (to be replaced by Brutus -one of the plotters- if Octavian predeceased him) they were terrified that an imperial dynasty was being established. No matter how Caesar protested against the many honors bestowed on him or insisted he desired no crown, their fears were not allayed.

So it was that, on the Ides of March, 44 BC, Caesar was attacked at the portico of the Theatre of Pompey and stabbed 23 times. It is not known that his last words were, “And you too, Brutus?” but according to at least one source, he may have said something equivalent, shocked that the man he had befriended and benefited would betray him. Thus ended the life of Julius Caesar, hailed by many then and since as one of the greatest men to ever live. The assassins claimed to be acting on behalf of the people, but the people were horrified and outraged by the murder and quickly turned on the plotters, who had to flee for their lives. We all know the result. The Roman Republic fought one last civil war, which ended in Octavian becoming the sole ruler of Rome, voted the title of Augustus (the Exalted), and thus the first Roman Emperor. In 42 BC, the Senate voted to deify the fallen hero as ‘the Divine Julius’, which gave his heir Octavian the title of “son of the divine Caesar”.

It is challenging to summarize the life and legacy of such a historically significant figure as Julius Caesar. He was immensely successful, immensely popular, a man of great ambition, great vision, great strength, and determination. He was neither a republican nor was he ever actually a monarch. Yet, it can perhaps be said in summation of Julius Caesar that, intentionally or not, his life was the death of the decaying Roman Republic, and his death was the birth of the Roman Empire that rose, in Phoenix fashion, from the ashes of his funeral pyre to succeed and surpass what had come before it. It would be the heirs and successors of Julius Caesar who would dominate the known world as the Emperors of Rome.

Variants

Augustus

While Julius Caesar had laid the foundation for the eclipse of the Roman Republic by the Roman Empire, it was his nephew, adopted son, and heir, Augustus Caesar, who oversaw the transition and made it a success. It was Augustus who managed to win over the ardent Roman republicans to the side of an imperial monarchy and embrace it wholeheartedly. It was Augustus who, as the saying went, ‘found Rome brick and left it marble’, and it was Augustus Caesar who established the government framework for the Roman Empire that allowed it to continue for centuries, through the reigns of good and bad emperors alike, and rise to dominate the known world. He was, in every way, a colossal figure in European, Western, and world history.

He was born Gaius Octavius (aka Octavian) in Rome on September 23, 63 BC. His father had been a senator but died when he was only four. It was through his mother that his most prestigious family ties came, as she was the daughter of Julius Caesar’s daughter, Julia. When Julius Caesar adopted him as his heir on May 8, 44 BC, he took the name Gaius Julius Caesar. He fought alongside his uncle in Spain and was in Albania, preparing to lead the campaign against the Parthians, when he learned that Caesar had been assassinated. He returned to Rome and began building his political power base, supported by senators who were particularly fearful of Mark Antony. In a political alliance, Antony married Octavian’s sister, and the prestige of the young man was increased further when the Roman senate declared Caesar a god in 42 BC.

Nonetheless, Octavian (now officially known as Caesar) broke with Antony after his marriage to Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt. This made Antony unpopular in Rome, and Octavian took advantage of this to gain public support for moving against Antony, a conflict he won at the pivotal battle of Actium in 31 BC. This left Octavian as the most powerful figure in the Roman world. Still, he had to move carefully to establish the imperial system without offending the republican sensibilities of the Romans, especially the Roman elite. He declared that he was restoring the republic and handed power back to the senate, which promptly gave most of it back again in an act of political theatre. He was elected consul every year and was given the name “Augustus”, meaning “the Exalted”. He did away with nothing of the republican system but consolidated the powers held previously by numerous individuals into his own hands; thus becoming the first Roman Emperor.

Later, a second settlement brought more regularity and permanence to his position, making Augustus effectively a perpetual consul. His preferred title was “Princeps” or ‘First Citizen, and although he held ultimate power, he still treated the senate with respect. He tried to maintain a sense of normalcy while ushering in a new era with extensive building programs, including several temples. As Augustus was very pious, he encouraged an emphasis on religion through his example and legislation, promoting a return to traditional Roman family values. These changes, along with public games and an attitude of openness and tolerance of criticism, made him a very popular monarch. However, in his private life, he was not free of all scandal. He liked to gamble and had several mistresses, but his most significant embarrassment was his daughter, whom he had finally exiled due to her debauched behavior.

