What if, before his assassination, Julius Caesar formally declares himself king of Rome? What kind of uproar would this cause, and how would this affect the legitimacy of Octavian's claim as Caesar's heir? Would Caesar still get assassinated, would there be open revolt, etc.? Would the republic survive significantly longer, or would another powerful statesman inevitably seize power and declare himself king?
WI: Caesar Proclaims Himself King?
- Thread starter Tripledot
- Start date
Caesar was far too canny a politician to ever make such a catastrophic mistake. The title of king was poisonous in Rome - it's worth noting that none of the later Emperors even used the title.
In Robert Graves' I, Claudius, Augustus' second wife, attempted to get her first husband to proclaim himself king and he told her would divorce her if she ever mentioned the subject again. So, while that is fiction, there were those who longed for a return to the monarchy.
What Cymraeg said. Julius was essentially assassinated because a group of Senators thought he was becoming a de facto king; unfortunately for them quite a few Romans didn't feel that way. Octavius was always careful to make sure the Senate felt that he recognized them as the source of his authority. By the time Caesar and Augustus became hereditary titles (in the sense that the leader of Rome would always bear one or both of them), people had gotten use to the idea.
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Bill
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Bill
They eventually did get lax on the practice though. Dominus and Basileus are essentially the same thing - and by essentially I don't mean the way that Imperator and Rex are the same thing on the ground, but I mean that those are terms usually reserved for Kings or other type of personal-right rulers (Basileus was used for Eastern kings for awhile I might add).
According to this source, Caesar did indeed have ambitions to be crowned king. He apparently forged a prophecy saying Rome could only conquer Parthia if it was led by a king. Caesar was about to start a war with Parthia. It's pretty obvious what he was getting at.
I do wonder if Caesar's head had expanded too much just before his death. He must have known that being crowned king would have meant riots on the streets of Rome, the alienation of the Senate (even amongst his own supporters) and a lowering of support amongst the legions. The title was the kiss of death on Rome, it really was.
As not to steal your thunder, would you mind if I created a thread on the topic of Rome remaining a monarchy and not becoming a republic?
Caesar Biden
Banned
As many have said, it would not be received well. Even under the most autocratic parts of Roman history, they did not take kindly to Kings.
I was more interested in what specific type of fallout might result from such an event. Would Caesar's legions back him up, or would they abandon him? Would the plebs continue to support him? How about the peoples he had granted citizenship? If he is still assassinated, will his killers be treated as saviors of the republic, or will Caesar's allies still find a way to spin the story in their favor? Would Marc Antony seize absolute power, with Octavian delegitimized by Caesar's power grab? Etc. Etc.
Caesar Biden
Banned
When is "before his assassination"? Right before the knife goes into his heart, right as he returns from Gaul, or where in between? When will make sure the answer's vary.
In general, though, it's bad for both Augustus and Caeser. The latter will be assassinated, and that's bad for the former because Caeser won't receive the same level of adoration and near-deification.
His best shot would have been to effectively make himself King of everything else and then conquer/subjugate Rome, relegating it to a city-state subject to him as Emperor. Depends on how his Gaulish legions would compare to the Italian ones his enemies would naturally raise. Marriage to Cleopatra would at least legitimize his rule somewhat in the Hellenic world.
Well, he was already a God-king or something outside of Rome. To make him a king in Rome...nope. Even Octavian, after years of civil wars and all his enemies crushed, knew he couldn't force Romans to accept the title (likely his allies like Maecanas told him that 'princeps' is the best he can get!).
Caesar trying for more than he did OTL will just get him killed earlier. As it is, Caesar already showed enough disrespect to the Senate in OTL that he got multiple stab wounds.
Say, Caesar manages to survive the assassination attempt, perhaps an ally arrives to end the assault before Caesar is too cut up. Proscription is initiated, in that window of almost being stabbed to death and the senate being wholly disgraced in the view of the populace. Could Caesar have grabbed the crown and hide behind his suffering and the mob?
"Rex" is poisonous, as has been stated. I just don't believe that he'd have been that stupid.
Divine? Basileus? Autocrat? any of a handful of titles that could be used with the impact of 'king'? Yes. 'king' (as in 'rex'). Nope.
You note that Octavian chose 'princeps' and later the name 'Caesar" itself became synonymous with Emperor. No one used 'rex'. That was for Barbarian Kinglets.
Divine? Basileus? Autocrat? any of a handful of titles that could be used with the impact of 'king'? Yes. 'king' (as in 'rex'). Nope.
