When, before the consular elections in 56 B.C., the Senate, in obedience to the terms of the lex Sempronia , was choosing the provinces for the consuls of the following year, their choice lay between four possibilities: Cisalpine Gaul, held by Caesar, Transalpine Gaul, also held by Caesar, Syria, held by A. Gabinius, and Macedonia, held by L. Calpurnius Piso. Cicero urged that neither of the Gauls should be made a consular province. He argued, in general, that it would be wrong to disturb Caesar before his work in Gaul was finished, and then he spoke against those who wished to select not both, but one of, the Gauls. He considers the case of each of the two Gauls separately.

When the Senate ordered Julius Caesar, conqueror of Gaul, to disband his troops, he instead marched his soldiers across the Rubicon River, in violation of Roman law. The Senate turned to its proconsul, Pompey the Great, for help. But Pompey's response was unexpected: he commanded magistrates and senators to abandon Rome--a city that, until then, had always been defended. The consequences were the ultimate crisis of the Roman Republic and the rise of Caesar's autocracy.

Gaius Julius Caesar (12 or 13 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC) was a Roman general, statesman, and author who was the dictator of the Roman Republic almost continuously from 49 BC until his assassination in 44 BC. A member of the First Triumvirate, he led the Roman armies through the Gallic Wars and defeated his political rival Pompey in Caesar's civil war. He consolidated power and proclaimed himsel Gaius Julius Caesar (12 or 13 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC) was a Roman general, statesman, and author who was the dictator of the Roman Republic almost continuously from 49 BC until his assassination in 44 BC. A member of the First Triumvirate, he led the Roman armies through the Gallic Wars and defeated his political rival Pompey in Caesar's civil war. He consolidated power and proclaimed himself dictator for life in 44 BC, helping create the political conditions that led to the collapse of the Roman Republic and the emergence of the Roman Empire. For his role in these events, he is regarded as one of history's most influential figures. In 60 BC, Caesar, Crassus, and Pompey formed the First Triumvirate, an informal political alliance that dominated Roman politics for several years. Their attempts to amass political power were opposed by many in the Senate, including Cato the Younger with the private support of Cicero. Caesar rose to become one of the most powerful politicians in the Roman Republic through a string of military victories in the Gallic Wars, completed by 51 BC, which greatly expanded Roman territory. During this time, he invaded Britain and built a bridge across the Rhine. These achievements, along with the loyalty of his veteran army, threatened to eclipse the standing of Pompey. The alliance between Caesar and Pompey slowly broke down and, by 50 BC, Pompey had realigned himself with the Senate. With his command expiring and the Gallic Wars largely concluded, the Senate ordered Caesar to relinquish his military command and return to Rome. In early January 49 BC, Caesar openly defied the Senate by crossing the Rubicon and marching towards Rome at the head of an army. This act began Caesar's civil war, which he won, leaving him in a position of near-unchallenged power and influence in 45 BC. After assuming control of government and pardoning many of his enemies, Caesar carried out various reforms and public works. He created the Julian calendar to replace the republican lunisolar calendar, reduced the size of the grain dole, settled his veterans in new overseas colonies, greatly increased the size of the Senate, and extended citizenship to… Brutus,…

... Caesar . Pompey remained in Rome , able to influence Rome's political decisions in person , but the mechanics of government were becoming increasingly strained by corruption , coercion ... Julius Caesar knew that returning from Gaul to ... The third book of this popular introductory Latin course, endorsed by OCR and Eduqas, taking students through the full GCSE language requirements and preparing them to read original texts.

Antonius Hybrida, but the plan was discovered. 49, Rome: Julius Caesar, heading part of the Roman army, illegally crossed the Rubicon and marched on Rome. A coup d'état, often abbreviated to coup, is the overthrow of a lawful government through illegal means. If force or violence are not involved, such an event is sometimes called a soft or bloodless coup. In another variation known as a self-coup, a ruler who came to power through legal means may try to stay in power through illegal means, thus preventing the next legal ruler from taking power. Thi 1155, Ancient Egypt: Pharaoh Ramesses III was assassinated in a conspiracy led by Tiye, one of his secondary wives, to place her son Pentawer on the throne. The plot failed, and Ramesses IV, his son with Queen Tyti, succeeded him. 876, Kingdom of Israel: Zimri, a military commander of Israel, killed King Elah and became king himself. Soon after, he committed suicide to avoid being overthrown by his own commander, Omri. 860, Qi coup d'état of 860 BC in Qi: Duke Hu of Qi was overthrown by his half-brother Shan. 841, Kingdom of Israel: Jehu killed Jehoram of Israel and Ahaziah of Judah, and became king of Israel. 730, Kingdom of Judah: There was a failed coup attempt by Rezin of Aram-Damascus and Pekah of Israel to try to overthrow Ahaz of Judah and the House of David and to replace him with Ben Tav'el. 716, Lydia: King Candaules of Lydia was killed by his bodyguard, Gyges, who then assumed the throne, having conspired with Candaules's wife. 632, Athens: A coup attempt failed in Athens, by Cylon who attempted to establish himself as a tyrant. 522, Murder of the Magi in the Achaemenid Empire: Bardiya was assassinated in a conspiracy led by Otanes, leading to the accession of Darius the Great of the Achaemenid dynasty. 509, Rome: Members of the Tarquin dynasty led by Lucius Junius Brutus overthrew King of Rome Lucius Tarquinius Superbus and established the Roman Republic. 411, Athens: A coup at Athens, led by Antiphon, established a short-lived oligarchy known as The Four Hundred. 404, Athens: A coup at Athens, led by Critias, established the short-lived pro-Spartan oligarchy known as the Thirty Tyrants. 209, Xiongnu Empire: The Xiongnu Emperor Modu Chanyu overthrew his father Touman and killed his rival half-brother. 185, Maurya Empire: There was a coup in the Maurya Empire, which controlled much of present Indian territory, by Mauryan General Pushyamitra Shunga. 88, Rome: Lucius Cornelius Sulla occupied Rome and outlawed his enemy, Gaius Marius. 82, Rome: In Sulla's civil war, Sulla again marched on Rome, removed Gaius Marius the Younger, and proclaimed himself as Roman dictator. 63, Rome: In the Catiline conspiracy, Lucius Sergius Catilina plotted to overthrow…