Emperor Augustus was no great scholar, but he was a man of common sense and some literary talent. In the same way, he was no military genius. Still, he presided over some great victories because he recognized this fact and was content to leave military affairs in the hands of professionals. He led one campaign in Egypt but generally left the strategy and tactics to others. Still, his reign was an era of great successes for the Roman Empire, including the conquest of Egypt, the establishment of the Alpine frontier, and the expansion into the northern Balkans. His most ambitious military effort was a plan to conquer Germany. His stepson Drusus was put in command, but upon his death, the burden fell on another stepson (and future successor), Tiberius. The effort to conquer Germany ended in epic disaster, however, when three legions under Quintilius Varus were annihilated at the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest in 9 AD. Emperor Augustus mourned long and hard over this disaster, and further plans for expansion were shelved, and he even left instructions to his heir, Tiberius, to do the same and be content with the size of the Roman Empire as it was.

So, all in all, Emperor Augustus had been highly successful. He had ended the civil wars and fierce partisanship of the late republic, accomplished the peaceful transition from republic to empire, restored and beautified Rome itself, set a new public tone, expanded and defended the empire, and kept everyone on side by allowing the retention and maintaining at least outward respect for the republican traditions of Rome. Now, because of this last fact, and because Rome remained, at least on paper, a “republic” throughout the imperial period, some have asked whether not all the past centuries of historical reading have been wrong and whether Rome might not have ever been a monarchy at all. I would find such an argument absurd, both based on the facts and because of my attachment to the Roman Empire. It is not something I wish to surrender to republicans, nor would any republicans I have ever met wish to accept it either. Perhaps the key element, though, that proves Rome did become a monarchy, and a monarchy of the sort most of us today would be familiar with, is the fact that a hereditary succession was established.

Part of what made Augustus so accepted as the natural leader of Rome was his status as the great-nephew and adopted son of Julius Caesar. In the same way, his family was viewed very much at the time as the ‘Imperial Family’. It was essential to Augustus that the succession continue in his family; the Julian dynasty. However, he ran into problems in this area because he never had a male heir of his own. Therefore, he was forced to turn to the husbands and children of his controversial daughter Julia. Her husband, Marcellus, was considered, but such talk ended with his death. Therefore, Augustus arranged a marriage between Julia and his most trusted lieutenant, Agrippa. Their union produced two sons, Gaius and Lucius, whom Augustus adopted as his own, with Agrippa designated as their heir during their minority. Yet, Agrippa died in 12 BC, leaving no one to look after the children that Augustus trusted, so he was forced to turn to the sons of his wife Livia from a previous marriage: the aforementioned Drusus and Tiberius. He had Tiberius marry Julia, but he was still reluctant to embrace the future going to the Claudian dynasty and continued to indulge his grandsons, Gaius and Lucius. However, when they both predeceased him, Tiberius was left as the only viable choice.

Augustus began to slow down as his years caught up with him and his health began to decline. He died at Nola on August 19, 14 AD, just a month before his 76th birthday. His body was taken back to Rome and his ashes placed in his magnificent imperial Mausoleum. As the first Roman Emperor, he set the standard by which subsequent monarchs would be judged, and it was a high standard. He was an astute statesman, moderate, tolerant, careful, and yet adept at acting at crucial times to turn situations to his advantage. He successfully transitioned the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire peacefully and effectively by establishing a monarchy gradually, step by step, over time. At the time of his death, his full name and titles were “Imperator (Emperor) Caesar Divi Filius (son of a god) Augustus, Pontifex Maximus, Consul XIII, Imperator XXI, Potestatis XXXVII, Pater Patriae (Father of the Country). He had known victory and some defeats, but by any standard, he left Rome stronger, more beautiful, more secure, more prosperous, and with a more stable foundation for the future than he found it. The month of August was named in his honor, and the senate deified him upon his death.