You note that Octavian chose 'princeps' and later the name 'Caesar" itself became synonymous with Emperor. No one used 'rex'. That was for Barbarian Kinglets.
It should be noted that the titles Dominus and Basileus (to my knowledge) weren't used until at least Diocletian's time. That's more than 2 centuries after the end of the republic, a couple decades after senators were barred from holding military commands, and less than a year removed from the final end of the third century crisis.
Basically at a time when the Senate hardly cared, nor had the power to care. And even then the title of Rex was never used.
Basically at a time when the Senate hardly cared, nor had the power to care. And even then the title of Rex was never used.
Which would have made him, in his own eyes, un-Roman. Rome was the centre of the universe for Julius Caesar. Don't forget that at this time the term 'Imperator' means merely someone who has been proclaimed worthy enough for a Triumph by an army on the field. Caesar had been made Dictator for life by the Senate (admittedly under duress). If he had crowned himself Rex then there would have been riots. The title was a poisonous one in Rome. Octavian created the kinda sorta unofficial title of Princeps and then later, because Triumphs were more or less restricted to the Caesars, the term Imperator was used.
When the romans used the world "Rex" on the political field, it meant "Tyrant".
It's like if, nowadays, Germany decided to call its chancellor ""führer".
Caesar certainly was perfectly aware of it. And the scene when Anthony offered to him the diadem may have been organized to give him the opportunity to assert that he did not intend to become king.
It's like if, nowadays, Germany decided to call its chancellor ""führer".
Caesar certainly was perfectly aware of it. And the scene when Anthony offered to him the diadem may have been organized to give him the opportunity to assert that he did not intend to become king.
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Here's an idea for a 'Caesar as Monarch' TL.
The POV involves one of the conspirators deciding to secretly turn on the conspirators and tips off Caesar about the plot. Brutus could have the most dramatic effect depending on if you go with the idea that he's actually Caesar's son.
After this 'vile treason' is exposed and the conspirators caught, tried, and executed then Julius might feel confident enough to set himself up as a monarch. He wouldn't have to use the title 'Rex', something like 'Autocrat' as suggested by someone else earlier would work. Someone else suggested marrying Cleopatra and making Caesarion his heir.
The POV involves one of the conspirators deciding to secretly turn on the conspirators and tips off Caesar about the plot. Brutus could have the most dramatic effect depending on if you go with the idea that he's actually Caesar's son.
After this 'vile treason' is exposed and the conspirators caught, tried, and executed then Julius might feel confident enough to set himself up as a monarch. He wouldn't have to use the title 'Rex', something like 'Autocrat' as suggested by someone else earlier would work. Someone else suggested marrying Cleopatra and making Caesarion his heir.
We should not believe that Caesar was les by his heart. All his lige was dedicated to politics.
We have no proof that Caesar ever intended marrying Cleopatra. He had other mistresses in the last years of his Life, even an other eastern queen.
So you also have to take into account the fact that keeping Cleopatra at Rome was also Caesar's way to keep her and Egypt under his personal control. Cleopatra, at that time, was nothing more than Caesar's puppet to control Egypt.
Cleopatra became again an independant political actif only after Caesar's death, when she fled back to Egypt and was able to bargain with the various roman leaders fighting in the new civil war.
The best Caesar could do would be to have Caesarion given the titre of roman citizen.
Could Caesar engineer in any way the legal adoption of his natural son Caesarion ? I strongly doubt it but you could try it. Caesarion made roman citizen at an early age and adopted.
Have Caesar live old and marry Caesarion to one of the noblest daughters of Rome (I would choose a daughter of Lepidus PE a daughter of Octavia or Octavius to close lines with his own colateral family).
We have no proof that Caesar ever intended marrying Cleopatra. He had other mistresses in the last years of his Life, even an other eastern queen.
So you also have to take into account the fact that keeping Cleopatra at Rome was also Caesar's way to keep her and Egypt under his personal control. Cleopatra, at that time, was nothing more than Caesar's puppet to control Egypt.
Cleopatra became again an independant political actif only after Caesar's death, when she fled back to Egypt and was able to bargain with the various roman leaders fighting in the new civil war.
The best Caesar could do would be to have Caesarion given the titre of roman citizen.
Could Caesar engineer in any way the legal adoption of his natural son Caesarion ? I strongly doubt it but you could try it. Caesarion made roman citizen at an early age and adopted.
Have Caesar live old and marry Caesarion to one of the noblest daughters of Rome (I would choose a daughter of Lepidus PE a daughter of Octavia or Octavius to close lines with his own colateral family).