Theodosius

Emperor Theodosius I, a native of Spain, was a great statesman and a devout Christian. His father was executed for treason in 37,5. Still, Theodosius' talent ensured that he was recalled after the unprecedented Roman defeat by the Visigoths at Adrianople, where Emperor Valens was killed on the battlefield. Theodosius was made a general and sent to defend the border by Emperor Gratian, the Roman Emperor who officially dropped the title "Pontifex Maximus" from the imperial list, surrendering it to the Pope. Theodosius proved himself to be a bold and brilliant commander, firmly defeating the Goths and reestablishing Roman control over the region. Because of his success, Gratian named Theodosius Emperor of the East on January 19, 379. Theodosius finished up the Goths, concluded peace with them, and brought greater unity to Eastern Rome by defeating and executing the traitor Magnus Maximus, who had usurped the throne of Emperor Gratian.

With this, Theodosius became the sole Emperor of Rome; it would be the last time in history that one man ruled over both the east and the west. He then began a long association with the great Bishop Ambrose of Milan, and mutual respect soon grew between them. Their relationship would be the foundation of the Church and State ideal for Christendom. Coming from the east, where the Church tended to be slightly more subservient, and being a Roman Emperor after all, Theodosius and Ambrose soon found themselves in a slight conflict. Once, while at Mass, St. Ambrose sent a deacon to request that Theodosius stop sitting among the clergy and move with the congregation, saying, in a very brilliant remark, "The Emperor is in the Church, not over it." When the bishop opposed a policy, the Emperor was insulted and, for a time, refused to deal with St Ambrose at all.

However, Emperor Theodosius was nothing if not a zealous son of the Church; in fact, it was his methods rather than his principles that most often brought him into controversy with the Bishop of Milan. He was a Roman Emperor, lifted from the field of battle to assume the purple, and he knew one way of dealing with enemies: harsh severity. In 390, the event occurred that led to the action for which Emperor Theodosius is most famous. The capital city of Macedonia, Thessalonica, one of the greatest cities in the Roman world, rose in rebellion against the Emperor. There was a riot, mobs stormed government buildings, and the Roman commandant was stoned to death. The Emperor was enraged. St Ambrose tried to calm him and advise forgiveness, but this was not the way Roman soldiers were used to acting. Traitors had to be made an example of. Emperor Theodosius issued his order for a reprisal, but after wrestling with his conscience, recalled the command. Alas, it was too late, and the order was carried out. All of the people of Thessalonica were invited to the stadium for games, a sign of reconciliation perhaps. Once inside, however, the exits were sealed, and imperial troops stormed in and for the next three hours massacred 7,000 Thessalonians, men, women, and children.

In an act many modern bishops could learn from, St Ambrose sent Theodosius a confidential letter informing him that this act of cruelty had caused him to be excommunicated and that he should not present himself for communion. He reminded the emperor about the holy King David, who had also sinned but repented and was restored to God's favor. Until Theodosius did the same, he was cut off from the Most Blessed Sacrament. St Ambrose wrote to him, "I dare not offer the sacrifice if you determine to attend. For can it possibly be right, after the slaughter of so many, to do what may not be done after the blood of only one innocent person has been shed?" This tore the Emperor; he felt great sadness and remorse, yet it went against centuries of Roman tradition for the Emperor to lower himself before any man or confess to an error of any kind. He passed a new law that punishment must wait 30 days after one is condemned, but the bishop still insisted that the Emperor do public penance before being fully reconciled with the Church. Finally, in an unprecedented and truly historical event, Theodosius, the exalted Caesar and Emperor of Rome, came to the basilica, solemnly removed all his imperial regalia and symbols of rank, knelt before the simple bishop, and confessed his sins before all present. He performed penance from October to December, demonstrating complete humility and repentance, before he was entirely reconciled with the Church and allowed to receive Holy Communion. It was a significant act that set the precedent for the Church's ultimate supremacy in spiritual matters, even surpassing that of the Emperor himself.

The event appears to have had a significant impact on Theodosius. He said later that, "I know of no one except Ambrose who deserves the name of bishop". In 391, Emperor Theodosius officially declared Rome a Christian Empire, closing all remaining pagan temples, outlawing pagan worship, and establishing Catholicism as the official state church. His official declaration stated that the religion of Rome would be that "which Holy Peter delivered to the Romans...and as the Pontiff Damasus manifestly observes it." The following year, there was another rebellion, this one backed by the promise of a pagan emperor, which Theodosius was able to put down. He also insisted on Catholic orthodoxy, being a strong opponent of the spread of Arianism. He passed laws against heresy and sought, with all his power, to make Rome a strictly orthodox, Catholic state, united by one Church and one Emperor. However, he was never again harsh with his enemies. According to the historian Sozomen, "He did not desire to punish, but only to frighten his people, that they might ponder, as he did, Divine matters". As part of his effort to ensure the actual practice of religious teaching throughout the empire, earlier in 381, he had called the Council of Constantinople, the first since Constantine's Council of Nicaea. Its primary purpose was to show the error of the Arian heresy.

Emperor Theodosius the Great died in 395. He left a legacy matched by few others in Roman history. The Empire had been reunited, internal subversion suppressed, external enemies repelled, paganism abolished, and religious unity through the Catholic Church. Rome was united, strong, and religiously sound. At his funeral, St Ambrose delivered the oration, a brilliant tribute to a great Christian Emperor called "De obitu Theodosii".

Trajan

In any listing of the most extraordinary emperors of Western civilization, one name that will undoubtedly make the list is that of the Emperor Trajan. Many remarked on how his behavior seemed to match his commanding presence well. Cassius Dio, consul and historian, wrote of Emperor Trajan that, “His association with the people was marked by affability and his intercourse with the senate by dignity, so that he was loved by all and dreaded by none save the enemy”. That last line is significant because Trajan has certainly been most remembered for his victorious military campaigns more than anything else. Under his rule, the Roman Empire reached the peak of its expansion; never before or since would so much of the world be ‘Roman’ as during the reign of Trajan. He was also, though, an able administrator, setting up a more normal situation after the innovations of Emperor Domitian, and a great builder who left Rome more glorious than he found it.

He was born Marcus Ulpius Traianus on or about September 18, 53 AD, in Spain. His father had an illustrious military and civil career, having led the X Legion in the Jewish War, served as consul, and as governor of Syria. Young Trajan served with his father in Syria and rose to command the VII Legion “Gemina” in southern Spain. He aided in suppressing a rebellion against Emperor Domitian and so gained imperial favor, being successively named praetor and consul. When Nerva became emperor in 96 AD, he appointed Trajan as governor of Upper Germany, where Trajan was serving at the time. Nerva adopted him as his son and heir. It was thus that on January 28, 98 AD, Nerva died, and Trajan became Emperor of Rome. With his authority secure, he demonstrated his care by first touring the Rhine and Danube frontiers before proceeding to Rome to assume the purple officially.

When he arrived in Rome, Trajan was enthusiastically celebrated, but he made a point of behaving with friendliness and modesty towards all, including senators and commoners alike. He was an absolute ruler, but never treated the people with contempt; instead, he patiently dealt with the senate with utmost respect. Because of this welcome change, he received praise and adulation from every section of society. Yet, it seems to have had no ill effects on him as his nature inclined him to disregard flattery. He preferred hunting, hiking, and rock climbing, and while devoutly religious, he preferred to worship privately without show or ostentation. Similarly, his wife, Lady Plotina, was described much the same; regal in bearing but modest in dress and unassuming. One might be tempted to suspect sycophancy from the excessive praise heaped on Emperor Trajan, but his numerous accomplishments prove that the praise directed at him was largely deserved.

As a ruler, Emperor Trajan worked tirelessly to defend, expand, and improve the empire. He improved the road system, built bridges, established imperial funds to aid the poor (children especially), and remarkably, this system of social welfare (first considered by Nerva) worked well and went on caring for Roman children for nearly 200 years. He enacted extensive building programs throughout his reign, which left many remarkable monuments such as Trajan’s Forum, Trajan’s Market, and, perhaps most famously, Trajan’s Column. This last monument was built to celebrate the military victories in the Dacian Wars, and Emperor Trajan's military victories were numerous. He was a highly skilled military commander and was greatly admired and respected by his troops. He fought three large-scale wars during his 19-year reign as Emperor, and the first two were against the powerful Kingdom of Dacia, now located in what is now Romania.

Emperor Domitian had fought the Dacians to a negotiated peace. Still, the Dacian king, Decebalus, was ostentatiously spurning the terms of that peace, and Emperor Trajan decided to strike before the situation worsened. In 101 AD, the Emperor left Rome to command his legions and inflicted a sharp defeat on the Dacians at Tapae. King Decebalus launched a counter-attack across the Danube that winter but was repelled by the Roman defenders. The following year, Emperor Trajan renewed his offensive and fought to the outskirts of the Dacian capital of Sarmizegethusa, at which time Decebalus sued for peace. Emperor Trajan spared the Dacians further humiliation but annexed considerable territory to the Roman Empire before returning to the Eternal City for a grand triumph and the award of the title “Dacicus” by the senate.

The peace had not been harsh by Roman standards, but Decebalus did not seem to learn his lesson. Flouting the terms of their agreement yet again, he used the peacetime interlude to rebuild his forces and plan new attacks so that by the summer of 105, Emperor Trajan had to take to the field once again. The Dacians attacked and captured several Roman frontier outposts. Still, Trajan had wisely built a large bridge across the Danube, which significantly increased the speed with which he could get his forces into striking position. As the imposing Emperor and his battle-hardened legions approached, Decebalus was abandoned by many of his allies, and he was driven to desperation, even attempting to assassinate Trajan, but to no avail. After all of his past antics, this time the Emperor was in no mood to be forgiving. Sarmizegethusa was captured and sacked by the Roman forces, the royal treasury was emptied and carried back to Rome, and the Dacian king was forced to flee for his life before finally committing suicide. All of Dacia became a Roman province, and Trajan’s Column was erected to celebrate the victory.

There was another triumph for the returning Emperor, and 10,000 gladiators fought in the long series of games held in celebration. The captured loot Trajan brought back was put to use on his many building projects. For several years, there was peace during which time Trajan devoted himself to improving and embellishing Rome. However, the blast of war came again in 114 when the primary rivals of Rome in the east began interfering in the border Kingdom of Armenia. This would put the Parthians on the doorstep of Rome. Emperor Trajan gathered his legions and marched east, driving out Parthian influence and annexing all of Armenia to the Roman Empire. The following year, he turned south and marched into modern-day Iraq, and by 116, he had conquered the entire region to the Persian Gulf and captured the Parthian capital near present-day Baghdad. The Roman Empire had reached its peak, stretching from the Persian Gulf to the Atlantic Ocean and Hadrian’s Wall in northern England to the Sudan.

However, Emperor Trajan was beginning to suffer more and more ailments, and the strain of such campaigning could not have helped. In 116, he had to suppress an uprising by the Mesopotamians, which proved more difficult than expected (imagine that), and the following year, an attack on the city of Hatra failed, with Trajan himself narrowly avoiding death. Word then arrived that the Jews in Cyrenaica had risen, and the rebellion was spreading to Egypt and Cyprus. There were also rumblings of trouble from the northern frontier. Emperor Trajan left his army in Syria and began the trip back to Rome to take charge of things but fell ill along the way. He suspected someone had attempted to poison him. Nonetheless, the result was a stroke which left him half-paralyzed, and on August 9, 117 AD, the great Emperor died at Selinus in what is now Turkey. His body was taken back to Rome, cremated, and his ashes buried in a golden urn at Trajan’s Column.

In his own time and ever since, Trajan had been held up as a model Emperor of Rome and an example of everything such a monarch was expected to be: strong, imposing, tolerant and humble, absolute but respectful, harsh when necessary but charitable to the downtrodden, hard working, brave and victorious in war. Noted author Edward Gibbon named him as one of the “Five Good Emperors”, and every time a new emperor came to the throne after him, the senate would pray, ‘felicior Augusto, melior Traiano, “may he be more fortunate than Augustus and better than Trajan”. Even after the rise of Christendom in the Middle Ages, despite being a pagan, Christian writers could not consign Emperor Trajan to Hell. Unlike all other pre-Christian Roman Emperors, the poet Dante placed Trajan in Heaven, and a legend even spread that Pope Saint Gregory the Great raised him from the dead and baptized Emperor Trajan to ensure his place in Paradise. Certainly, few other monarchs in history have been as celebrated in their own time and as widely honored for so long since.

Personality

Caesarism, like the name suggests, has a stereotypical vain personality expected of Roman Emperors. He doesn't know modern English, as he was born and raised in Ancient Rome, speaking Latin.

How To Draw

Flag of Caesarism

1. Draw a ball with eyes
2. Fill with Red
3. In Gold, draw an Eagle spanning its wings, perched on top of what appears to be a nest with thunderbolts underneath it.
4. Draw a gold ring encompassing the sides of the ball.
5. Add the eyes.
6. Add a green laurel wreath on top of the ball
7. You're done!

Color Name		HEX	RGB
	Crimson	#811A2B	rgb(129, 26, 43)
	Gold	#F5A319	rgb(245, 163, 25)
	Green	#22B14C	rgb(34, 177, 76)

Relationships

Amici (Friends)

• Agrarianismus - It is grain, cattle and the rural plebians that hold up the empire and all its conquests.
• Popularismus - You undestand that as well, that is why I supported you at the start.
• Imperialismus - We've got to put Alexander to shame! Veni, Vidi, Vici!
• Mercantilismus - Likewise, merchants uphold the other part of the economy, that is why I made Mare, Nostrum!
• Corporatismus - We go way back...
• Social Authoritarianism - Same with you.
• Stratocratia - I was in the legionary first and foremost, enjoy your retirement bonuses friend!
• Plutocratia - I was the wealthiest man in the world when I came to power.
• Orientale Romanum imperium - You carry on so much of what I built, I am proud to call you my successor but you certainly don't feel like one. What's that old paradox about the ship of Theseus again?
• Autocratia - I will be dictator perpetuo, and all those senators can cope and seeth- *Gets stabbed*
  • ...OK, let's try this again. I will be princeps for life, and all those senators who stabbed Caesar will be proscribed.

Neutrum (Mixed)

• Fordismus - Give them bread and circuses and they will never revolt, but don't you think it's all too far?
• Hydrarchia - I had some fun with you pirates, but you still have to go.
• Respublicanismus Romana - I love the Republic. I am definitely not a king, trust me.
• Democratia Imperiosa - You were so dysfunctional you inadvertedly gave me the ideal opportunity to take over.
• Fascismus - I appreciate the enthusiasm, but your attempts at LARPing as me were just embarrassing.
• Federalismus Europaeae - Another successor of mine, and actually successful at that. I think you're way too mild, however. At least your people seem to be happy...
• Theocratia Christiana - I hated you at first, but eventually, I came around to you with the Edict of Milan and Thessalonica. After all, if you surivied all that most emperors from Nero to Diocletian threw at you, there has to be something to it, no? It was your martyrdom that convinced the people of Rome to convert.
• Doctrina Politica Quarta - My... Slavic... Fan... That sees Moscovia as the new Rome? And considers Parthia among its greatest allies? And thinks that Europe is occupied by descendants of the Germanics that migrated to Britannia and then across the Atlantis? Honestly, I am at a loss of words. Fine, I guess you sort of have a point on that last one.
• Marxismus—Leninismus - Kinda similar to me in that he takes the lower classes interest to heart and he is an autocratic ideology for the most part. Also, Parenti has praised me. But why do you want to get rid of the state?? Also, social imperialism is good, get over it.

Inimici (Unfriendly)

• Senatorialismus - I AM THE SENATE.
• Optimateismus - You did more to kill the republic than I ever did. You ruined our soldiers and their families whilst growing fat off their conquests and the slaves they brought in. The Populares understood your idiocy, even if not everything that they did was intelligent. It undid you in the end, even the best of your ranks perished for your misdeeds, Cicero!
• Tribalismus - B A R B A R U S.
• Theocratia Zoroastriana - B A R B A R U S.
• Aegyptia Theocratia - He was a CONSUL OF ROOOMMMMMMMMEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!
• Respublicanismus Romana (After 44 BC) - Et tu, Brute?
• Satirismus - What's so funny about "Biggus Dickus"?
  • Well, it's a joke name, sir.

• Theocratia Judaica - What's this then... "Romanes eunt domus"? "People called 'Romanes' they go the house"?
• Legionarismus - Why is this Dacian barbarian naming himself after my military unit?

Further Information

Literature

• "Caesar", from Parallel Lives by Plutarch (trans. Bernadotte Perrin):
  • On LacusCurtius
  • On Perseus Digital Library
• The History of The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire - Volume I, Volume II, Volume III, Volume IV, Volume V, Volume VI by Edward Gibbons
• The Assassination of Julius Caesar by Michael Parenti

Wikipedia

• Roman Empire
• Julius Caesar
• Caesarism

Videos

• Julius Caesar Playlist and Octavius Playlist by Historia Civilis
• Unbiased History of Rome (New Style) by Dovahhatty

Gallery

Portraits

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Alternative designs

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  Panemism (The Hunger Games)
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  Flag of Panemism
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  Roman Imperial flag design

Artwork and Comics

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  Credit: TheLegend2T, Source
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